Colorado hunting laws cover licensing, hunter education, legal weapons, tagging, bag limits, and conduct in the field, and they are enforced by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) with fines that reach $25,000 for trophy-class animals. Rules vary by species, weapon, season, and residency, and several obligations kick in before the season even opens.
Licenses and the Draw
CPW issues every hunting license in the state and runs a limited-license draw for big game species including elk, deer, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. Small game and some turkey licenses are sold over the counter.
For the 2026 season, the primary draw application window opens March 1 and closes April 7 at 8 p.m. Mountain Time, with results posted in late May.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw Miss the draw and you earn a preference point that improves next year’s odds. Sheep, moose, and mountain goat tags carry extra application fees and are among the hardest to draw in the West.
A Habitat Stamp costing $12.47 is required for every hunter aged 18 through 64 before buying or applying for any license.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp License prices vary widely: a youth resident big game license runs about $20.30, while a non-resident adult elk license tops $800.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting The resident/non-resident gap is substantial for every species, so verify the current fee schedule before applying.
Hunter Education
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 must complete an approved hunter education course before buying or applying for a Colorado hunting license.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunter Education The course covers firearms safety, wildlife identification, conservation, and ethics. Colorado’s certification is reciprocal with every other state that requires hunter education, so you complete it once.
If you’re not ready for the full course, an Apprentice Hunter Certificate lets you hunt one season under a mentor’s supervision. The mentor must be at least 18, licensed, and hunter-ed certified. It is a one-time option.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunter Education
Legal Weapons and Methods
Equipment rules change with the species and the season. The three main categories are firearms, archery, and muzzleloaders.
Firearms
Centerfire rifles for big game must be at least .24 caliber with expanding bullets weighing at least 70 grains (85 grains for elk and moose) and producing at least 1,000 foot-pounds of energy at 100 yards. Semi-automatic rifles are legal but capped at six rounds total in magazine and chamber.5Colorado Secretary of State. Code of Colorado Regulations – Chapter W-2 Big Game Shotguns used for big game must be 20-gauge or larger and fire a single slug. For migratory birds, shotguns are limited to three shells. Suppressors are legal for hunting if you have the federal ATF approval.
Archery
Hand-held bows, including compound bows, must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. Arrows must carry broadheads at least 7/8-inch wide with a minimum of two steel cutting edges running the full length of the cutting surface. Mechanical broadheads qualify if they meet those specs when deployed. Crossbows are not allowed in archery-only seasons unless you hold a disability accommodation permit from CPW.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunters with Disabilities
Muzzleloaders
During muzzleloader-specific seasons only open or iron sights are allowed. Scopes, battery-powered sights, and any electronic aiming device are prohibited. Fiber optics and fluorescent paint built into iron sights are fine. Muzzleloaders for elk and moose must be .50 caliber or larger, with round balls or conical bullets only.
Prohibited Methods
Electronic calls are prohibited for big game but legal for furbearers and predators such as coyotes.7Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Furbearers – In the Field Baiting is illegal for all big game, including black bear.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Final Regulations – Chapter W-2 – Big Game Artificial lights and night-vision optics are restricted to predator control. Hunting from a motor vehicle is a misdemeanor with a $200 fine and 10 suspension points. Using an aircraft to spot wildlife and relay its location to a hunter on the ground draws a $2,000 fine and 15 points.9Justia Law. Colorado Code 33-6-124 – Use of a Motor Vehicle or Aircraft
Hunter Orange and Pink
Anyone hunting big game with a firearm license must wear at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink above the waist, plus a hat of the same color visible from every direction. The rule applies in all rifle seasons, to all muzzleloader hunters, and to archery hunters afield during a rifle season. Camouflage that incorporates orange or pink does not qualify; the color must be solid.
Bag Limits and Tags
Big game licenses are issued per animal. Each tag entitles you to one animal of that species, and most hunters are limited to a single elk, deer, or pronghorn per year. Black bear tags are also one per hunter annually.
Waterfowl limits split along flyway lines. In Pacific Flyway zones west of the Continental Divide, the daily duck bag limit is seven with a possession limit of 21. In Central Flyway zones east of the Divide, the daily limit is six with a possession limit of 18.10Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Final Regulations – Chapter W-5 – Migratory Birds Species sub-limits apply within those totals; you cannot fill the whole bag with pintails or canvasback. Sage grouse and similar species carry much tighter limits for conservation reasons.
Mountain lion seasons run on a quota rather than fixed dates. Each game management unit has a harvest cap, and once reached, the unit closes. You must check the Available Lion Harvest Limit Report online after 5 p.m. the day before every hunt. Hunting in a closed unit is illegal whether or not you knew it had closed.11Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Mountain Lion – In the Field
Tagging and Reporting
Big game must be tagged immediately after harvest, before the animal is moved from the kill site. Sign and date the carcass tag and attach it visibly, typically around the antlers or lower jaw for deer, elk, and pronghorn, and through the hide for bears and mountain lions. Tags must stay legible through transport. Altering, transferring, or using another hunter’s tag is illegal, and officers conduct field checks specifically for tagging violations.
Mountain lions carry extra obligations. Report your harvest to CPW within 48 hours and present the head and hide (unfrozen) for inspection within five days. CPW takes a tooth for aging and seals the hide as proof of compliance.11Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Mountain Lion – In the Field Bobcat hides also require a mandatory check and seal.
Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Extras
A Colorado small game license is not enough on its own. Three more requirements apply, and missing any one makes the hunt illegal.
- Federal Duck Stamp. Every waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry a valid Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. The 2025–2026 stamp costs $25 and is valid through June 30, 2026.12U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act13United States Postal Service. Spectacled Eiders 2025-2026 Federal Duck Stamps
- HIP registration. Colorado requires all small game hunters to register with the Harvest Information Program when buying a license at cpwshop.com or at a CPW office.14Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Changes to the Harvest Information Program (HIP) That Small Game Hunters Must Know
- Non-toxic shot. Federal law bars lead shot for waterfowl and coots. Use steel or another approved non-toxic alternative.15U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nontoxic Shot Approval
Public and Private Land
Millions of acres of public land are open to hunting, including national forests, Bureau of Land Management ground, and state wildlife areas. Unit-specific regulations control weapons, dates, and quotas. Seasonal closures and vehicle restrictions apply in places; BLM designates areas as open, limited, or closed to off-highway vehicles, and fenced wildlife-habitat areas are always closed to vehicles.16Bureau of Land Management. Off-Highway Vehicles
On private land, get explicit permission from the landowner before hunting. Hunting without it is trespassing and can bring fines and loss of privileges. “I didn’t realize I crossed the fence” is not a defense wildlife officers accept.
Youth Rules
Hunters under 18 pay reduced fees. Youth resident big game tags for deer, elk, and pronghorn are $20.30, and a youth small game license is $2.53. The minimum age for big game is 12, though an 11-year-old can apply or purchase if they turn 12 before the season ends.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting
Any hunter under 16 must be accompanied by a mentor who is at least 18, licensed, and hunter-ed certified. The mentor does not have to be hunting but must stay close enough to see and hear the youth without binoculars or radios.17FindLaw. Colorado Code 33-4-117 – Youth and Young Adult Licenses – Terminally Ill Hunters – Special Restrictions and Privileges No minimum age applies to turkey or small game as long as the mentoring and education requirements are met. CPW also runs youth-only big game seasons and youth waterfowl days ahead of the general openers.
Chronic Wasting Disease Testing
Chronic Wasting Disease is an always-fatal neurological disease spreading through Colorado’s deer and elk herds. For the 2026 season, elk harvested during rifle seasons in certain game management units must be submitted for CWD testing. Testing is free, and the list of mandatory units changes year to year based on surveillance. Check the current big game brochure or CPW’s CWD page before your hunt. Voluntary testing is available statewide.
Wanton Waste
Colorado law requires hunters to prepare the edible meat of harvested big game for human consumption, including mountain lion. You cannot take an animal for antlers or hide alone and leave the meat. Waste of edible game wildlife is a separate offense under C.R.S. § 33-6-119 with its own penalties, independent of any other violations. At a minimum, pack out the four quarters, backstraps, and tenderloins. Running out of daylight is not an excuse.
Penalties
Colorado’s “Samson Law” adds mandatory surcharges on top of standard criminal fines for trophy-class animals:
- Bull elk with six or more points on one antler: $10,000
- Bull moose: $10,000
- Mountain goat: $10,000
- Bighorn sheep with at least a half-curl horn: $25,000
Those surcharges stack on top of base penalties under C.R.S. § 33-6-109. Illegally possessing elk, bear, moose, or mountain lion carries a $1,000 fine and 15 license suspension points per animal. Pronghorn and deer carry a $700 fine. Taking endangered or threatened species can bring fines of $2,000 to $100,000, up to a year in jail, and license suspension of one year to life.18Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 33-6-109 – Wildlife – Illegal Possession
Suspension points accumulate, and enough points trigger automatic suspension. Colorado participates in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which now includes all 50 states, so a suspension here follows you everywhere. Repeat offenders and commercial poachers face felony charges and potential permanent revocation. Colorado’s anonymous poaching tip line, Operation Game Thief, regularly produces prosecutions.