Section 2 CCR 405-7-I-710 - Lone Mesa State Park Hunting Special Use Permit, 2 Colo. Code Regs. § 405-7-I-710 (2023)

Section 2 CCR 405-7-I-710 - Lone Mesa State Park Hunting Special Use Permit

1. Purpose: This hunting management plan is designed to establish administration of hunting activities on Lone Mesa State Park.

2. Special Use Permit Procedure

a. Permit Numbers

(1) Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) deems hunting activities on Lone Mesa State Park as those which currently require "special planning and/or scheduling for proper management." Therefore, CPW issues special use permits to visitors wishing to engage in hunting use of the park.

(2) The maximum number of approved Hunting Special Use Permits (HUPs) on Lone Mesa State Park at any one time during the following big game seasons is:

Archery: twenty (20)

Muzzle-loading: twelve (12)

1 ^st separate elk rifle: fifteen (15)

2 ^nd combined deer/elk rifle: twenty-five (25)

3 ^rd combined deer/elk rifle: thirty-five (35)

4 ^th combined deer/elk rifle: thirty-five (35)

(3) Each year, the Division, by action of the Park Manager, will allocate HUPs up to the maximums after evaluating harvest and other data in the interest of creating a high quality hunter opportunity consistent with wildlife objectives.

b. Permit Fees

(1) Successful permit applicants shall pay the fee associated with their HUP (see fee schedule section b.5) at least thirty (30) days prior to any access to Lone Mesa State Park.

(2) Upon payment of the fee and attendance of the mandatory orientation session, an HUP shall be issued to the applicant.

(3) If an applicant who is successful in the drawing (see section c.7.) fails to pay the HUP fee, a permit will not be issued to them. The next qualified applicant on the drawing log (see section c. 8.), or the next first-come, first-served applicant will be offered an HUP.

(4) If, at a later date, an applicant's payment of the HUP fee is found to be insufficient due to payment stops, insufficient funds or any other reason, an HUP will not be issued to them. And, if an HUP had been issued prior to CPW discovering the insufficient payment, that permit will be voided.

(5) The schedule of fees associated with the HUP is as follows:

(a) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt during archery season, $100.

(b) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt during archery season, $200.

(c) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlerless elk and/or antlerless deer during muzzleloading season, $100.

(d) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlered elk and/or antlered deer during muzzleloading season, $200.

(e) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlerless elk and/or antlerless deer during muzzleloading season, $200.

(f) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlered elk and/or antlered deer during muzzleloading season, $300.

(g) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt elk during the first elk-only rifle season, $150.

(h) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt elk during the first elk-only rifle season, $250.

(i) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlerless elk and/or antlerless deer during the second, third, or fourth combined elk/deer rifle season, $100.

(j) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlerless elk and/or antlerless deer during the second, third, or fourth combined elk/deer rifle season, $200.

(k) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado residents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlered elk and/or antlered deer during the second, third, or fourth combined elk/deer rifle season, $200.

(l) The fee for the HUP allowing Colorado nonresidents access to Lone Mesa State Park to hunt antlered elk and/or antlered deer during the second, third, or fourth combined elk/deer rifle season, $300.

(6) Only one access permit is required per hunter, per season. A hunter possessing valid licenses for multiple species among deer, elk and bear will pay the highest applicable permit fee and can hunt with all valid licenses. The HUP continues to be valid until termination of the permitted season or harvest of all valid deer, elk, and bear licenses in the hunter's possession, whichever comes first.

c. Allocation of Permits

(1) Advertising: it shall be the responsibility of the park manager or his/her designee to advertise the availability of HUPs for Lone Mesa through normal media and internet formats.

(2) Application requests: requests for the application for the HUP on Lone Mesa State Park can be made by contacting the Lone Mesa State Park office: 1321 Railroad Ave, PO Box 1047, Dolores, Colorado 81323, Phone: 970-533-7065, Fax: 970-882-4640, e-mail: lone.mesa.park@state.co.us. Applications may also be accessed via the internet at www.cpw.state.co.us

(3) Requests for permit applications shall be acted upon promptly, and an application for permit shall be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to the prospective permittee within five days of receiving the request.

(4) Permit applications must be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to the Lone Mesa State Park office at the above address prior to the application deadline. It is the applicant's responsibility to confirm receipt.

(5) Permit applications will be secured by the park manager or his/her designee until the scheduled public drawing to be held at the Lone Mesa State Park office at least 60 days prior to the opening of the archery season. The public opening of applications will be advertised locally and to the applicants.

(6) Once opened, the HUP applications will be checked for completeness, logged by applicant name, season desired, and application number, and a drawing "chip"- reflecting the application number- will be created for each complete and legible qualifying application.

(7) Drawing: after applications are opened and logged in the application log, the drawing for successful applicants will take place. There will be drawings for each of the six big game seasons for which hunting will be permitted on Lone Mesa: archery, muzzleloading, 1 ^st separate limited elk, 2 ^nd combined deer and elk, 3 ^rd combined deer and elk, and 4 ^th combined deer and elk. Permits will be issued up to the numbers outlined in this regulation, #601.2.a.

(8) The drawing will continue until all "chips" are drawn, and a drawing log will be completed which will list the applicants in the order drawn. The drawing log will be used to facilitate fair re-allocation of permits per the re-allocation of unused permits protocol (see section 3.c.).

(9) Successful applicants will be notified of their success by mail via a letter of successful application, which shall include a summary of rules associated with the HUP (a complete list shall be provided with the permit during the required orientation and information for remittance of the HUP fee).

d. Reporting and Filing

(1) All files pertaining to the HUP for Lone Mesa State Park will be stored at the Lone Mesa State Park office.

(2) The park manager or designee will include a summary of hunting activity under permit on the park manager monthly report.

(3) Revenues derived from the HUP fee will be deposited in the parks cash fund and reflected on the consignment usage/revenue report for the month such fees are deposited.

3. Field Enforcement Procedure

a. Possession of Permit

(1) Copies of the permitted hunter list will be made available to commissioned CPW officers and the officers of other cooperating agencies in the interest of maintaining compliance with this plan.

(2) It shall be the permittee's responsibility to adequately identify themselves as a permit holder when contacted while hunting in Lone Mesa State Park.

b. Statute and Regulation Compliance

(1) Permit holders will be supplied a list of rules associated with the HUP upon issuance of the permit. Failure to comply with the rules of the permit may result in permit revocation.

(2) Nothing in this plan or in the rules of the HUP shall imply or be construed to imply that HUP holders are exempt from any statute or regulation governing hunting, motor vehicle operation, conduct on a state park, or other activity in which the permit holder may engage while performing the activities allowed under the permit. These statutes and regulations include, but are not limited to:

(a) Permit holders must possess a valid license issued by CPW for the Game Management Unit, species, and season hunted.

(b) Vehicles involved in hunting-use of the park are required to display or carry a valid Colorado State Parks pass, unless the vehicle displays a Disabled Veteran license plate or a Purple Heart license plate.

c. Reallocation of Permits

(1) Permit re-allocations may take place in the event a permittee is unable to engage in the activities of the permit for any reason, including sickness, death, hunting license revocation, permit revocation, park eviction, or simple changes in plans.

(2) Re-allocations of HUPs will be conducted following this procedure:

(a) The park manager or designee will attempt to contact the next individual on the drawing log by phone.

(b) If the next individual is unable to be contacted upon the first call, the park manager or designee will continue down the drawing log until an individual can be contacted and notified of the availability of an HUP for Lone Mesa.

(c) If no hunter on the drawing log can be contacted, no applicant is qualified, or none is available to hunt the remainder of the season, the availability of the HUP will be advertised by the park manager or designee and the permit may be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

(d) Hunters who are contacted via the drawing log and who obtain or decline an HUP for Lone Mesa will have their name removed from the drawing log.

(3) Re-allocated permits shall not be valid until payment of the HUP fee and attendance of the hunter orientation by the new permittee.

2 CCR 405-7-I-710

40 CR 19, October 10, 2017, effective 11/1/2017

41 CR 11, June 10, 2018, effective 7/1/2018

41 CR 23, December 10, 2018, effective 1/1/2019

42 CR 23, December 10, 2019, effective 1/1/2020

43 CR 15, August 10, 2020, effective 9/1/2020

44 CR 11, June 10, 2021, effective 7/1/2021

44 CR 19, October 10, 2021, effective 11/1/2021

45 CR 19, October 10, 2022, effective 11/1/2022