Wes Atkinson runs Fort Collins, Colo.-based Atkinson Expeditions, which offers multiday hunts for elk and deer. People who use outfitters like his spent an estimated $231 million in the state in 2007, the last year such spending was measured. But now, businesses like Atkinson’s are the target of a boycott by out-of-state hunters.

Atkinson says the changes in Colorado are a slippery slope.

“It’s a foot in the door. It’s the beginning of the end,” he says. “That’s how everyone relates to it. If you’re going to do this, what’s next? So this is their way of trying to put a stop to it. Colorado outfitters and business owners that deal with guns are the ones that pay the price.”

In the meantime, the Outdoor Channel, which had produced several hunting shows in Colorado, is saying it will move production out of the state. It’s a loss for Atkinson, who says the channel was a form of advertising for his business.