https://coloradosun.com/2024/0...park-ranch-tarryall/


Colorado Parks and Wildlife lands a spectacular hunting and fishing ranch in South Park

Collard Ranch and 5 miles of pristine trout stream will become a state wildlife area for $8.25 million

Michael Booth
3:08 AM MDT on Mar 12, 2024



Colorado will turn nearly 1,900 acres of spectacular South Park hunting and fishing habitat into a new state wildlife area later this year after Great Outdoors Colorado funded most of the $8.25 million purchase of Collard Ranch on Tarryall Creek.

Western Rivers Conservancy “jumped at the opportunity” in December to secure the ranch 60 miles southwest of Denver after it first went up for sale, then held it until GOCO and state officials could work out financing.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said public access to the 1,860 acres could begin “in months” after parking lots, signage and other wildlife area fixtures are installed. State wildlife areas are not built out with roads, trails or other amenities as in the state parks system, and are primarily offered to in-season hunters and anglers with Colorado licenses.


The property includes 5 miles of Tarryall Creek, one of the larger tributaries to the South Platte River and a magnet for fly-fishing. The ranch is also a corridor for thousands of migrating elk moving to and from the surrounding high mountains, as well as mule deer, pronghorn and other wildlife. Active beaver habitat and ponds are also key features of the property on the high valley floor.

“It’s a really great win for conservation,” said Kara Van Hoose, spokesperson for CPW’s northeast region, in an interview. “Land purchases, like everyone knows buying houses on the Front Range, is difficult to do, and we’re losing habitat in a lot of spaces. So an opportunity like this does not come up often. We’re really thrilled that it has gone our way.”


When Collard Ranch was privately held, hunting and fishing on the property, near Como, was available only by special arrangement.



“Tarryall Creek is a special area to so many people in Colorado, with easy access for Park County residents and folks living on the Front Range,” said Allen Law, a project manager for Western Rivers, in a release Monday. “We are proud to partner with CPW to forever protect this stretch of the creek, especially given its importance to a critical wildlife corridor and its iconic views of Kenosha Pass.”

GOCO uses some of the state lottery proceeds to purchase open space and fund wildlife and recreation projects. While GOCO supplied $6.25 million, CPW’s capital budget provided the remainder of the price.

Sounds like a very worth while addition to public lands.

Wonderful news. Ya know, for a state that is as blue as Colorado, Parks and Wildlife also operates one of the most advanced shooting ranges in the American West:
https://cameosec.org/

I totally disagree. This land is being taken off the tax rolls and will be managed by the uninformed electorate in Denver that wants to ban all hunting. Why does anyone think this is good deal for sportsmen=?

I hunt exclusively public lands when hunting in Colorado, the more options the better in my mind. Many of our SWA's offer excellent recreation including hiking, biking hunting, and fishing. I support this as well as BHA's effort to free up access to State owned lands. I usually hunt Federal lands, simply due to proximity. When I was in school at TSJC I spent more time on SWA's. I find our SWA's easier to hunt and access than the State Parks but both offer additional options beyond what is available on Federal Lands. The more places open to hunting the better in my mind.

how many wolves do they figure it needs to balance things out?

quote:

Originally posted by Pancho:
I totally disagree. This land is being taken off the tax rolls and will be managed by the uninformed electorate in Denver that wants to ban all hunting. Why does anyone think this is good deal for sportsmen=?

As a Colorado resident, when the alternative is subdividing the ranch into 36 acre plots, this sounds like a great idea.

I keep telling you, we just need to reintroduce grizzlies to keep the wolves in check