The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance submitted more than 180,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office this week, exceeding the minimum of about 124,000 required to place Initiative 302 protecting hunting and fishing on the November 2026 ballot.

The measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to enshrine the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife using traditional methods.

“Coloradans value the state’s long-standing hunting and fishing traditions,” said campaign chairperson Luke Hilgemann in a news release. “This measure is intended to provide constitutional clarity and long-term protection for those practices, consistent with science-based wildlife management.”

The initiative would create a constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife using traditional methods. It designates hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations while preserving state regulatory authority for scientific conservation, public safety and sustainability.

Proponents cite efforts in states such as Oregon, where a 2026 ballot measure seeks to expand animal cruelty laws in ways that would restrict hunting, fishing and related activities. There are also proposals in California targeting mountain lion hunting and similar measures in Michigan, Maine and Montana addressing bear hunting, wolf management or trapping.

“With more than 180,000 signatures submitted, Initiative 302 has taken a significant step toward the ballot,” said Dustin Zvonek, a principal with 76 Group, in a campaign statement. “This campaign reflects the strong bipartisan support for protecting Colorado’s hunting and fishing heritage by enshrining these time-honored traditions in our state constitution and safeguarding them for future generations.”

Hunting and fishing contribute more than $3.25 billion annually to Colorado’s economy and support over 25,000 jobs, according to the Colorado Wildlife Council.

“Animal rights extremists have spent years attacking Colorado Parks and Wildlife — questioning their credentials, dismissing their expertise,” according to a social media post from Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management.

Hunting organizations have repeatedly criticized appointments, arguing that Gov. Jared Polis has filled the commission with individuals aligned with animal welfare priorities rather than traditional sportsmen interests.

Critics of the initiative, including Wildlife for All and Protect Colorado’s Constitution, contend that the amendment could limit future wildlife policy options and citizen initiatives on broader ecological issues.

“This is really disturbing to me that we have a proposal for a constitutional amendment for a very small, narrow group of people,” David Kane, a member of Protect Colorado’s Constitution, told Colorado Politics. “It seems very problematic and not very constitutional to me.”

The Bell Policy Center, in its “Before You Sign” voter guide, noted that the measure “prioritizes hunting and fishing above all other wildlife management strategies, including habitat conservation or species reintroduction,” saying it would make it more difficult to adopt alternative approaches.

“Initiative 302 does more than establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish,” stated a June 2026 analysis from Wildlife for All. “It would also place new constitutional limits on who can shape wildlife policy in Colorado and what future policymakers are allowed to do.”

The group argues the measure prioritizes hunting over other wildlife values and could lock out future protections for nongame species or habitat.

If approved, Colorado would join 24 other states with similar constitutional protections.

The Secretary of State’s Office check validation of the signatures and announce whether the initiative made the November ballot in the coming weeks.