Crossbow hunting in Colorado is legal during any firearm season with a standard big game license, and no crossbow-specific permit is required. During archery-only seasons, crossbows are off-limits unless you hold a disability accommodation permit issued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Before you head out, your equipment has to meet minimum specifications, and if you are hunting a firearm season you fall under the same blaze orange rules as rifle hunters.
When You Can Use a Crossbow
A valid firearm-season license for deer, elk, bear, or other big game lets you carry a crossbow in place of a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader. The crossbow counts as an accepted method of take. You buy the same license, follow the same bag limits, and hunt the same units. Nothing extra to apply for.
Archery-only seasons work differently. For most hunters, a crossbow is not a legal method of take during archery season. Those seasons are reserved for hand-held bows: compound, recurve, and longbow.
The Disability Exception for Archery Season
Hunters with a permanent physical disability that prevents them from drawing and holding a conventional bow at a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds can apply for an ADA accommodation permit through CPW. Approval authorizes crossbow use during archery seasons.
CPW asks that you submit the completed application at least 30 days before the season you want to hunt, because processing can take the full 30 days. Medical documentation verifying the disability is required. If you have not heard back after 30 days, CPW recommends contacting them at ada.accommodation@state.co.us or 303-291-7485.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunters with Disabilities
Once approved, carry the accommodation permit in the field alongside your valid archery hunting license. The permit does not replace the license.
Legal Crossbow Specifications
Colorado sets minimum equipment standards for any crossbow used on big game. Your crossbow must have:
- A draw weight of at least 125 pounds.
- A draw length of at least 14 inches, measured from the front of the bow to the nocking point of the string.
- A working positive mechanical safety device.
Bolts have their own requirements:2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure
- Bolt length of at least 16 inches.
- Broadhead width of at least 7/8 of an inch.
- At least two steel cutting edges on the broadhead, each remaining in the same plane for its entire length.
Mechanical broadheads that expand on impact are legal so long as they meet the minimum width when open.
Electronic Attachments
Colorado prohibits any device that is battery-powered, attached to the crossbow, and either aids in rangefinding or projects light toward the animal for aiming. Standard optical scopes without electronic rangefinding or projected illuminated reticles are fine. If your setup came from another state’s rules, check it against Colorado’s before you hunt.
Blaze Orange Rules Apply to You
This is the requirement crossbow hunters most often miss. Because crossbows are legal during firearm seasons, crossbow hunters in those seasons fall under the same blaze orange rules as rifle hunters. Colorado law requires at least 500 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink material worn as an outer garment above the waist, plus a fluorescent orange or pink hat or head covering visible from all directions.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
This applies when hunting deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, or bear with any firearm-season license. Orange camouflage patterns do not count toward the 500-square-inch minimum; the material has to be solid fluorescent color. Archers hunting during archery-only seasons on an archery license are exempt, though CPW still recommends wearing it.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
Transporting Your Crossbow
When you transport a crossbow in or on any vehicle, including off-highway vehicles, it must be uncocked. The string cannot be in the drawn and locked position. A case is a good idea for protecting equipment and securing bolts, but it is not legally required. If your crossbow has an integrated de-cocking mechanism, use it rather than dry-firing.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Using a crossbow during archery-only season without an accommodation permit, or hunting with a crossbow that does not meet the minimum specifications, is a wildlife violation. Most violations of Parks and Wildlife Commission regulations carry 5 suspension points. Reach 20 or more points within a five-year period and CPW will schedule a license suspension hearing, which can cost you hunting and fishing privileges for at least a year.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Suspending Hunting and Fishing Licenses
Points climb fast when a single trip produces more than one violation, such as an illegal method of take combined with failure to tag an animal. Colorado also participates in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, so a Colorado suspension can follow you into dozens of other member states.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Suspending Hunting and Fishing Licenses