In the Field
In the Field
Hunting Coyotes: While coyotes are considered furbearers, you do not need a furbearer harvest permit to hunt this species. You may hunt coyotes with a furbearer license, a small game license, a small game license with the new furbearer harvest permit, or an unfilled big game license.
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 moreGet Ready To Hunt
Take a Hunter Education Class
Proof of hunter education is required for hunters before they can purchase a big game license.
Improve Your Skill
Sign up for a CPW clinic or seminar to take your skills to the next level.
Sight In Your Hunting Rifle
Colorado offers convenient and diverse public shooting ranges that are open all year round, and a large number of private ranges invite the public in as guests or offer public 'sight-in' days just before major hunting seasons. Be sure to contact the range nearest you for details.
Video Training
Good hunters know that developing their skills takes time and training. The Learn to Hunt video series offers tips and tactics on topics ranging from dove decoys to scouting big games.
Harvest Information Program
Hunters planning to use their furbearer license OR small game license with a furbearer permit to pursue furbearers (not just as a qualifying license for the big game draw) will need to obtain their HIP number through the HIP website or by calling and speaking with a live operator at 1-866-COLOHIP (265-6447), available 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m., before they can legally hunt.
Hunting Laws
- Any rifle, handgun, shotgun, handheld bow or crossbow, live traps (limited to cage or box traps), air gun (pre-charged pneumatic air gun .25 caliber or larger for coyote and bobcat).
- Use of bait. It must be made solely of plants or animals. Bait cannot contain metal, glass, porcelain, plastic, cardboard or paper. Wildlife used as bait can be carcasses or parts of legally taken furbearers, carp, shad, white and longnose suckers, and inedible parts of legally obtained game mammals, birds or game fish.
- Electronic call devices.
- You must check traps in person, at least daily. In lynx recovery areas, or where lynx are, you must check traps every 24 hours.
- Any accidentally captured live animals for which trapping hours are open must be killed or released immediately upon checking the trap.
- Animals captured in live traps cannot be moved from the capture site and must be killed or released on site when trap is checked.
- If wildlife (except Canada lynx, see No. 8 in this list) is accidentally captured alive when trapping season is closed or is illegal for that species, you must release the animal immediately. You cannot kill it. If you find a dead animal in your trap, you must bring its carcass to a CPW officer or office within 5 days. Failing to do so is evidence of illegal possession of wildlife. Trappers who comply will not be charged with illegal possession.
- If you accidentally capture a Canada lynx and it’s not injured, you must release it immediately and report it to CPW within 24 hours. If a lynx is accidentally injured, but not in your possession, you must report it to CPW within 24 hours. If you capture a lynx accidentally and injure it, take the lynx to CPW or a licensed veterinarian, and report it to CPW within 24 hours. If you accidentally kill a lynx, you must report it to CPW within 24 hours, and take the carcass to CPW within 3 days after the report. Failing to follow these rules is considered unlawful take and possession. You will not be charged if you comply with these requirements or use the plan’s best management practices to avoid accidentally taking a lynx. Guidelines available on the CPW website, search for Avoid Lynx Take.
- On private land, artificial light is allowed at night to hunt beavers, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, striped skunks and red, gray or swift foxes, with written permission of landowner or agent.
- On public land, artificial light is allowed at night with permit from local district or area wildlife manager, to hunt raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, striped skunks, beavers and red, gray or swift foxes. Permits are valid for time and place specified.
- Permits are not valid 24 hours before or during deer, elk or pronghorn rifle seasons, nor opening weekend of grouse, pheasant, quail and waterfowl seasons.
- It is illegal to hunt with a light permanently attached to a vehicle, or to project light from inside a vehicle.
- It is illegal to take furbearers within 500 yards of a dwelling, building, campground or other structure, or in areas that jeopardize human safety.
- You must carry and show the permit while hunting if requested by a law enforcement officer.
- CPW can deny a permit for management purposes.
- Night-hunting permits are not issued for bobcat on public land in Canada lynx recovery areas or where lynx are. If a bobcat hunter kills a Canada lynx during bobcat hunting season, CPW will not issue any more night-hunting permits for bobcat for the rest of the calendar year in the recovery areas or where the lynx was killed. CPW also will revoke all night-hunting permits previously issued for bobcats.
Lynx are very similar in appearance and habits to bobcats, and their range overlaps with them and other furbearer species. Therefore it is important for trappers and hunters to know how to distinguish lynx from bobcats, to recognize their preferred habitat types, and to avoid capturing or harvesting lynx.
- To avoid lynx while trapping bobcats, trap sets should be made where bobcats are known to exist. Making trap sets near existing bobcat tracks is often successful because bobcats often reuse the same travel patterns within their territories.
- Traps set locations that tend to avoid lynx include open meadows, pastures, and crop lands. Lynx rarely use agricultural lands and generally prefer to hunt and travel in forested or brushy areas.
- Whenever a lynx track is identified, trap and snare sets should not be made in the vicinity.
- Lynx often avoid traps set for foxes and coyotes when the traps are placed in open fields.
- The use of tainted rather than fresh meat baits also tends not to attract lynx while still providing significant attraction to coyotes and foxes.
- All trappers need to carry a catchpole to allow safe release of any unintended animal captures. If a catchpole is not available, an alternative method to release lynx is to cut a strong forked stick to allow the pinning of the lynx’s neck and shoulder to the ground while the trap is removed.
- Care should be taken at all times when releasing a lynx because they are capable of injuring the trapper with their teeth or claws.
- All types of foothold traps should be staked solidly to prevent a trapped lynx (or bobcat) from harming itself by entangling around trees or brush.
Report Mistakenly Trapping a Lynx
If the animal is alive and unhurt, it shall be reported to CPW immediately and CPW will advise the trapper of how to proceed. If the animal is dead, it should be left in the trap or snare and reported to CPW immediately. If these situations occur after normal business hours the landowner, or their agent, shall leave a message at the nearest CDOW office with the pertinent information. CPW in coordination with the FWS, will investigate all cases of lynx being snared, trapped, shot or killed and determine if the activities were legal, if notification was made and will assess other pertinent information.
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 Furbearer
Reporting a Bobcat Harvest
If hunters don't hunt or harvest, there are no further requirements regarding their bobcat hunt.
Hunters are required to bring their harvest in for inspection, within 30 days after take, or within five days after the season closes; whichever is sooner. Hunters must be present at the inspection and bring a bobcat pelt or whole animal. During the inspection the hunter will provide days hunted/trapping, harvest location (GMU and drainage), harvest date and manner of take. CPW will collect hunt and harvest information and complete a Mandatory Report Form. CPW personnel will place a seal through the bobcat’s hide as proof of inspection.
Bobcat Seals
Seals will be placed only on bobcats taken legally in Colorado. Inspection and sealing is free, and seals must stay attached to hide until processed. Bobcat hides and pelts cannot be transported, shipped or otherwise taken from Colorado until inspected and sealed. It is illegal to buy, sell, trade or barter an untanned bobcat hide/pelt without a seal. One seal per hide/pelt. Contact a nearby Colorado Parks and Wildlife office for details.
Furbearer Harvest Log
Fill out the Furbearer Harvest Log and use the information as reference if you are contacted for the annual Furbearer Harvest Survey in the spring following the close of the seasons. The Furbearer Harvest Survey helps us track the furbearer species taken each year, so we can better manage their populations.
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.
Report Poaching
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