Nonresidents
Woman in an orange vest standing on a hill
Nonresidents
You are a nonresident if:
- You have a driver license/ID that shows an address other than Colorado.
- You claim residency in more than one state or country.
- You are registered to vote in another state or foreign country.
- You purchased a resident license in another state in the past 6 months.
- In the last 6 months, you applied for, purchased, or accepted a resident hunting, fishing, or trapping license from another state or foreign country.
- You are under age 18 and your primary legal guardian is not a Colorado resident.
- You are a full-time student and you have been attending a Colorado university for less than six months.
Students and US active duty military may be able to claim Colorado residency. Learn more.
Limited Licenses
Primary Draw
The first, main big-game draw of the year for hunters applying for limited hunting licenses. A qualifying license is required to apply for the draws. Nonresident hunters have a percentage of deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat licenses set aside for them. For hunt codes in the primary draw that required six or more points for a Colorado resident to draw, up to 20% may go to nonresidents. For hunt codes in the primary draw that required fewer than six points for a Colorado resident to draw an elk or deer license, up to 25% may go to nonresidents.
Secondary Draw
Hunters who didn't draw a license in the primary draw still have the opportunity to draw a license in the secondary draw. Most elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses not issued through the primary draw are available in a secondary draw. A qualifying license is required to apply for the draws. If you purchase one of these licenses, you will not use any of your preference points. Nonresident allocations do not apply to the secondary draw.
Leftover Limited Licenses
Leftover licenses are the remaining limited licenses available after the primary and secondary draws are completed. If you purchase one of these licenses, you will not use any of your preference points. Leftover licenses can include reissued big game licenses. Nonresident allocations do not apply to leftover licenses.
Over-the-Counter Licenses
Nonresidents can purchase Over-the-Counter licenses. These licenses are not restricted in quantity but are restricted to certain units, seasons, and manners of take. Although they are considered "unlimited licenses," they are still subject to purchase limits for each individual.
- These licenses are available without having to participate in the draw(s).
- A qualifying license is not required to purchase an over-the-counter license.
- If you purchase one of these licenses, you will not use any of your preference points.
New for 2025: Nonresidents can no longer purchase over-the-counter (OTC) archery elk licenses for game management units (GMUs) west of I-25 and GMU 140.
Nonresidents can purchase over-the-counter licenses for rifle elk, bear, archery pronghorn and white-tailed deer. Nonresidents can still hunt OTC archery elk in certain GMUs east of I-25 with hunt codes E-F-133-U1-A and E-E-087-U1-A. See maps on pages 38–39 of the 2025 Big Game Brochure for more details.
Nonresidents can no longer purchase over-the-counter (OTC) archery elk licenses for game management units (GMUs) west of I-25 and GMU 140. New limited nonresident archery elk hunt codes for these units were created and can be applied for in the draw, see page 43 of the 2025 Big Game Brochure for details.
To address crowding concerns in over-the-counter archery elk GMUs west of I-25, the Parks and Wildlife Commission decided to eliminate unlimited OTC archery elk licenses for nonresidents. This allows CPW to control the number of nonresident hunters in these GMUs by setting limited hunt code quotas.
Quota recommendations will be based on the number of licenses sold to nonresidents for the 2024 OTC archery elk hunts and hunter distribution across GMUs. Final quotas will be approved by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in May. The total number of OTC archery elk licenses sold to nonresidents in 2024 was approximately 13,000. This is the lowest number of licenses sold to nonresidents since 2012 and represents a 10% reduction from 2023.
Preference Points
CPW does not have any historical limited license draw data for these new hunt codes to determine if these hunt codes will take preference points or not. It will depend on the number of nonresident applicants and the quotas approved at the May Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. Demand will determine the number of preference points required for each limited hunt code. If a nonresident applicant does not want to use any accumulated preference points, they can apply for a second, third, or fourth choice in the primary draw, attempt to draw the license in the secondary draw (if quota is available), or purchase as a leftover/reissued limited license in August, if quota is available. Nonresidents can still hunt over-the-counter archery in certain GMUs east of I-25 with hunt codes E-F-133-U1-A and E-E-087-U1-A.
Limited Licenses Address Overcrowding
Limiting quotas in the new hunt codes to 2024 hunter numbers begins to address crowding concerns. Furthermore, it is safe to assume that sales of archery elk licenses to nonresidents will go down. Many nonresidents purchase OTC archery elk licenses as a ‘last resort’ and are unlikely to apply for them through the draw or purchase them as leftovers.
CPW is uncertain how nonresident demand will change due to license limitations or how nonresidents will distribute themselves across the new hunt codes. This approach allows CPW to evaluate the reduction in nonresident demand and evaluate which GMUs nonresidents choose to hunt. This information will inform future proposals to adjust nonresident hunt code quotas to further address overcrowding concerns.
All of the alternative options to set quotas for these new hunt codes were intended to address crowding to varying degrees. However, when making a decision on how many nonresident licenses to assign to these new hunt codes, CPW balanced a reduction in crowding with financial responsibility. Using the single year total (2024) OTC archery elk sales to nonresidents represents a ~$2 million revenue loss compared to using a three-year average of total OTC license sales to nonresidents. Several other alternatives were considered that would have resulted in higher revenue, but CPW is trying to reduce crowding. Additionally, the anticipated drop in nonresident demand associated with limitation of OTC archery licenses is unknown, and could mean millions more in lost revenue.
What You Need to Purchase a License
Identification
Customers must have valid identification to purchase Colorado Parks and Wildlife Products.
See all Accepted Forms of IdentificationSocial Security or Taxpayer Identification Number
A Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number is required for hunters age 12 and older, per federal law.
Hunter Education
Colorado law requires that individuals born on or after January 1, 1949, must complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or purchasing a Colorado hunting license. If you are a hunter with proof of hunter education from another state or are an international hunter, your proof of hunter education may be accepted in the state of Colorado.
How to provide proof of completion
Habitat Stamp
All hunters must purchase a habitat stamp with their license.
Learn About the Colorado Wildlife HabitatQualifying License
Qualifying license purchases must be completed prior to applying for the big game draws. A qualifying license purchase and application for the big game draw can be completed in the same transaction but the qualifying license must be added to the cart first. A qualifying license does not need to be purchased for over-the-counter licenses.
Learn More About Qualifying LicensesHunting Opportunities in Colorado
Choose a Species to Learn More
Bear
Hunt BearBighorn Sheep
Hunt Bighorn SheepDeer
Hunt DeerElk
Hunt ElkFurbearer
Hunt FurbearersMoose
Hunt MooseMountain Goat
Hunt Mountain GoatMountain Lion
Hunt Mountain LionPronghorn
Hunt PronghornSmall Game
Hunt Small GameTurkey
Hunt TurkeyWaterfowl
Hunt Waterfowl
Where to Hunt in Colorado
Nonresident hunters can hunt on public land in Colorado. Nonresidents interested in hunting on private land can take advantage of CPW's Walk-in Access Program.
Colorado Hunting Brochures
Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure
The Big Game Brochure includes hunting information for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, and bear.
The online Big Game brochure is the most up-to-date version.
Folleto de Regulacíon de Caza Mayor (En Español)
Descargue el FolletoColorado Sheep & Goat Hunting Brochure
The Sheep & Goat brochure includes hunting information for Desert Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain Goat.
The online Sheep and Goat brochure is the most up-to-date version.