| **INCOME TAXES**                     | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 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| **Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              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| Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]   | INCOME TAXESThe table below presents the components of our provision for income taxes from continuing operations for the years presented: Year Ended December 31, 2014 2013 2012 (in thousands)Current:     Federal$(1,514) $1,355 $—State966 199 (199)Total current income taxes(548) 1,554 (199)Deferred:     Federal(60,698) 8,238 10,896State(8,721) 2,060 636Total deferred income taxes(69,419) 10,298 11,532Income tax benefit (expense) from continuing operations$(69,967) $11,852 $11,333      In the last three years, we continued to utilize tax deferral strategies such as bonus depreciation, accelerated depreciation and intangible drilling cost ("IDC") expense elections or accelerated IDC amortization to minimize our current taxes. As a result of these elections and deferral strategies, we generated federal and state net operating losses (“NOLs”) in 2012 and prior. In 2013 these deferral strategies enabled us to offset any taxable gain on the sale of our non-core Colorado assets and also preserved some of our NOLs to carry forward for use against our anticipated 2014 taxable income. In 2014, these same deferral strategies, along with carried forward federal and state NOLs, credits, and suspended deductions, permitted us to offset the majority of the tax gain on the sale of PDCM. See Note 14, Assets Held for Sale, Divestitures and Discontinued Operations, for additional information regarding the sale of our non-core Colorado assets and the sale of our entire 50% ownership interest in PDCM. The following table presents a reconciliation of the statutory rate to the effective tax rate related to our provision for income taxes from continuing operations: Year Ended December, 31, 2014 2013 2012      Statutory tax rate35.0 % 35.0 % 35.0 %State income tax, net2.8 4.0 0.9Percentage depletion(0.3) 2.2 2.0Non-deductible compensation0.7 (4.2) (0.5)Other1.3 (1.0) (0.5)Effective tax rate39.5 % 36.0 % 36.9 %      The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities at December 31, 2014 and 2013 are presented below:  As of December 31, 2014 2013 (in thousands)Deferred tax assets:   Net change in fair value of unsettled derivatives$— $6,205Deferred compensation10,459 8,507Asset retirement obligations28,051 11,630State NOL and tax credit carryforwards, net3,761 5,182Percentage depletion - carryforward— 4,570Alternative minimum tax - credit carryforward2,906 3,165Federal NOL carryforward— 4,601Settlement of class action litigation12,259 —Other3,144 6,229Deferred tax assets60,580 50,089    Deferred tax liabilities:   Properties and equipment130,155 120,746Investment in PDCM— 21,962Net change in fair value of unsettled derivatives113,007 —Convertible debt2,285 3,774Total gross deferred tax liabilities245,447 146,482Net deferred tax liability$184,867 $96,393    Classification in the consolidated balance sheets:   Deferred income tax assets$— $22,374Deferred income tax liability - current59,174 —Deferred income tax liability - non-current125,693 118,767Net deferred tax liability$184,867 $96,393    Deferred tax assets increased, primarily due to the addition of the deferred tax asset associated with asset retirement obligations and a legal accrual associated with the settlement of certain partnership-related class action litigation. These increases were partially offset by the utilization of our federal NOL and percentage depletion carryforwards and removal of the deferred tax asset associated with the unrealized tax loss for the fair value of unsettled derivatives.Deferred tax liabilities for properties and equipment increased as a result of our continued use of statutory provisions for expensing and accelerated amortization of IDCs and accelerated tax depreciation. The increase from the use of these accelerated tax deductions was partially offset by the deferred tax asset for the impairment of some of our crude oil and natural gas properties. The sale of our entire 50% ownership interest in PDCM also resulted in a decrease to our deferred tax liability. In addition, the fair value of unsettled derivatives at December 31, 2014 resulted in an unrealized tax gain versus an unrealized loss at December 31, 2013.As of December 31, 2014, we have state NOL carryforwards of $90.0 million that begin to expire in 2030 and state credit carryforwards of $1.3 million that begin to expire in 2023.Unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest and penalties were immaterial for the three-year period ended December 31, 2014. The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would affect the effective tax rate decreased to zero in the current year due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations for most of our state tax jurisdictions is open from 2010 forward. In accordance with the CAP program, the IRS completed its “post filing review” of our 2012 and 2013 tax returns in January 2014 and 2015, respectively. We have been issued a “no change” letter for both of the reviewed tax years. The CAP audit employs a real-time review of our books and tax records by the IRS that is intended to permit issue resolution prior to, or shortly after, the filing of the tax returns. We are currently participating in the CAP program for the review of our 2014 tax year and we have been invited and have accepted continued participation in the program for our 2015 tax year. Participation in the CAP program has enabled us to currently have no uncertain tax benefits associated with our federal tax return filings.As of December 31, 2014, we were current with our income tax filings in all applicable state jurisdictions. In 2013, the State of Colorado examined our 2008 through 2011 Colorado corporate income tax returns and proposed no adjustments. |

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| - Definition
The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.
+ References
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