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Buy Hunting Licenses

Office Closures & Continued Service Information

Effective March 20, 2020, Colorado State Parks remain open, but all Colorado Parks and Wildlife visitor centers, service centers and offices will restrict access to the public.

  • There are no changes or modifications to the Big Game Hunting application or draw process.

  • Customers seeking information on the upcoming big game hunting draw can call the CPW call center at 303.297.1192, or if they need assistance applying for the draw they can view our tutorial video, or call 800.244.5613 to have a call center agent help.

  • CPW staff will continue to work at offices and visitor centers to answer questions during this time, but doors will remain locked during business hours until further notice. Very limited personal interactions will be allowed.

  • As of Monday March 23, our Licensing vendor is experiencing significant delays in fulfillment of CPW products due to “shelter in place” orders related to COVID-19. This means they arecurrently backlogged in printing and mailing licenses, passes or other CPW products. 

    • In response to these delays, we will be allowing customers to use a TAN (Temporary Authorization Number) for proof of privilege for most of our products at this time. This includes small game, combination small game and fishing, waterfowl stamps and habitat stamps. We have also temporarily extended the timeframe for which a TAN is valid from 14 days to 45 days. 

    • Additionally, for the 2020 spring season only, a TAN will also be allowed for proof of privilege for over-the-counter (OTC) spring turkey licenses and April mountain lion licenses.

    • As carcass tags may not be present for mountain lion and OTC spring turkey licenses purchased after March 23, (as these customer licenses may be covered by a TAN), a printed copy of the receipt/confirmation email will be used as the carcass tag in these situations. Customers must print the receipt, carry it with them while hunting and attach it to the carcass after harvest and during transport. After harvesting, the hunter must write the sex and date of harvest, as well as sign the receipt, similar to the voiding carcass tag procedures.   

For the most up to date information on how CPW is responding to COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 Response page.

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Where to purchase a hunting license

Purchase at a Retail Location​

​Stop by hundreds of retailers​ or a CPW location and buy your license in person.  

Purchase by Phone

​Toll free 1-800-244-5613​​

Purchase Online

​​​Buy a license online​.

To learn more about creating an account, or how to buy a hunting license in our integrated purchasing system, please visit our Plan Your Hunt page.

Looking for leftover license information?

For over the counter and leftover license information, please visit the Leftover and OTC License page​.​​​​​

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Things to know when buying online or by phone 

  • ​​The 2020 annual license year runs from 3/1/2020 - 3/31/2021. 

  • Over-the-counter unlimited spring turkey license sales went on sale March 1, 2020 and annual mountain lion licenses went on March 25, 2020.  

  • Customers may use Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit cards. Visa, MasterCard​, or Discover debit cards work if they can be used without a PIN. Licenses are mailed the business day following the purchase.​

  • Customers must complete all requirements for Hunter Education before they apply for or buy a hunting license or before they apply for a preference point.

  • In most cases, you should receive licenses bought online or over the phone by mail within 10 days. Alternately, you may pick up your license at a license agent location or Colorado Parks and Wildlife park or office.

  • Except for big game, Turkey licenses, and the Colorado Waterfowl Stamp, a temporary authorization number (TAN) will be provided for the purchased license(s). The TAN is valid for 14 days after the date of purchase. Please print or write down (must be legible) the TAN and carry it with you while hunting or fishing until you receive your license. If the license OR all of the licenses you purchase in this transaction expire in less than 7 days, you will NOT receive anything in the mail.

  • When you receive your license, review it for accuracy and sign it to validate it. If there are any issues, please contact the call center at (303) 297-1192 or a CPW park or office.

  • Telephone sales representatives at 1-800-244-5613 are trained to sell licenses and do not know specific wildlife-related information for Colorado. For questions not related to the sale of licenses, call Colorado Parks and Wildlife at (303) 297-1192.​

​Mule deer by the number: How CPW calculates wildlife population​

​CPW has been inventorying deer populations, as well as other species such as elk, from the air for over 50 years. The​ aerial inventory helps CPW understand fawn reproductive rates and set wildlife population goals as well as the number of hunting licenses offered every year.

Learn more about how CPW calculates mule deer population.

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