Where do I buy a Colorado hunting license?

Colorado hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is Colorado hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Colorado season dates change every year. Our Colorado deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in Colorado?

Besides mule deer, white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Colorado for mule deer, elk, moose, pronghorn antelope, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in Colorado?

Good starting points include White River National Forest, Uncompahgre Plateau, San Juan National Forest. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

Colorado Hunting Guide

What to hunt in Colorado, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) links.

The nation's biggest mule deer herd, vast public land, and a preference-point draw system make Colorado a bucket-list Western hunt.

Colorado's deer country ranges from sagebrush-and-pinyon foothills around 6,000-7,000 feet to alpine basins above 10,000 feet, and mule deer migrate seasonally between them, so where you hunt in September looks very different from where the same herd sits in a November rifle season.

Agency: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)
Region: Mountain West
Deer rank: #18 of 50
Species guides: 9

Colorado hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Resident deer license	approx. $53
Nonresident limited deer license	approx. $464
Habitat Stamp (required in addition to license)	approx. $10.35
Preference point (if not drawn)	approx. $50 (nonresident)

Colorado hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	A daylight fluorescent orange hat and outer garment covering at least 500 square inches total are required during all rifle seasons statewide.
Baiting	Baiting big game, including deer, is illegal statewide in Colorado.
Crossbows	Legal during any rifle season for all hunters; legal during archery season only for hunters with a qualifying disability permit.
Sunday hunting	Allowed statewide; Colorado has no Sunday hunting restrictions.
Legal firearms	Centerfire rifles and handguns of legal caliber are permitted during rifle seasons; muzzleloader season restricts hunters to in-line or traditional muzzleloading rifles.
Carcass transport / CWD	Whole carcasses from many Western Slope units cannot be transported outside the unit; hunters must debone meat or have the head processed before moving it, per CWD carcass transport rules.
Mandatory reporting	All deer hunters must complete a harvest survey after the season, whether or not they were successful, via CPW's online system.
Hunter education	Required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1949, before purchasing a license.

Colorado deer season structure (2025-26)

Exact dates shift slightly each year and licenses are unit- and season-specific through the draw. Always confirm current dates and your drawn unit's structure on CPW's big game brochure before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Archery	Bow / crossbow	Late Aug. – late Sept.
Muzzleloader	Muzzleloader	Mid-Sept. (about 9 days)
First rifle season	Rifle	Mid-Oct. (about 5 days)
Second rifle season	Rifle	Late Oct. – early Nov. (about 9 days)
Third rifle season	Rifle	Early-to-mid Nov. (about 5 days)
Fourth rifle season	Rifle	Mid-to-late Nov. (about 5 days)

What you can hunt in Colorado

Deer — Mule deer, White-tailed deer
Very good · ranked #18 of 50 for deer.
Mule Deer
Highest mule deer population in the country; excellent public land
Access: 100% limited draw — nonresidents need 1–5+ preference points for most units
Elk
Largest elk herd on earth (~280,000); OTC archery and 2nd/3rd rifle bull tags
Access: Over-the-counter for bulls in most units; cows and premium units by draw
Moose
Small but stable Shiras and eastern herds
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime bonus-point draws with very low odds
Pronghorn Antelope
Strong eastern-plains and northwest herds
Access: Preference-point draw; buck tags in 0–4 points in many units
Black Bear
Fall bears feeding hard in oak brush and berry patches
Access: Colorado is OTC in many units; Wyoming and Utah are quota-limited
Bighorn Sheep
Strong bighorn herds and some desert units in Utah
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime with preference or bonus points; decades-long realistic waits
Mountain Goat
Transplanted, well-managed herds with limited units
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime draw with preference or bonus points
Mountain Lion
Good populations with hound hunting legal
Access: License with unit-specific quotas; check current-year harvest limits before applying

Public hunting land in Colorado

Colorado's best deer hunting sits almost entirely on public land across four national forests and vast BLM holdings on the Western Slope, though most premium units require preference points to draw.

White River National Forest
National forest · Northwest Colorado
Anchors some of the state's most storied trophy mule deer units, including the famed Piceance Basin herds nearby.
Official page
Uncompahgre Plateau
National forest / BLM · Southwest Colorado
A high-quality, high-demand mule deer plateau with a mix of national forest and BLM access; several units require multiple preference points.
Official page
San Juan National Forest
National forest · Southwest Colorado
Rugged, high-elevation terrain holding solid mule deer numbers and lighter pressure than more famous northwest units.
Official page
Grand Mesa National Forest
National forest · West-central Colorado
The world's largest flat-top mountain, mixing aspen benches and spruce timber with good mule deer habitat and easier access.
Official page
Piceance Basin BLM lands
BLM · Northwest Colorado
Sagebrush and pinyon-juniper country supporting one of the state's largest migratory mule deer herds, with heavy competition for tags.
Official page
Routt National Forest
National forest · North-central Colorado
Mountain mule deer habitat near Steamboat Springs with solid public access and moderate draw odds compared to the northwest trophy units.
Official page
Comanche National Grassland
National grassland · Southeast Colorado
Eastern Plains whitetail and mule deer habitat with more accessible over-the-counter and easier-draw options.
Official page

Official Colorado links

Last reviewed 2026-09.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a Colorado hunting license?: Colorado hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is Colorado hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Colorado season dates change every year. Our Colorado deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in Colorado?: Besides mule deer, white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Colorado for mule deer, elk, moose, pronghorn antelope, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in Colorado?: Good starting points include White River National Forest, Uncompahgre Plateau, San Juan National Forest. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.