ASPEN, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Aspen Police officers responded to the 300 block of East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen at 11:30 last night after a large black bear bit a local restaurant manager, resulting in four deep puncture wounds to the man’s leg.

According to CPW Area Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita, the man was attempting to scare a bear out of a dumpster after his employees refused to throw away trash due to fear of the bear. While the manager stood next to the dumpster, the bear climbed out and bit the man on the leg, then ran off.

“By attempting to scare the bear out of a dumpster, the man exposed himself to significant danger,” said Yamashita. “It is likely the bear felt cornered and it reacted aggressively. As we have warned over and over again, this is the exact scenario that can happen when people and bears interact, and why it is so dangerous for bears to be around people.”

Yamashita questioned why the dumpster was open in the first place, allowing the bear to find an easy meal.

The victim described the black bear as approximately 350-400 lbs, considered large for the species. According to the CPW officer that examined the bite, the dimensions of the puncture wounds on the man’s leg confirmed the bite came from a large animal.

In the hours after the attack, Yamashita and local CPW officer Kurtis Tesch searched the alley for any additional physical evidence, as well as worked with the Aspen Police Department to search the area for signs of the bear. As part of the ongoing investigation, CPW officers will attempt to collect DNA samples from the man’s clothing to help identify the correct, offending animal.

“It’s unfortunate, but this bear will be put down when we find it,” said Yamashita. “We’ve told people over and over, this is what typically happens when bears get comfortable around humans. We are going to act to protect people, but if some folks can’t be bothered to protect themselves, we hope they at least act to protect bears.”

Prior to this incident, a 230 lb bear bit a woman as she hiked on the Hunter Creek Trail, May 27. CPW officers killed the bear several days later. A necropsy revealed the bear’s stomach was full of birdseed obtained from backyard bird feeders. On July 27, an approximately 500 lb bear swiped at a man at the Aspen Meadows Resort resulting in torn clothing and a scratched arm. Several witnesses reported that the bear had previously approached several people, exhibiting no fear. CPW officers are still looking for that bear.

“In Pitkin County, every single night there are reports of bears in occupied homes, or attempting to break into homes or cars, in dumpsters, in downtown areas, alleys and backyards, the middle of the street, in trees, porches, breaking into businesses, approaching people, and so on,” said Yamashita. “This is extremely worrisome. If people do not take this issue seriously, I believe it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. We as a community have been lucky that injuries to humans this summer have been relatively minor, but these attacks should be taken as a serious warning to take action now.”

For more information about being bear aware, visit www.cpw.state.co/bears.

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DENVER, Colo.— Colorado Parks and Wildlife locations statewide are preparing for Leftover Day on Tuesday, August 6, beginning at 9 a.m. Mountain time. For those new to Leftover Day, the first Tuesday in August, this year August 6, is the date CPW begins selling licenses that have gone through the draw process but still have a quota remaining.

Licenses offered during the draw but not yet claimed often represent prime hunting opportunities and become available on a first come, first served basis on Leftover Day. In the past, lines have accumulated long before our office doors open as hunters try to get the first shot at prime hunting licenses left over from the draw. However, hopeful hunters may also opt to avoid the crowds by purchasing their license online at cpwshop.com. Hunters may also purchase by phone at 800-244-5613, at CPW offices and parks, and CPW sales agents.

The 2019 Leftover List is available on CPW’s website, allowing sportspersons to find the specific licenses they hope to purchase on Leftover Day. Tips for purchasing online or at CPW offices are provided below.

Online Purchase Prep

Hunters are encouraged to make sure their account is valid at cpwshop.com. Be prepared for Leftover Day by completing the following checklist BEFORE purchases begin on Tuesday, August 6 at 9 a.m MDT.

1. Validate or create your customer account.

If you are an existing customer, log in to cpwshop.com to confirm that you can access your account. If you forgot your password, click the “forgot your password” link to have a new one sent. If you are experiencing issues logging in to your account, please call CPW at 303-297-1192 (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. MT) or Aspira at 800-244-5613 (24/7) for assistance.

If you are unsure whether or not you are a customer with an account, please use the LOOK UPfunction to see if you have an existing account. CAUTION: Do not create multiple accounts. Purchasing licenses with multiple accounts could potentially invalidate your sale. If you are unable to find an account for yourself, please create an account. If you are experiencing issues looking up or creating an account, please call CPW at 303-297-1192 (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. MDT) or Aspira at 800-244-5613 (24/7) for assistance.

2. Confirm account details.

Check that your contact info is correct, including phone, email, and physical and mailing addresses. You will need to enter your credit card information when you check out (VISA, MASTERCARD OR DISCOVER) or use a CPW gift certificate. Your credit card on file will not be charged automatically.

3. Advice and best practices for making your online purchase.

Once license sales begin, the Leftover List will be automatically updated every 5 minutes. All reissued licenses that were processed prior to the creation of the Leftover List will be available on Leftover Day. Any reissued licenses processed after the Leftover List creation will be available beginning August 13.

Remember, the purchase of a license is not official until you click “Submit Payment” and receive confirmation that your order is complete. Licenses are NOT “held” once added to your cart; the first person to complete a transaction for a specific license will receive the license.

CPW’s purchasing system functions best on modern, high-speed internet, and is not optimized for dial-up internet. If users will be purchasing a license using dial-up internet, it is possible that the session may be timed out. Please plan accordingly.

Visit CPW’s Leftover Day tips page for more information.

In-person Purchase Prep

Those who plan to purchase leftover licenses at CPW sales agents or CPW offices or parks should be well-prepared before they arrive. This will help the transaction process run as efficiently as possible.

If you are planning on purchasing a license, be sure to have the following:

Your driver’s license/state-issued identification card (or valid passport if not a US citizen),

Proof of hunter education: hunter education card​ or a Colorado hunting license with verified hunter education, 

Your social security number (anyone 12 years of age and older are required to give their social security number, if not already on file),

Your customer identification number (CID), if you have previously purchased a license in Colorado,

Proof of residency​, if you are planning to purchase a resident license,

A prioritized list of hunt codes for licenses you are interested in.

​If purchasing a license for someone else (which can only be done IN PERSON), the buyer must bring the following for the hunter:

​A clear copy of both sides of their driver’s license/state-issued identification card, 

A clear copy of both sides of their hunter education card or a previous Colorado hunting license with verified hunter education,

Their social security number (anyone 12 years of age and older are required to give their social security number, if not already on file),    

Their customer identification number (CID), if they have previously purchased a license in Colorado,

A prioritized list of hunt codes they are interested in.

​IMPORTANT: You cannot purchase a license for someone else over the phone. The option to buy for someone else is only available in person. Please call the office or CPW sales agent you plan to visit ahead of time to find out their procedures for Leftover Day, as procedures can vary from location to location.

If applying by phone please note that there will be longer than usual wait times for both Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Aspira. To expedite the purchasing process, please try purchasing your license online at cpwshop.com.

Coming August 8: Over-The-Counter & Over-The-Counter with Caps Licenses

Over-the-counter (OTC) licenses, available to resident and nonresident hunters, are restricted to certain units, seasons, and manners of take. These licenses are not limited in quota, so customers can purchase these licenses at any time until the day before the hunting season begins. After the season starts, these licenses are available at CPW locations only, with the exception of archery elk OTC licenses and plains elk OTC licenses, which can be purchased at any CPW sales agent. Customer bag limits still apply.

Over-the-counter with caps licenses are licenses with a limited quota only available on a first-come, first-served basis for both resident and nonresident hunters.

Both over-the-counter and over-the-counter licenses with caps are sold online at cpwshop.com, by phone at 800-244-5613 or at CPW locations and sales agents, starting at 9 a.m. MDT on August 8.

For more information on OTC and OTC with caps licenses, please see the 2019 Colorado Big Game Brochure.

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Washington, D.C. — Colorado’s U.S. Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet this week reintroduced legislation to address the Article III judge shortage in Colorado. Colorado has a heavy caseload for its six active judges. Moreover, those judges are all located in Denver, so litigants outside of Denver often travel long distances to attend court. This bipartisan legislation would add two new District Court judgeships for the district of Colorado, and the President of the United States would have the authority to nominate individuals to fill these positions.

“One of the U.S. Senate’s greatest responsibilities is advising the president on our nation’s courts,” said Senator Gardner. “Colorado’s population has continued to boom over the last several years without a proportional increase in the number of Article III judges. This causes significant logistical problems for the courts, contributes to federal judges in Colorado being overworked, and often forces litigants, jurors, witnesses, and counsel to have to travel across the state just to have a hearing. This bill would help ease the caseload in Colorado and work to ensure Coloradans are not denied their Constitutional right to fair and timely trials.”

“The number of federal judges serving Colorado has stayed the same for decades, while our state’s population has continued to grow,” said Senator Bennet. “Given the mounting caseload facing our district court, two additional judgeships will ensure each case receives full examination.”

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