Most of my hunting seasons ended today. Just one elk hunt still going that lasts for another ten days.

And we're already cussing and discussing what to do different next year.

Which is good, I guess, while things are fresh in our minds. For various reasons, access for hunters to go out and hunt on private land is going to change for large blocks of this country next year. Which is going to force us to make changes.

We don't want folks getting stuck with licenses they can't use without having to fork over a large amount of cash. Sort of like selling somebody a computer, and then asking "Oh, did you want a motherboard with that? That's an additional $1800."

Not good.

And we don't want to decimate the herds in the smaller pieces of publicly available lands when folks can't hunt the private blocks. Nor do we want the few remaining landowners who allow access to be overwhelmed by eager nimrods.

So. Things will have to be different. We just don't know how yet.

We have a couple months to fret over these things. Not to mention a winter for the critters to survive through, which could change everything depending on what Mother Nature throws our way.

Add to that one game warden who is totally new to these herds and areas. And another, who has been here for fourteen years, but is leaving in the middle of all this for a high mountain district.

I feel like I'm getting divorced.