The CPW secondary draw is Colorado’s second-chance random drawing for elk, deer, pronghorn, and bear licenses that went unawarded in the primary draw. For 2026, applications open June 18 and close June 30 at 8:00 p.m. MDT, and results are posted July 7.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw Preference points play no role, so every applicant has the same odds regardless of how many points they’ve banked.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW Preference Points Presentation
Key Dates for 2026
- Application window: June 18 – June 30, 2026 (closes 8:00 p.m. MDT)
- Results posted: July 7, 2026
- Surrender deadline for drawn licenses: July 9, 2026, 11:59 p.m. MT
- Leftover license sale opens: August 4, 2026, 9:00 a.m. MDT
Who Can Apply
Residents and nonresidents are both eligible, and you can apply whether or not you participated in the primary draw. Even hunters who already drew a primary license can submit a secondary application, but the List system caps how many licenses of the same type you can hold for a species. If you drew a List A license in the primary round, you can still draw a List B or List C license for that species in the secondary, but not a second List A.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw
Youth hunters ages 12 through 17 get absolute priority. CPW processes every youth application before touching any adult entry, which is a real advantage on sought-after hunt codes.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw Group applications aren’t allowed in the secondary. Everyone applies individually.
Preference Points Don’t Count
Points are neither used nor awarded in the secondary draw.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw A decade of elk points won’t help you here, and an unsuccessful application won’t earn you a new one. The draw is purely random, which is part of what makes it attractive to newer hunters without a point balance. Your accumulated points stay in your account for the next primary cycle.
What You Need Before You Apply
A Qualifying License
You can’t submit a secondary application without a current-year qualifying license already linked to your CPW account. It has to be added to your cart before the draw application at checkout, though both can be purchased in the same transaction.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw Any of these works:
- Annual Small Game License (valid for primary and secondary)
- Annual Spring Turkey License (valid for primary and secondary)
- Annual Fall Turkey License (secondary only)
- Resident Combination Small Game/Fishing License (primary and secondary, residents only)
The fall turkey license is easy to miss because it doesn’t qualify for the primary. If you weren’t in the primary and need to get eligible fast, it’s a low-cost option.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Qualifying License
Hunter Education
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, must have a hunter education certificate before buying a hunting license.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Education and Outreach If you haven’t finished the course, an Apprentice Hunter Certificate offers a one-year waiver for hunters at least 10 years old, usable twice in a lifetime, with a certified mentor physically present in the field.5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. New to Hunting
Habitat Stamp
You also need a current Habitat Stamp, $12.47, valid March 1 through the following March 31. If you already bought one with a fishing or hunting license earlier in the year, you’re covered.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp
Filling Out the Application
Applications go through CPWShop.com. Have your Customer Identification Number (CID) ready. If you don’t know it, retrieve it by calling CPW at 303-297-1192 during business hours or Aspira at 1-800-244-5613 around the clock.
You can list up to four hunt code choices per application and submit one application per species.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw Hunt codes come from the published leftover list, which spells out species, sex, weapon type, and game management unit for each available license. Review it carefully before the window opens so you know what you’re ranking.
Watch for private-land codes. Any hunt code with a “P” in the second-to-last position is valid only on private land, which means you need landowner permission for that license to do you any good.7Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Leftover (Remaining) and Reissued Licenses The Colorado Hunting Atlas is CPW’s free mapping tool for checking land ownership and public access within a unit.8Colorado Hunting Atlas. Colorado Hunting Atlas
What It Costs
A non-refundable application processing fee is charged per species when you submit, and it applies the same to residents and nonresidents.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw If you draw, your card on file is charged the full license price:
- Elk, resident adult: $67.86
- Deer, resident adult: $49.15
- Pronghorn, resident adult: $49.15
- Resident youth, any big game: $18.90
- Elk, nonresident: $845.16
- Deer, nonresident: $506.92
- Pronghorn, nonresident: $506.92
- Nonresident youth, any big game: $130.07
Confirm the card on your CPW account is valid and funded. If payment fails after you draw, you forfeit the license and could face restrictions on future draws.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw
Results, Surrender, and Refunds
Results post on July 7, 2026. Log into CPWShop.com and open the My Requests tab to see whether you drew. Successful applicants will find the license fee already charged.9Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Big Game
If plans change, the surrender deadline for secondary draw licenses is July 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. MT. When you surrender, you pick one: a monetary refund or restoration of preference points. CPW will not grant both.10Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunting License Refunds, Reversals and Exchanges
For point restoration specifically, the license must be turned in or postmarked at least 30 days before the season opens. Point restoration isn’t available on exchanged licenses or licenses that cost less than $15.00, though youth licenses are exempt from that minimum.10Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunting License Refunds, Reversals and Exchanges
If You Don’t Draw: Leftover Licenses
Licenses unawarded after the secondary draw move to the leftover list and go on sale August 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. MDT.7Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Leftover (Remaining) and Reissued Licenses Leftover sales are first-come, first-served, available online at CPWShop.com, by phone at 1-800-244-5613, or through sales agents. Popular units sell out in minutes, so have your qualifying license, Habitat Stamp, and payment method set before the sale opens.
Ranching for Wildlife licenses are the exception. Those are not placed on the leftover list even if they go unissued after the secondary draw.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Secondary Draw