Colorado’s blaze orange requirements are set by statute: anyone hunting deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, or black bear with a firearm must wear at least 500 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink above the waist, and part of that must be a hat or head covering visible from every direction.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-121 – Hunters to Wear Fluorescent Pink or Daylight Fluorescent Orange Garments Skip it and you’re looking at a $100 fine and five license suspension points.
What the 500 Square Inches Looks Like
Three things have to be true at once under C.R.S. § 33-6-121. The color must be solid fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink. It must total at least 500 square inches as an outer garment above the waist. And a hat or head covering in the same color must be visible from all directions.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-121 – Hunters to Wear Fluorescent Pink or Daylight Fluorescent Orange Garments
In practice, that’s roughly a standard hunting vest plus a cap. If you carry a pack, it can block the color on your back; either run an orange or pink pack or cover it. Mesh garments technically meet the statute, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife doesn’t recommend them because they lose visibility at distance.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
Camo Orange and Camo Pink Do Not Count
This is where hunters get caught. Camouflage patterns that incorporate orange or pink don’t satisfy the rule, even when the dominant color is fluorescent. The statute requires solid color, and CPW enforces it that way.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field If the garment has any camo breakup in it, treat it as non-compliant no matter how bright it looks in your hand.
Pink Counts the Same as Orange
Since 2019, fluorescent pink has been a full alternative to daylight fluorescent orange under HB19-1026.3Colorado General Assembly. HB19-1026 – Parks and Wildlife Violations of Law All the same rules apply: solid color, 500 square inches above the waist, matching hat. You can also mix the two colors as long as the combined coverage hits 500 square inches.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-121 – Hunters to Wear Fluorescent Pink or Daylight Fluorescent Orange Garments
Who the Rule Covers
The requirement reaches anyone hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, moose, or black bear with any firearm license. Rifle, handgun, muzzleloader; no exceptions. A common misread is that muzzleloader season has its own looser rules. It doesn’t.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
Archery hunters are exempt only during archery-only seasons. Once a rifle season opens in the same unit, any bowhunter in the field has to be wearing the full orange or pink gear too.4Hunter-ed.com. Blaze Orange and Pink Requirement
Ground Blinds
CPW recommends displaying orange or pink on the outside of a ground blind or pop-up so it’s visible from all directions. The agency frames this as guidance rather than a mandate under § 33-6-121, but a blind conceals you completely from other hunters, which is exactly the risk the visibility rules exist to prevent.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Deer – In the Field
The Fine and the Points
Hunting without the required orange or pink is a misdemeanor. The penalty is a flat $100 fine and an automatic five license suspension points.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-121 – Hunters to Wear Fluorescent Pink or Daylight Fluorescent Orange Garments The fine itself is fixed rather than a range, though court costs and surcharges added at sentencing can push the total higher.
CPW officers can cite you in the field as soon as they observe the violation. There’s no warning system and no grace period.
Why Five Points Matters More Than It Sounds
Five points from a single blaze orange ticket won’t suspend you on its own. The problem is where those points sit. Under C.R.S. § 33-6-106, accumulating 20 or more suspension points in any consecutive five-year period gives the Parks and Wildlife Commission authority to suspend your privilege to apply for, buy, or use any license issued by the division for up to five years.5Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-106 – Suspension of License Privileges Pair a blaze orange citation with a licensing violation worth 10 or 15 points and you’re at the threshold from two incidents.
A Colorado suspension also doesn’t stay in Colorado. All 50 states now participate in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, and member states honor each other’s suspensions.6Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact If Colorado pulls your privileges, you can’t drive to Wyoming or New Mexico and buy a license instead.7CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Wildlife Violator Compact The compact runs both directions, so a suspension picked up in another state can block you from hunting in Colorado as well.