New Years Office Closure
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices will be closed on January 1.
Bison
Senate Bill 25-053 establishes free-roaming, wild bison that travel into Colorado will be managed as a big-game species. CPW may issue special management licenses as needed for specific purposes, such as preventing property and agricultural damage, on a case-by-case basis.
Hunting Bison in Colorado
Hunters interested in a chance to draw one of these special management licenses for calendar year 2026 may sign up to be on the bison roster. If hunters are needed, names from this roster will be selected through a random draw. If your name is drawn, you will have one week from the time your license is issued to harvest a bison.
At this time, CPW is not proposing regular bison hunting seasons.
Apply for the Roster
Hunters can sign up online for the opportunity to randomly draw a special management license, if any are made available, for calendar year 2026. Hunters will create a unique login and password for the bison roster.
Bison roster applications will be accepted January 1 through January 31, 2026, with one application allowed per individual.
If CPW conducts a draw, successful applicants will be notified via phone and email. You will have 24 hours to respond and accept the license.
If your contact information changes, please contact the Northwest Region office at 970-255-6100. For all other general bison roster questions, please call CPW Headquarters at 303-297-1192.
Because these special management bison licenses will be issued to address time-sensitive management needs, hunters awarded a license will have 24 hours to pick up the license. You will have one week to harvest a bison from the time you pick up your license.
Reporting a Harvest
Hunters awarded a license are required to submit a harvest report form, whether or not they harvest a bison.
Hunters Did Not Hunt or Harvest a Bison
Hunters who did not hunt or turned in their license are still required to submit a completed mandatory report within 30 days after the close of the season. Hunters who hunted but did not harvest are still required to submit a completed mandatory report within 30 days after the close of the season.
Hunters Who Did Harvest a Bison
Hunters are required to bring their harvest in for inspection within five business days after harvest at the same location where their license was issued. The hunter must be present at the inspection and bring the horns and skull, intact, along with the mandatory report form they received with their hunting license. During the inspection, the hunter will provide the number of days hunted, harvest location (GMU and drainage), harvest date and manner of take. CPW will collect horn measurements, pull a tooth to determine the age of the animal, record hunt and harvest information, and complete the mandatory report form. There is no proof of inspection for bison.
Please call 303-291-7278 with any questions about mandatory reporting for bison.
Need to Know
What you need to buy a license
- Proper identification and proof of residency (for Colorado residents).
- Proof of hunter education.
- A Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number is required for hunters age 12 and older, per federal law.
- Habitat Stamp: An annual ($12.76) habitat stamp is automatically added to a license purchase for anyone ages 18 to 64. Residents with a Colorado lifetime license are exempt.
- Qualifying License: A qualifying license is not required to apply to hunt bison.
Harvesting a Bison
Mark Your Harvest Site with Your GPS
Hunters are encouraged to mark the location of their harvest in the field. Harvest location data is collected during the mandatory check inspections - recording the harvest location ahead of time will simplify and expedite the inspection process.
Transporting Game
Carcasses must have the carcass tag and evidence of sex attached. The carcass tag must be securely attached to the carcass, not the head or hide, or must accompany processed meat. Hunters must keep the top half of their own license. Donation certificates (for 20 pounds of meat or less) must accompany processed game meat.
Get the Lead Out
From the field to the table, ensuring your next harvest is safe for your family and non-target wildlife is important. Health risks due to lead poisoning from consuming game meat are low for most people; however, switching to non-lead ammunition may be an option that’s right for you. Science tells us that ingesting lead can cause potential human health problems over time.
Additionally, lead-based ammunition can cause adverse impacts on non-target wildlife from lead ingestion while scavenging. Hunters themselves are conservationists, maintaining species populations and protecting habitats. By switching to non-lead ammunition, hunters can support wildlife by reducing the risk of lead poisoning to non-target wildlife such as eagles and other raptors. For more information on risks to wildlife, visit Sporting Lead-Free or HuntingWithNonLead.org.
To Help Reduce Human and Wildlife Health Impacts, You Can:
- Use lead-free shot or bullets. There are many non-lead options now available.
- Hunters who use lead ammunition should choose quality hunting-grade ammunition with a "bonded" or "partition" construction. Avoid frangible bullet types.
- Use careful shot selection. Bullets that strike the lethal area (heart/lungs) are less likely to fragment than bullets that strike more heavily boned areas.
- Bury or pack out your lead-shot gut piles to avoid lead ingestion by non-target wildlife.
- Avoid eating game meat from animals harvested with lead bullets if you are pregnant. Children younger than 6 should also avoid it.
New Legislation
About Senate Bill 25-053
CPW has begun the process of drafting a management plan to protect and manage the wild bison that travel into Colorado from the Book Cliffs herd in Utah, following the signing of Senate Bill 25-053.
Senate Bill 25-053
This new establishes dual classification for bison, meaning that free-roaming, wild bison that travel into Colorado will be managed as a big-game species by CPW, and bison under private ownership will continue to be managed as livestock through the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Learn More About Bison and SB 25-053Management Plan Coming Soon
As a result of SB 25-053, CPW will develop a management plan aimed at protecting and managing the wild bison that migrate into Colorado from the Book Cliffs bison herd in Utah.
Opportunities for Everyone
Youth Hunters
Youth (aged 12 to 17) can obtain a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep preference point for free (the fee is waived for youth).
Nonresident Hunters
Nonresident hunters have a percentage of big game licenses set aside for them. They can also participate in group hunts and a fishing license is included with the purchase of a NR big game license.
Resident Hunters
Residents have the option to participate in both big game draws, and apply for or purchase hybrid draw licenses, leftover licenses, reissued licenses, over-the-counter licenses, fishing and hunting combo licenses, raffle licenses, group hunts, and ranching for wildlife hunts.
Hunters Experiencing Disabilities
Resident hunters experiencing disabilities can request accommodations for visual and physical disabilities to assist with their hunts.
New Hunters
New hunters can apply to go on mentored big game, small game, waterfowl, pheasant, and turkey hunts with the hunter outreach program, participate in a year long hunting experience with the rookie sportsperson program, and continue to broaden their skills past their initial hunter education course with regularly offered hunting classes to practice and hone techniques. Specific classes are also offered for women to learn in a comfortable environment.
Hunters in the Military
Colorado residents who are deployed active duty military can apply to purchase leftover hunting licenses or receive a preference point in advance, or apply for a refund if deployed after their purchase. Veterans experiencing disabilities can apply for a lifetime combo fishing hunting license, and apply for accommodation while hunting. Veterans may also apply for big game licenses through the Wounded Warrior program.
Have you completed your hunter education course?
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.
Already taken a hunter education course? Learn more about how to provide proof of completion.
Take a Hunter Education Class
Hunter education classes are available in-person in a classroom setting or online with an in-person completion exam.
Find a Hunter Education ClassGrow Your Archery Skills
Hunters that chose archery as their method of take can grow their skills prior to hunting season by taking a bowhunter education class.
Find a Bowhunter Education ClassBrochures
Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure
Be sure to read the “What’s New” pages to see a full list of changes on tap for the upcoming hunting seasons.
Download the Brochure