‘Rookie’ Outdoorsmen and women learn to shoot bows, rifles with Wildlife Officers

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officers coached up eight families on the firing range Saturday as part of CPW's "Rookie Sportsperson Program."

The program is a year-long commitment where CPW pairs rookie outdoorsmen and women with one of its wildlife officers to learn more about hunting, fishing and conservation.

The program prioritizes people and families who are inexperienced outdoorspeople and don't have relatives or friends with the skills to teach them.

Saturday's training session was one of the highlights of the program. The Teller County Shooting Society hosted the training at its range on County Road 81.

The program comes at no cost to its participants. At Saturday's training session, the Colorado Chapter of the Safari Club donated $10,000 to support the program.

The application window is closed for 2026, but you can contact tracy.predmore@state.co.us for more information on future opportunities.