State: Colorado

Colorado Info provided by Oak

Colorado Overview

Colorado Drawing Odds

Colorado offers non-resident hunting opportunities for elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, pronghorn, moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat, black bear, mountain lion, and turkey.  Most species have a multitude of seasons and hunting units to choose from.  The following is general information about available opportunities and how tags are allocated.

Tag applications: Annual regulations are generally available on the Colorado Division of Wildlife webpage by mid-February.  Applications for limited tags must be postmarked by the first Tuesday of April.  Hunters born after January 1, 1949 must have successfully completed an approved hunter education course prior to applying for a tag. Limited tags for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, black bear and turkey are awarded in a strict preference point system.  A point is awarded each time a hunter is unsuccessful in the draw, and tags are issued to those with the most points.  A hunter may indicate up to four hunt choices on their applications, but only the first choice will be considered in the first round of the draw.  If tags are still available after first choices have been filled, then a hunter may be awarded his second choice.  Preference points are only considered for first choice selections, and are not lost if a hunter receives a second through fourth choice tags. Youth tags are available for those 12-17 years old at a reduced price.  Youth hunters must be accompanied in the field by a mentor, 18 or older, who has met the hunter education requirements.  Up to 15% of limited doe pronghorn, doe and either-sex deer, and cow elk licenses for each unit during regular rifle seasons are available to youth through the limited license drawing. Tags leftover after the initial draw go on sale over the counter in early August.   These tags are available at all license agents throughout the state, but are only available over the phone after the first day of sales. Non-resident big game tag fees are adjusted annually according to the Consumer Price Index.  In addition to a valid hunting tag, hunters must purchase a $5 habitat stamp for each of the first two tags they purchase.

2009 tag prices:

Elk: Colorado elk seasons include a 30-day archery season and a 9-day muzzleloader season, as well as four separate rifle seasons from 5 to 9 days long.  Hunters must choose a weapon and season to hunt.  Muzzleloader tags and some archery and rifle tags are by draw only.  Many units have over the counter bull tags during the second and third rifle seasons.

Mule deer: All mule deer tags in Colorado are limited, and issued by draw only.  The archery and muzzleloader seasons run concurrently with the elk seasons.  Rifle tags are available during the second, third and fourth elk seasons, which range from five to nine days long.

Whitetail deer: Whitetails occur primarily in the eastern half of the state, which is largely private property.  Deer tags in the state are valid for both mule deer and whitetails, except for a handful of units which have whitetail-only tags.

Pronghorn: Most pronghorn hunting opportunities occur on private property in the eastern portion of the state.  Units with good public access in northwest and south central Colorado generally tag many preference points to draw.  Rifle season dates vary in some units, but generally run for 7 days, beginning the first Saturday in October.  Archery licenses are available over the counter in some units, but these are generally in areas with little public access.

Moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat: Non-resident opportunities are very limited for these three species.  Colorado uses a modified preference point system which awards a maximum of three preference points.  Beginning with the fourth year of application, unsuccessful applicants are awarded “weighted” points, which increase the odds of drawing a tag.  Once an applicant has gained the maximum of three preference points, he has a chance to draw a tag.

Black bear: Colorado does not offer a spring bear season, and baiting is not allowed at any time.  Bear licenses are available over the counter with a cap for most units during the four elk rifle seasons, to those people who also hold a valid deer or elk license for that unit.  These licenses go on sale around the first Tuesday in July, and often sell out for certain units within a matter of hours.  In addition limited licenses are available through the drawing for a month-long season in September.

Mountain lion: Tags are issued over the counter and harvest is controlled by a quota system.  The season begins the day after the last combined deer and elk season and continues through March 31.  Hunters must pass an on-line mountain lion hunting course prior to purchasing a license.  Hunters are required to call the CDOW hotline after 5pm daily to make sure the quota has not been filled in the unit they wish to hunt the following day.  It is legal to hunt with up to eight dogs in a pack.

Turkey: Both Rio Grande and Merriam’s turkeys occur in Colorado, with Interstate 25 generally separating the western Merriam’s and eastern Rio Grande’s.  Both limited licenses, which are valid only in specific units, and unlimited over the counter licenses, valid on unlimited units only, are available to hunters.  Colorado has both a spring season and a fall season for turkeys.  The application deadline for limited spring licenses normally falls on the second Thursday of February, while the fall deadline is generally the second Thursday in July.

2009 season dates:

Important Web Links:

Colorado Division of Wildlife:

Weather:

• Weather Underground for Colorado
• National Weather Service

Colorado Highway Conditions:

1. BLM

• Colorado BLM Overview
• Colorado BLM Maps (Hint: Order maps directly from BLM, rather than the Public Lands Information Center.  They are much cheaper, and no shipping is charged.)
• Colorado Game Management Unit (GMU) map index:

2. USFS Forests - Links to each National Forest:

• Arapaho National Forest
• Comanche National Grassland
• Grand Mesa National Forest
• Gunnison National Forest
• Pawnee National Grassland
• Pike National Forest
• Rio Grande National Forest
• Roosevelt National Forest
• Routt National Forest
• San Isabel National Forest
• San Juan National Forest
• Uncompahgre National Forest
• White River National Forest

National Forest Map Link

3. State Trust Lands:

• Overview
• Regulations Brochure
• Maps

4. State Wildlife Areas Overview:

5. Natural Diversity Information Source Interactive Maps of summer range, winter range, migration routes, etc., for big game species: