across Colorado

From highs approaching 80 to cooler temperatures with a mix of rain and snow, Colorado will see a range of weather conditions over the coming weekend.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife honors veterans and active duty members of the military, military reserve and National Guard by offering free admission to any Colorado state park for Veterans Day, November 11. Any member of the military forces or veteran can enter any of Colorado's 41 state parks free of charge, along with his or her companions joining in the same vehicle.

Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman is alerting people in Colorado to be on the lookout for any telephone calls for tech support where the caller ID on your phones shows "Colorado State Gov't" with a phone number 800-222-4444. "These phone calls are obviously false," said Coffman. "No one in state government knows whether your computer is affected by a virus, and we certainly aren't going to call you to get you to pay us to fix your computer."

When applying for a limited license, a preference point is awarded when an individual is unsuccessful in drawing their first-choice hunt code. Preference points provide a mathematical advantage when applied to future drawings. 

Some things to remember: 

Three defendants were sentenced this week for unrelated child pornography crimes, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer announced.  The three cases were investigated by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  

November 5 marks the end of daylight saving time, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds motorists to be particularly cautious to avoid wildlife-related accidents on our roads as daylight hours get shorter. 

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has announced Shailen Bhatt will be leaving his role as Executive Director of the Department of Transportation (CDOT).

"Shailen's innovation and drive has pushed the Department of Transportation to work tirelessly to stand up a transportation network that can meet the needs of Colorado," said Governor John Hickenlooper. "We wish him the best and can only say 'watch out' as he brings his expertise and creativity to a new set of challenges."

Poaching continues to be a major issue in Colorado. Some national studies indicate that poachers kill almost as many animals as legitimate hunters do during legal seasons.  

If poachers kill even half that number each year, the problem is serious because they are stealing game from licensed hunters, robbing businesses and taxpayers of revenues generated by hunting, and depriving us all of a valuable resource--our wildlife. And it's not just game animals that poachers steal - they also kill threatened, endangered and non-game species. 

Typical fall weather starts the week across most of Colorado, though a change is possible heading into next weekend.

Eastern Plains

A cold front is on track to impact eastern Colorado Thursday night into Friday, and may bring snow to at least part of the plains. It's a bit early to be confident in the potential, so keep an eye out for forecast updates.

Deer and elk are the most commonly hunted species in Colorado. But hunters also go to the high country to pursue other magnificent big game animals: bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bears, moose and mountain lions. 

The numbers of these animals in the state are significantly lower than deer and elk, so licenses are few and difficult to get. But those who obtain a license can look forward to a high-quality hunting experience. 

Bighorn Sheep