A Colorado small game license costs $35.76 for residents and $98.92 for nonresidents, and it covers upland game birds, rabbits and hares, squirrels, marmot, prairie dogs, ground squirrel, prairie rattlesnake, snapping turtle, and coyote.1eRegulations. Colorado Hunting Licenses and Fees Most hunters will also pay a $12.47 Habitat Stamp, and a few species and activities require extra permits or stamps on top of the base license.
What the License Covers
The small game license authorizes three groups of species.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – Section 300 Definitions
- Game birds: dusky grouse, greater sage-grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse, mountain sharp-tailed grouse, white-tailed ptarmigan, northern bobwhite, scaled quail, Gambel’s quail, pheasant, chukar partridge, and greater prairie-chicken.
- Game mammals: cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, white-tailed jackrabbit, black-tailed jackrabbit, fox squirrel, pine squirrel, Abert’s squirrel, and marmot.
- Other small game: black-tailed, white-tailed, and Gunnison’s prairie dogs; Wyoming (Richardson’s) ground squirrel; prairie rattlesnake; and common snapping turtle.
Coyotes can be hunted under the small game license as well, so if you already hold one, you are covered for coyote.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
Three birds require a separate $5 permit on top of the small game license: white-tailed ptarmigan, greater sage-grouse, and mountain sharp-tailed grouse.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
What the License Does Not Cover
Big game species, including deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bear, and mountain lion, all require their own licenses. Wild turkey is defined as small game in the regulations but cannot be hunted on a small game license; turkey has its own separate license.4Colorado Secretary of State. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – License Requirements
Migratory birds, including doves and waterfowl, do start with a small game license, but waterfowl hunters need additional stamps covered below.
Full Cost With Required Add-Ons
- Annual small game license: $35.76 resident, $98.92 nonresident.1eRegulations. Colorado Hunting Licenses and Fees
- Habitat Stamp: $12.47, required for hunters aged 18 through 64 and automatically added to your first license purchase of the year.5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp
- Species permits for sage-grouse, ptarmigan, or sharp-tailed grouse: $5 each.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
- Colorado Waterfowl Stamp: $12.76 for the 2026 season, if hunting waterfowl.6Colorado Secretary of State. General Provisions – Fee Schedule 2026
- Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp): $25, required for waterfowl hunters aged 16 and older.6Colorado Secretary of State. General Provisions – Fee Schedule 2026
If you buy one-day or additional-day small game licenses, you are exempt from the Habitat Stamp on the first two of those purchases in a given year. The stamp applies starting with the third one-day license.5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp
Before You Hunt
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, must complete an approved hunter education course before buying any Colorado hunting license.7Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunting Colorado generally honors hunter education certificates from other states; confirm acceptance before you buy if you were certified elsewhere.
Hunters under 16 holding a youth small game license must be accompanied at all times by someone at least 18 years old, and the accompanying adult must also meet hunter education requirements.8Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-4-117 Youth and Mentor Hunting Programs
You also need to register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) before heading out. HIP registration is required for anyone hunting small game, migratory birds, or coyotes, as well as for falconers. It is free, takes a few minutes, and must be renewed every year.9Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Harvest Information Program
Legal Methods of Take
The rules differ between mammals and birds. For game mammals, you can use rifles, handguns, shotguns up to 10 gauge with a three-shell maximum, handheld bows, crossbows, air guns, slingshots, or falconry.10Legal Information Institute. 2 CCR 406-3-303 Manner of Take
Game birds are more restricted. Shotguns are the primary firearm and cannot hold more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined.11Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – Section 303 Manner of Take Rifles and handguns are allowed only for dusky grouse, ptarmigan, and turkey during fall and late seasons. Air guns and slingshots are limited to dusky grouse and ptarmigan. Handheld bows, crossbows, and falconry are permitted for all game birds.10Legal Information Institute. 2 CCR 406-3-303 Manner of Take
Waterfowl and Migratory Birds
For doves, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds, the small game license is only the starting point. Waterfowl hunters 16 and older must also carry the federal Duck Stamp and the Colorado Waterfowl Stamp.
Federal baiting rules apply as well. You cannot hunt waterfowl over a baited area, and an area remains off-limits for ten days after bait has been completely removed. Hunting over standing crops that have been mowed, disced, or otherwise manipulated without first being harvested is also illegal. The exception is for areas where crops were planted, harvested, and handled through normal agricultural practices.12U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting Baiting violations are federal offenses.
Penalties to Avoid
Colorado uses a point-based suspension system for wildlife violations, and the points stack across offenses in a single outing. Firing a gun or releasing an arrow from a motor vehicle with intent to take wildlife is a misdemeanor carrying a $200 fine and ten license suspension points. Using aircraft to spot wildlife and relay its location to someone on the ground is a $2,000 fine and fifteen points, and the person on the ground who receives the communication and hunts that same day or the next is equally liable.13Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-124 Use of a Motor Vehicle or Aircraft
Colorado also requires you to field-dress and preserve the edible portions of all game wildlife for human consumption. For small game, failing to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine and ten suspension points. Check current CPW guidance on which species carry a consumption requirement, since hunters occasionally trip up on species like prairie dogs or rattlesnakes.14Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-119 Pursuit of Wounded Game – Waste of Edible Game Wildlife
A Colorado suspension can follow you out of state. Colorado belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which now includes all 50 states, and member states can refuse to sell a license to anyone whose privileges are suspended in another member state. Trespassing while hunting carries fines and additional suspension points on top of the underlying offense, so secure explicit landowner permission before hunting on private ground.13Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-124 Use of a Motor Vehicle or Aircraft