ATTN: Boat Owners
Colorado boat owners must complete an online survey before renewing their boat registration, ensuring compliance with updated U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Learn more about the online survey.
ATTN: Boat Owners
Colorado boat owners must complete an online survey before renewing their boat registration, ensuring compliance with updated U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Learn more about the online survey.
There are still opportunities available to purchase a Colorado big-game hunting license.
'What's New' 2024 Colorado Big Game.
Big Game
The 2024 Colorado Big Game Brochure is now available. This video provides a summary of some of the changes related to the limited-license draws and the fall hunting seasons. Be sure to read the "What's New" pages in the big game and sheep and goat brochures to see a full list of changes on tap for the upcoming seasons.
Your Voice Matters
Colorado Parks and Wildlife depends on feedback and advice from our state’s hunters and anglers to make the best decisions about the management of fish, wildlife, and habitat. In order to discuss issues and gather ideas, CPW convenes a statewide Sportsperson’s Roundtable and holds regional sportsperson meetings.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is accepting applications from hunters, anglers and trappers from across Colorado to join the Sportsperson’s Roundtable. Fill out the Application Form by the deadline of Friday, November 8, 2024 to apply!
Special Edition
This special to Colorado Outdoors is loaded with great content including articles on hunting during rut, staying safe in the field, guided youth hunts, preparing for Colorado's temperature swings, hunting dusky grouse, and so much more!
Note: Always check your physical license and the Colorado Big Game Brochure for specific hunting dates and legal hunting hours.
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.
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.
What are limited licenses?
Each year, a set (limited) number of licenses is allotted to each game management unit (GMU). Huntable areas are broken down into units called “game management units.” These units help you decide where you'd like to hunt. A GMU map is available on the inside back cover of the Big Game Brochure.
You can apply for the big game draw(s) to get one of these limited licenses, or after the draws are over, you can purchase a remaining (leftover) limited license when they go on sale.
A qualifying license is required prior to applying for limited licenses through the big game draw(s).
Hunters can submit one application per species to participate in the draw. Applications can include up to four hunt choices to maximize your opportunity to draw a license and hunt.
Limited licenses include public-land, private-land-only, Ranching for Wildlife (RFW), Bighorn Sheep Access Program (BSAP), season choice and leftover limited licenses.
Preference points help hunters to be successful in future primary draws because points add up per species until an applicant draws a first-choice license. One preference point is awarded to each applicant who qualifies for and does not draw their first-choice limited license for deer, elk, pronghorn or bear in the primary draw, or who applies using a specific preference-point hunt code that gets them a preference point only as their first choice.
Preference points are available on the primary draw application only.
Tip: If you can’t hunt this year, but intend to in the future, apply for a preference point by entering the “preference point only” hunt code in the “first choice hunt code” on the application. See pages 3 and 9 in the Big Game Brochure for details.
For information on license refunds, please visit the Hunting License Refunds, Reversals and Exchanges page.
What are leftover 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.
What are reissued licenses?
Reissued licenses are limited licenses that were returned for a refund or preference points, as well as those that were not paid for - and are listed on the leftover list. For more information on reissued licenses, visit the Leftover License and Reissue page.
The Reissue Preview List will be posted online every Tuesday at 11 a.m. MT, and hunt codes will be available for purchase every Wednesday starting at 11 a.m. MT. All hunt codes will be released from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. MT on Wednesday of every week, starting the week after leftover licenses go on sale. No new hunt codes will be added to the list after 1 p.m. MT each Wednesday.
Leftover (remaining) limited licenses are available in person at sales agents, by phone at 1-800-244- 5613 or online.
For information on license refunds, please visit the Hunting License Refunds, Reversals and Exchanges page.
What are over-the-counter licenses?
OTC 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.
OTC licenses do not require buying/having a qualifying license, do not use preference points and may be purchased any time before and during a season.
For sale online, by phone (1-800-244-5613) and at sales agents around the state.
OTC License Benefits
Some licenses for elk, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, and bear are available without needing to enter the draw(s) and are not restricted in quantity (unlimited). Find more information on over-the-counter licenses in the Big Game brochure.
For information on license refunds, please visit the Hunting License Refunds, Reversals and Exchanges page.
The LPP encourages private landowners to provide habitat for the benefit of wildlife populations and to relieve hunting pressure on public lands. Deer, elk and pronghorn vouchers are allocated to landowners who meet certain qualifications. Applications are drawn during the primary draw, and successful landowners receive a voucher for each winning hunt code. The voucher is transferred directly to a hunter, who then purchases a license to hunt. Vouchers are not available for purchase from CPW.
Definitions
By applying in a group for the Colorado limited license primary draws, you agree that you have read, understand and will abide by the group rules outlined below.
Applicants are only considered a group for the draw. After the draw, if a group member fails to pay for their license or chooses to return it, it does not affect any of the other group members.
Youths will not receive youth preference if they apply as part of a group.
Group applications are not accepted in the hybrid draw.
CPW issues special Auction and Raffle Program big game licenses to nonprofit organizations focused on conserving wildlife in Colorado. The funds generated from the sale of these licenses are used for big game habitat enhancement, research, management, and education.
Learn from the Experts!
In this video series, Colorado's wildlife officers answer frequently asked questions, discuss access, describe animal movement, and more.
In an effort to aid hunters in being as knowledgeable as they possibly can before heading out into the field, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released videos with wildlife officers addressing the questions they frequently get asked.
Over 120 videos on the playlist below feature the wildlife officers discussing the districts they cover, or the Game Management Units where hunters apply for licenses. It was targeted to aid big game hunters, but other hunting opportunities are also discussed for certain areas of the state.
Attention Hunters
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that attacks the brains of deer, elk and moose. It causes animals to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior and eventually die. Infected animals often show no signs of illness.
In 2024, CPW will require mandatory submission of CWD test samples (heads) from all deer harvested during rifle seasons from specific hunt codes to better evaluate the prevalence of CWD in herds. There will be no charge for mandatory testing. If a hunter is not selected for mandatory testing but wants to know whether their harvested deer or elk has CWD, they can submit their animal's head and pay a testing fee of $25.
You'll need to have your hunter education certification and card number before applying for the draw(s) or purchasing a hunting license if you were born after Jan. 1, 1949. Remember that you must carry proof of hunter education in the field when you hunt!
Colorado offers 10 big-game species. This brochure has hunting rules and options for deer (mule and white-tailed), elk, pronghorn, moose and bear. Pick the species and sex you're interested in hunting.
Colorado's Ten Big-Game Species
Colorado is divided into hunting areas called game management units (i.e. Game Management Units). It's important that every hunter knows the boundaries of their hunting area, including private land boundaries.
In general for deer, elk and bear hunting, archery season starts in early Sept. and lasts almost a month. Muzzleloader season starts in the middle of archery season, and four rifle seasons follow that. The first rifle season is limited to elk and bear hunting only. The second, third and fourth rifle seasons are for elk, bear and deer hunters, who will be in the field at the same time.
Colorado has seasons for archery, muzzleloader and rifle/associated methods hunting. “Associated methods” are shotguns, handguns, muzzleloaders that are a minumum of .40 caliber (.50 caliber for elk and moose), hand-held bows and crossbows. Legal requirements for the various methods and transporting them in the field are described in this brochure.
Each year, a set (limited) number of licenses is allotted to each GMU. You can apply for the big game draw(s) to get one of these limited licenses, or after the draws are over, you can purchase a remaining (leftover) limited license when they go on sale. Some licenses for elk, pronghorn and bear are also available without needing to enter the draw(s) and are not restricted in quantity (unlimited). These can be purchased over the counter after they go on sale online, by phone and in person at sales agents around the state.
Now that you have a plan, be sure to read through this brochure to help you get your license and be prepared out in the field.
The first 19 pages have all of your basic hunting information: new changes, license information, options and sales dates, general information, hunting laws, application information and deadlines, and how to read the hunt code tables.
Pages 20–67 break out each of the six big-game species in this brochure into their own sections. Each section has speciesspecific regulation changes, season dates, how to get more than one license and hunt code tables.
The last few pages, 68–73, provide a GMU map and detailed descriptions of the GMU boundaries and specific land restrictions.
For Selected Elk, Deer and Pronghorn Hunters
Colorado Parks and Wildlife conducts big game harvest surveys annually from mid-October through mid-February to collect hunt and harvest information from deer, elk and pronghorn hunters. Individual hunters are asked a series of questions related to their experience. Only those hunters who have been randomly selected and notified by CPW are eligible.
Big Game Hunting
Every five years, the Parks and Wildlife Commission adopts a Big Game Season Structure (BGSS) to provide an overall framework for hunting.
The five year time frame which is designed to provide sportspersons, hunting-related businesses, landowners, and communities an opportunity to plan ahead for the upcoming seasons by considering what, when and where types of big game hunting is available, and how the timing of hunting opportunities is divided among hunters.