How Old Do You Have to Be to Hunt in Colorado?

In Colorado, how old you have to be to hunt depends on what you’re hunting. Big game — deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat — requires you to be at least 12. Small game, waterfowl, and turkey have no minimum age at all. And a child as young as 10 can start hunting any species under the state’s Apprentice Hunter Certificate, as long as a qualified adult mentor is with them.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting

Minimum Age by Species

For big game, 12 is the hard floor. No one under 12 may hunt deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat, regardless of certification or supervision. An 11-year-old can purchase or apply for a big game license if they will turn 12 before the season ends, but they cannot actually hunt until their birthday.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting

Small game, waterfowl, and turkey have no minimum age. A child of any age may hunt these species if hunter education requirements are met and a qualified mentor is present. Anyone under 18 pursuing small game needs a youth small game license.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting

Starting at Age 10 With an Apprentice Hunter Certificate

If your child wants to get into the field before finishing a full hunter education course, the Apprentice Hunter Certificate is the earliest legal entry point. It’s free, available to anyone 10 or older, and lets the holder buy licenses and hunt alongside a mentor for one year without having completed hunter education yet.2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. New to Hunting

The apprentice must be with a mentor at all times. The one-year window is firm, so plan to finish the hunter education course before the next season rolls around.3Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 33-6-107

Keep in mind the species floor still applies. An apprentice certificate does not let a 10- or 11-year-old hunt big game; it only waives the hunter education requirement for species they’re otherwise age-eligible to pursue.

Hunter Education

Colorado law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, to complete an approved hunter education course before buying a hunting license or applying for a preference point. This applies to residents and nonresidents. There is no minimum age to take the course, so a motivated child can finish it well before their first season.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Education and Outreach

The course covers firearm safety, hunting ethics, wildlife management, and Colorado regulations. Two formats are offered:

  • A traditional in-person class of at least 10 hours, sometimes split across days, costing up to $10.
  • A hybrid option: a four-hour online course at your own pace, followed by a four-to-six-hour in-person conclusion class costing up to $10.

After passing, the student receives a Hunter Education Certificate. Colorado has full reciprocity with nearly every other state, so a certificate earned elsewhere is accepted without retesting.4Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Education and Outreach

Mentor and Supervision Rules

A qualified mentor must be at least 18 and either hold a valid hunter education certificate or have been born before January 1, 1949. The mentor doesn’t have to be hunting, but must stay in voice and reasonable visual contact with the youth, without binoculars, radios, or similar aids.3Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 33-6-107

Supervision requirements by situation:

  • Small game with a youth license, under 16: mentor required at all times, plus hunter education.
  • Big game, ages 12 through 15: mentor required at all times.
  • Turkey, under 16: mentor required, plus hunter education.

There’s one exception. A youth who meets hunter education requirements can buy an adult small game license and hunt without a mentor, regardless of age.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting

On CPW-managed mentored hunt properties, only one mentor per youth may actively hunt. That mentor can carry a firearm and hunt alongside the youth only if they hold a valid license for the same season, unit, and restrictions.5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Mentored Hunts for Novice Youth

Youth License Costs

Youth licenses in Colorado are substantially cheaper than adult tags. Youths ages 12 to 17 qualify for reduced-cost big game licenses, and anyone under 18 can buy a youth small game license.1Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Youth Hunting

  • Youth small game and furbearer, under 18: $2.53 for residents and nonresidents.
  • Youth deer, elk, or pronghorn: $20.30 resident, $130.07 nonresident.
  • Youth bear: $19.93 resident, $64.10 nonresident.
  • Bighorn sheep, moose, or mountain goat: $385.66 resident, $2,823.53 nonresident. No youth discount on these species.

Preference point fees are waived for all youth applicants across every species, including moose, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep.6Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Primary Draw

Hunters 12 and older need a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to buy a license, as required by federal law.7Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Nonresidents

Extended Youth Seasons

Youth hunters ages 12 to 17 who don’t fill their tag during the regular season get a second window through Colorado’s extended youth seasons for elk, deer, and pronghorn. If you hold an unfilled limited cow or either-sex elk license after your original season ends, you can keep hunting during the extended period. Either-sex licenses must first be converted to an antlerless license through CPW’s online form or at a CPW office. Cow licenses carry over automatically.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Extended Youth Season Elk Hunts

Not every unfilled license qualifies. Over-the-counter archery tags, bull elk tags, and either-sex plains rifle elk tags are excluded. Ranching for Wildlife properties are off limits during the extended season. All regular supervision rules still apply.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Extended Youth Season Elk Hunts

A useful detail: if you were 17 when you drew your original license and turned 18 before the extended season, you can still participate under youth hunting rules for the remainder of that season.

Penalties for Age and Supervision Violations

Colorado treats these violations as misdemeanors. The dollar fines are modest, but license suspension points stack up and can cost a young hunter years of eligibility.

  • Hunting without a valid license, non-big-game: fine equal to twice the cost of the most expensive license for that species, plus 10 suspension points.
  • Hunting without a valid license, big game: twice the cost of the most expensive license, plus 15 suspension points.
  • Youth under 16 hunting without a mentor on a youth license: $50 fine and 5 suspension points.
  • Big game age or supervision violation (under 12 hunting big game, or 12 to 15 without a mentor): $50 fine and 10 suspension points.

Accumulate enough points and CPW can revoke hunting privileges for years. The violation attaches to the youth, but when a mentor allows an unsupervised hunt, both parties face scrutiny.3Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 33-6-107