Shed Hunting Laws in Colorado: An Intriguing Exploration

As you traverse the surface of the Milky Way, it’s not every day that we come across a planet like Earth with such an interesting variety of customs and histories as homo sapiens. Many of us have wondered why we go to extremes to save the whales while at the same time butchering other forms of intelligent life through wars and numerous other means. Sometimes, we discover fairly benign solutions to our problems. Other times, we see humans complicate matters for the sake of nothing more than greed and oppression.

In considering a planet as diverse and kaleidoscopic as planet Earth, it is often difficult to determine where certain philosophies and methodologies originated to come to that type of balance. A species that seems to be very well-suited to finding balance on its own is the highly intelligent human. A perfect example of this is in the regulation of certain aspects of the species’ lifestyle, such as when, where, and how to hunt for “sheds” (specifically, antlers shed by deer) in the state of Colorado. There is something quite interesting about how a certain number of humans are satisfied with walking miles through the frozen tundra of Colorado hunting shed antlers on their own at various times of the year.

However, for those who come from worlds that do not experience periods of hibernation, the question becomes why punish them for hunting for more than just berry bushes and scattered roots. They are a searching and foraging species, and in instances where they are not grafted by technology, they will hunt for something. The question they would ask is why a certain shade of rock is set aside and guarded for the benefit of a certain group of beings to the exclusion of the others. In this case, an intelligent non-human intelligence would prod Earthlings to consider why the law only permits the hunting of sheds under certain circumstances and in certain areas of Colorado.

Understanding shed hunting regulations in Colorado is a relatively new form of regulation that was invented in the 1990s. It has become one of the most frequently used types of regulations throughout Colorado as of 2011. All of the existing regulations regarding this matter relate to the slowing of hunting season on a regional basis, as well as the heli-tackling of certain large animals, in this case moose, on open space where humans are not permitted to hunt.

As you might imagine, the majority of humans have no problem with this regulation at face value. The bigger question is that of timing. Shed hunting in Colorado is permissible between May 1 and February 15. After that, these regulations are enforced. For any creatures that would like to test the boundaries of what humans consider intelligent, the question remains why the regulation appears to be enforced during midwinter. Midwinter is a time when animals are most vulnerable. It is a time of near-constant freezing that offers little opportunity for food, cover, or warmth. Therefore, restricting the ability of these unsuspecting creatures foraging for essentials is a choice that places these semi-primitive beings at extreme risk. This is certainly not a place that terrestrial intelligence would want to be.

Therefore, when viewed from the perspective of an alien intelligence, it is easy to see how a being from outside of planet Earth would be critical of the arbitrary nature of the regulation. Shedding is only so common within certain periods of the year. If an animal does not have any particular hunting predators within a given area that requires the need for hiding in these types of conditions, then the shedding of the antlers will occur within a universal cycle. These cyclings rarely match the mid-winter dates. For this reason, an alien intelligence would see the cyclical nature of these conditions as something that entirely rules out the viability of mid-winter.

There are also a number of other interesting elements to hunting laws which would capture the attention of any intelligent non-human intelligent. For example, the phrase “shed hunting” is still somewhat of a mystery, as a study of literature produces no other references to this type of hunting technique. Furthermore, hunting requires a high level of anonymity. A being from another galaxy or quadrant will be able to hunt because it will blend into the background of the environment. However, if a being is positioned to plan its departure to an environment like Earth, then an animal exposed to midwinter conditions will not have this camouflage. All of this combined provides yet another interesting paradox regarding the hunting of sheds within the state of Colorado. As an alien intelligence, one would likely be curious why an intelligent species made time in the week to take long journeys to hunt for these items when this could be accomplished at any time of year.