Colorado big game hunting seasons run from early September through late November, broken into archery, muzzleloader, and four separate rifle windows. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) sets the structure and distributes most licenses through a competitive draw whose primary application deadline falls in early April, so if you want a specific unit, species, or season, the planning starts months before opening day.
2026 Season Dates
Archery elk opens the calendar on September 2 and runs 29 days through September 30. That stretch overlaps the elk rut, when bulls bugle and move with cow groups. Archery deer runs the same window, and archers holding the right license can also pursue bear.
Muzzleloader season sits inside the archery window, running nine days from September 12 through September 20.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure CPW restricts the sights and ignition systems you can use during this season, and the specifications change periodically. Confirm the current rules in the regulations brochure before you load up.
The four rifle seasons march through mid-October to late November:
- First rifle: October 14–18 (elk only, entirely limited-entry)
- Second rifle: October 24–November 1 (deer and elk combined)
- Third rifle: November 7–15 (deer and elk combined)
- Fourth rifle: November 18–22 (deer and elk combined, entirely limited-entry)
Second and third rifle see the heaviest pressure because some units offer over-the-counter elk tags during those windows. Fourth rifle is the deep-snow hunt that targets animals moving toward winter range, and every hunter in the field during fourth season holds a license specific to that unit and species.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure
Limited Draw Licenses vs. Over-the-Counter Tags
Colorado runs two licensing tracks. Limited licenses are distributed through the draw and capped per unit and species to protect herds. Over-the-counter (OTC) licenses are unlimited in quantity but confined to certain units, seasons, and methods of take.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Over-the-Counter (OTC) Licenses
For elk, OTC licenses exist only for rifle seasons and may be either-sex, antlerless, or antlered depending on the unit. No OTC archery or muzzleloader elk licenses exist. Deer, pronghorn, and bear are almost entirely limited-draw. If you want a guaranteed elk opportunity without playing the draw, OTC is the route, but those units see more hunters.
What You Need Before You Apply
A few items have to be in place before you can enter the draw or buy any big game license. Missing any one of them blocks the application.
Customer Identification Number
Every hunter needs a Customer Identification Number (CID) through CPW’s online system at cpwshop.com. The CID is your account for applications, license purchases, and preference point tracking. If you’re claiming residency for the lower-cost tags, link a valid Colorado driver’s license or state ID to the account.
Qualifying License
You must buy a qualifying license before submitting a big game draw application. The common choices are a resident spring turkey license at $35.76 or a resident annual small game license at $33.96. Nonresidents pay $183.94 for spring turkey or $93.78 for annual small game. Youth hunters under 18 pay significantly less, including a $1.40 small game license.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Qualifying License
Habitat Stamp
Hunters aged 18 through 64 must buy a Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp before applying for or purchasing a hunting license. It costs $12.47 and is required once per year. Mobility-impaired hunters under CPW’s rules and holders of certain lifetime licenses are exempt.4Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33 – 33-4-102.7
Hunter Education
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, must complete a certified hunter education course before hunting in Colorado.5Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33 – 33-6-107 A certificate from a recognized out-of-state program works. Colorado also offers a one-time apprentice license for hunters 12 and older who haven’t completed the course, valid for one license year under supervision and available once per lifetime.
How the Primary Draw Works
The primary draw is the main path to limited licenses for elk, deer, pronghorn, bear, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. Applications go through cpwshop.com, where you enter hunt codes corresponding to the species, unit, season, and sex you want. Each application allows up to four hunt choices.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw
The 2026 primary draw application deadline falls in early April. Confirm the exact date on CPW’s website; missing it pushes you to the secondary draw or leftovers. Be careful entering hunt codes. A wrong code can leave you holding a tag for a unit you never meant to hunt, with no easy fix after the draw runs.
Application processing fees are $8.93 for residents and $11.49 for nonresidents, non-refundable regardless of draw outcome. Results for 2026 post online between May 26 and May 29, and CPW notifies you using the contact information in your profile. If you draw, the remaining license fee is charged to the credit card on file. If the charge fails and you don’t pay by the deadline, the license is forfeited and any preference points used to draw it are gone with no restoration.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw
License Fees
Resident and nonresident fees differ sharply. Approximate adult costs from the most recently published schedules:
- Resident elk: $67.86
- Resident deer: $49.15
- Resident pronghorn: $47.91
- Nonresident elk (combo with fishing): $825.03
- Nonresident deer (combo with fishing): $494.47
- Nonresident pronghorn: $481.52
- Youth (resident and nonresident deer/elk): $18.90
Nonresident deer and elk licenses are sold as combination licenses that include fishing privileges. These fees come on top of the qualifying license, habitat stamp, and application processing fee. CPW adjusts fees periodically, so check the current schedule on cpwshop.com before budgeting.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Over-the-Counter (OTC) Licenses
Colorado also caps nonresident allocation on limited licenses. High-demand hunt codes use an 80/20 resident-to-nonresident split; all other hunt codes use 75/25.7Engage CPW. Big Game License Distribution In trophy units where draw odds are already long, the 20% nonresident cap means years of preference points before drawing.
Preference Points
Two preference point systems operate in Colorado, and which one applies depends on the species.
Standard Points
Elk, deer, pronghorn, bear, and turkey use a standard system. Apply and fail to draw your first choice, and you earn one preference point for the next year. Points are free for these species. Drawing your first-choice license resets all accumulated points for that species to zero.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw
Weighted Points
Moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and mountain goat use a weighted system. After three regular preference points without drawing, subsequent points become weighted for better odds. These species charge $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents per point, waived for youth and resident lifetime license holders. Desert bighorn sheep awards no preference points.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw
Protecting Your Points
If you draw a license and later can’t hunt, timing matters. Licenses surrendered during CPW’s posted surrender period are eligible for both a monetary refund and full restoration of preference points to pre-draw levels. Surrender after that window and you get either a refund or point restoration, but not both. Let the payment deadline pass without paying and the points are gone.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw
Secondary Draw and Leftover Licenses
Miss the primary draw or come up empty? Two more chances follow.
The 2026 secondary draw opens June 18, with a deadline of June 30 at 8:00 PM MDT. Results post July 7. Anyone can apply, regardless of whether they entered the primary. One application per species with up to four hunt choices, and no group applications. Preference points are neither used nor awarded.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw
Youth hunters aged 12 to 17 get a meaningful edge in the secondary draw: CPW processes all youth choices before adult choices, giving young hunters 100% preference on every available hunt code.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw
Licenses still unsold after both draws go on sale August 4, 2026, at 9:00 AM MDT, first-come, first-served, through cpwshop.com, by phone, or through authorized agents. No qualifying license, application, or preference points are needed for leftovers. You need a government-issued ID, hunter education (if born on or after January 1, 1949), and a habitat stamp.9Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Leftover (Remaining) and Reissued Licenses
Throughout the season, CPW also reissues licenses that were surrendered or refunded. A preview list posts Tuesdays at 11:00 AM MT, and those licenses go on sale around 11:00 AM MT the following Wednesday. Unsold preview licenses roll into the general leftover pool.9Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Leftover (Remaining) and Reissued Licenses
Field Rules You Need to Know Before Opening Day
Tagging and Evidence of Sex
The moment you take a big game animal, sign, date, and detach the carcass tag from your hunting license and attach it to the carcass. Signing the tag before harvest is illegal. The tag stays on through transport, in camp, and in storage until the meat is fully processed.10Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Elk – In the Field
Evidence of sex must remain naturally attached to the carcass during transport. A detached head carried alongside the carcass does not count. For bulls, that means the head with antlers attached or reproductive organs attached to a portion of the carcass. For cows, the head, udder, or vulva naturally attached. If the animal is quartered or deboned, evidence of sex must be attached to a quarter or major portion, and all parts travel together. The requirement lifts once meat is processed, wrapped, frozen, or stored at your home.10Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Elk – In the Field
Hunter Orange and Pink
Colorado law requires at least 500 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink on an outer garment above the waist while hunting deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, or bear with any firearm license. Archers during archery-only seasons are exempt.11Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
CWD Testing
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting deer and elk. For 2026, CPW requires mandatory CWD test sample submission for elk harvested during rifle seasons from specific hunt codes. Not every hunt code within a GMU is selected, so check pages 41–52 of the 2026 Big Game Brochure to see whether yours requires testing. Mandatory testing is free, and no mandatory deer testing exists for 2026. CPW also waives the fee for voluntary submissions from archery and muzzleloader elk harvested in GMUs where rifle hunt codes were selected.12Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Chronic Wasting Disease If you’re transporting a carcass across state lines, many states prohibit importing brain or spinal column tissue from CWD areas; check import rules for every state on your route.