Luke Hilgemann, CEO of the International Order of T.Roosevelt (IOTR) and chairman of the campaign supporting Colorado's Amendment 83, says it's about making sure future lawmakers can't easily take those rights away.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORS"Well, it's legal, but that doesn't mean that it's forever protected, right?" Hilgemann told OutKick OutDoors in an exclusive interview.
"I mean, the biggest thing that the Constitution does is it gives it a higher power than just a statute."Colorado state flag with Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods in the background on a spring day.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)In other words, a law can be changed by lawmakers.
But changing a constitutional right is a much bigger undertaking.Colorado voters will decide on Amendment 83 on Nov.3, 2026.
If it passes, hunting and fishing would become constitutionally protected rights in the state.The amendment would also establish hunting and fishing as the preferred ways to responsibly manage wildlife populations.The measure needs at least 55% of the vote to pass.
If approved, Colorado would join 24 other states that have already established constitutional protections for hunting and fishing.Watch Luke Hilgemann's full interview with OutKick OutDoors here:Hilgemann said the Colorado campaign is part of IOTR's larger effort to protect hunting and fishing traditions across the country."We worked together on a strategy to say how can we push back against the hunting and fishing and the conservation attacks that we've seen across the country, and came upon the constitutional right to hunt and fish as a way to slam the door against some of these radical policies that we're seeing take hold in states across the country," he said.For starters, passing the amendment would NOT mean hunters and anglers could suddenly do whatever they wanted.Hunting seasons, bag limits, licensing requirements and other existing regulations would remain in place.Colorado Parks and Wildlife would still ...