In the Field
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Hunting Moose
In the Field
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Know Before You Go
Road Closures
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are in charge of road closures. Roads are closed seasonally for many reasons. Some roads are closed to protect wildlife at critical times of the year; others are closed because they are not passable due to snow, snow drifts and ice or to protect the road bed. Please be aware that road closure information is subject to change daily.
Find out moreFire Restrictions and Prescribed Burns
Colorado has several active wildfires and fire restrictions/bans are in place across most of the state. Some planned, or prescribed, burns occur during hunting seasons, which can lead to road closures. Closures of areas can change quickly (even daily or hourly) and your hunting destination or access route may be affected. Prior to license purchase, scouting or hunting, learn about closures and plan alternative routes and areas to hunt.
Find out moreFirewood
If you’ll be camping during your hunting trip, please help protect our forests by buying your firewood in Colorado. Firewood can spread harmful insect pests and diseases such as emerald ash borer, sirex wood wasp, gypsy moth, Asian longhorned beetle and oak wilt disease. If you have firewood from another state, please burn it immediately. For more information, visit our Invasive Species pages or contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture at (303) 239-4140.
Find out moreAltitude Sickness
Learn about Altitude sickness: What it is, the symptoms, how to lessen your chances of being affected, and treatments. Altitude sickness can affect you even if you aren't venturing into Colorado's high country.
Find out moreInformation to Leave for Friends and Family
Each member of the hunting party should provide the requested information to their family or friends. Instruct family members and/or friends on the procedure to follow should it be necessary to contact you in an emergency.
Find out moreRegister Your Off Highway Vehicle
All off-highway vehicles operated in Colorado on public lands or traveling on an OHV-designated route must have a valid Colorado OHV registration or permit. Vehicle use is limited to transporting hunters and downed game.
Find out moreHunting Laws
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15 percent of Colorado's moose mortality each year comes from illegal kills. The fine for illegally killing a moose is $1,370. If you observe someone, or know of someone, illegally shooting a moose, report it to wildlife authorities immediately. Provide as much information as possible about the circumstances, including the incident location and description or identity of the shooter.
It is illegal in Colorado for anyone to prevent or interfere with an individual’s ability to participate in hunting and trapping.
This includes, but is not limited to, alarming, distracting, or frightening prey; causing prey to flee by using light or noise; chasing prey on foot or by vehicle; throwing objects; making movements; harassing hunters by using threats or actions; erecting barriers to deny access to hunting areas; and intentionally injecting yourself into the line of fire. Violators face criminal prosecution and may have to pay damages to the victim, as well as court costs.
If, while hunting, you feel you are being harassed, remain calm and composed, avoiding confrontation or arguing. You should seek assistance from law enforcement personnel. Contact the nearest Colorado Parks and Wildlife office, the Colorado State Patrol, or the local police or sheriff’s department. Report incidents immediately or as soon after their occurrence as is reasonable.
Penalties upon conviction for this misdemeanor include a fine between $500 and $1000, twenty license-suspension points, damages, and court costs.
The Top 10 Most Common Hunting Violations in Colorado
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Trespassing
Going onto private lands without getting permission first while hunting, fishing or performing any related activity is illegal. Private lands do not need to be posted or fenced, so it can be difficult to see boundaries. Violators may be suspended for up to 5 years for trespassing. This includes State Land Board properties not leased and signed to CPW, unless permission is given by the lessee. You must have permission from the landowner to enter private land to retrieve a harvested animal. First, you should try to contact the landowner on your own. If that effort fails, call the local CPW office.
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Failing to make a reasonable attempt to track and kill animals you wound or may have wounded.
Remember that it’s against the law to pursue wounded wildlife that goes on private property without first obtaining permission from the landowner or person in charge. You must still attempt to gain permission to enter and locate the animal.
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Failing to reasonably dress, care for, prepare and provide edible wildlife meat for human consumption.
At a minimum, the four quarters, tenderloins and backstraps are edible meat. Internal organs are not considered edible meat.
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Hunting without a proper license.
Anyone who hunts wildlife must have in their possession the appropriate and valid Colorado resident or nonresident license that includes their Customer Identification (CID) number, and must only harvest wildlife of the species and type indicated on the license.
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Mistakenly killing wildlife.
You must report big-game animals unintentionally killed, not due to carelessness or negligence to a CPW office (or a local Sheriff’s office after CPW regular hours) before continuing the hunt and as soon as practical. Before contacting CPW, field dress the animal. CPW evaluates the circumstances, including shots fired, species and number of animals present, firearms, ammunition, etc. Big game accidentally killed does not count toward annual bag limits.
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Not showing evidence of sex.
Be sure to leave evidence of sex naturally attached to the carcass. Evidence includes the head, the vulva or the scrotum.
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Carrying loaded firearms while in or on any motor vehicle.
Firearms must be unloaded in the chamber. Muzzleloading rifles are considered unloaded if the percussion cap or shotshell primer is removed, or if the powder is removed from the flashpan. It is illegal for anyone to have a loaded electronic ignition muzzleloader in or on a motor vehicle; the chamber must be unloaded or the battery must be disconnected and removed from its compartment. Most accidents involving firearms occur in or near vehicles.
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Carrying loaded firearms (except handguns) must be unloaded in the chamber and magazine.
Firearms (except handguns) and bows must be fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Scabbards or cases with open ends or sides are prohibited. This does not apply to landowners or their agents who carry a firearm on an OHV to take depredating wildlife on property they own or lease.
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Improperly voiding and/or attaching a carcass tag.
You must sign and detach the carcass tag from your hunting license immediately following taking your animal. It is illegal to sign or tear the carcass tag before harvest. The tag must also be attached to the animal properly.
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Shooting from or across a public road with a firearm, bow or crossbow.
People firing a bow, rifle, handgun or shotgun with a single slug must be at least 50 feet from the centerline of the road.
If convicted of these violations, you may face a life-time hunting license suspension in Colorado.
- Killing and abandoning big game wildlife. It is illegal to remove only the hide, antlers or other trophy parts and leave the carcass in the field.
- Selling, purchasing, or offering to sell or purchase big game.
- Soliciting someone to illegally take big game for commercial gain or providing outfitting services without required registration.
Harvesting a Moose
Get the Lead Out.
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.
For more information, please visit the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment website and view the Lead in Harvested Wild Game and Lead in Indoor Shooting and Firing Ranges pages.
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Reporting a Harvest
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Hunters Did Not Hunt or Harvest a Moose
If hunters did not hunt and did not harvest, they are still required to submit a completed mandatory report within 30 days after the close of the season.
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Hunters Did Harvest a Moose
Hunters are required to bring their harvest in for inspection on or before the 5th business day after harvest. The hunter must be present at the inspection. The hunter needs to bring the head with antlers naturally attached, the lower jaw and the Mandatory Report Form. Cow moose hunters do not have to bring the head as long as they bring the animal's incisor. During the inspection the hunter will provide days hunted, harvest location, (GMU and drainage), harvest date and manner of take. CPW will collect antler measurements, a tooth for aging, hunt and harvest information, and complete the Mandatory Report Form. There is no proof of inspection for moose.
Mark Your Harvest Site with Your GPS
Hunters who have GPS units are encouraged to mark the location of their harvest in the field. This is especially important for hunters who harvest a moose or bear, as these species require mandatory inspections. During mandatory inspections, hunters will be asked to give a location of their harvest. Having GPS coordinates makes reporting simple and precise. Use your GPS to set a waypoint where you harvest an animal and save the UTM or longitude and latitude coordinates. Bring that information to record on the check report form during harvest inspections.
Ear Tags and Radio Collars
If you shoot an animal with a collar or ear tag, report the number, color, harvest location and date to CPW, and return the radio collars.
Tooth Extraction During Inspection
During mandatory checks a small tooth will be extracted and sent to a lab for age determination. For more accurate results, hunters should make sure that the head is not frozen during and that the jaw is propped open before rigor sets in.
Age data is then provided online so hunters can look up the age of their harvested animal by seal number. For privacy reasons, hunter’s names are not posted. The results also include some animals that died as road-kills and other forms of mortality.
Carcass Tags
Be sure to sign and detach your carcass tag from your hunting license directly after you harvest your animal, and make sure you attach it properly. The carcass tag should be attached to the carcass (not to detached hides, horns or antlers carried separately) immediately prior to and during transportation in any vehicle, or while in camp or at a residence or other place of storage. Tags must stay on until meat is processed and remain with meat until consumed. It is illegal to sign the tag before harvesting an animal.
Do not remove any parts of a license except the carcass tag only after harvest. Doing so voids the license and you must buy a duplicate. The upper part of the license must be kept by whoever harvested the animal.
If you lose, accidentally destroy or detach the tag, you must buy a duplicate from a Colorado Parks and Wildlife office before hunting and prove the loss, detachment or destruction was accidental. If you have a nonresident big game/fishing combo license, the fishing license is valid after the carcass tag is detached, as long as the rest of the license is intact.
Evidence of Sex
- It is illegal to have or transport a big-game carcass without evidence of sex naturally attached. It is illegal to have only detached evidence of sex accompany the carcass.
- Evidence of sex is:
A. Bull: Head with antlers attached to carcass; or testicle, scrotum or penis attached to carcass.
B. Cow: Head, udder (mammary) or vulva attached to carcass. - Heads detached from carcass are not adequate evidence of sex.
- If a carcass is cut in pieces or deboned, evidence of sex needs to be attached to a quarter or another major part of carcass. All portions must be transported together.
- Evidence of sex is not required if a donation certificate accompanies less than 20 pounds of meat or after the carcass is cut into processed meat, wrapped and frozen, or stored at licensee’s home.
Transporting Game
You can be cited for illegally transporting game animals even if someone else made an error. When you transport carcasses or processed meat:
- Carcasses must be properly tagged. You must meet evidence of sex and antler-point requirements. Hunters must keep their own license.
- Carcass tags or donation certificates (for 20 pounds of meat or less) must accompany processed game meat.
- Carcass tags must be securely attached to carcass, not antlers or horns, or must accompany processed meat.
- Hunters transporting game through national parks or monuments must follow federal regulations. Contact the National Park Service.
- To ship by commercial carrier, the license, photocopy of license, carcass tag or donation certificate must accompany carcass or processed meat.
Care of Meat and Pelt
The warm temperatures of September, coupled with the heavy fall pelt and fat layer of bears, dictate special attention be given to the meat and pelt. Even on cold nights, the pelt and fat will insulate the meat and spoil it.
- A bear should be skinned immediately after death to cool the carcass.
- Thick layers of fat should be removed.
- The pelt should be refrigerated as soon as possible.
- If you plan to have a bear rug made or a head mount, it is always advisable to consult your taxidermist BEFORE the hunt for specific instructions on pelt care.
You Can Help Stop Poaching
If you see a poaching incident, report it. Look at it this way: if you saw someone breaking into your neighbor's house, would you just stand by and watch? Of course not; you would report it. Poaching is a crime against you, your neighbor, and everyone else in the state of Colorado. Call 1-877-COLO-OGT toll-free or Verizon cell phone users can simply dial #OGT.