Hunting in Colorado

Black bear hunting in Colorado

Learn which bear license fits your hunt, when the 2026 seasons run, which bears are protected, what equipment is legal, and what to do after a harvest.

The license path

Colorado has three main ways to get a bear license

Limited licenses

A limited hunt has only a set number of licenses. You can apply for one in the primary draw. Some may show up later in the secondary draw, on the leftover list, or as reissued licenses.

Standalone OTC rifle licenses

A hunter who only wants to hunt bear may buy an over-the-counter rifle bear license for a hunt listed in the current brochure. These licenses are unlimited in number, but they are not statewide. The hunt code still limits the units and dates.

Add-on OTC licenses

OTC archery and muzzleloader bear licenses are add-ons only. You must already have a deer or elk license for the same method, and at least one unit must overlap. The early October rifle bear hunt in GMU 61 follows the same add-on rule.

List A, B, and C

The letter beside a bear hunt code controls how many bear licenses one hunter may hold. One List A is allowed. A hunter may instead combine one List A and one List B, or hold two List B licenses. List C licenses can be additional.

2026 dates

Bear seasons stretch from September into November

Archery and muzzleloader

The 2026 archery season runs September 2 through 30. Muzzleloader runs September 12 through 20. Each season has limited hunts and some add-on OTC licenses.

September rifle

Limited September rifle bear hunts generally run September 2 through 30. A hunt table can list a different date, so read the exact row before planning the trip.

Regular rifle seasons

The first two 2026 rifle seasons are October 14 through 18 and October 24 through November 1. The next two are November 7 through 15 and November 18 through 22.

Plains and private-land-only rifle

The 2026 Plains OTC and private-land-only OTC rifle seasons generally run September 2 through November 22. They work only in the units, land type, and dates shown in the brochure table.

Know the bear

Either sex does not mean every bear is legal

The listed hunts are either sex

All bear licenses in the 2026 tables are either sex. That means you may take a legal adult male or female. Cubs and bears with cubs are still protected.

Cubs are protected

A black bear younger than one year old cannot be killed.

A bear with cubs is protected

Do not shoot a bear accompanied by one or more cubs. Wait until you can identify the whole group and know the adult is alone.

Dens are off limits

Do not hunt, take, or bother a bear inside its den.

Legal equipment

The season decides which weapon rules apply

Archery season

Only a legal hand-held bow may be used in an archery bear season. The bow needs at least 35 pounds of draw weight and an arrow with a broadhead at least 7/8 inch wide. Crossbows are not legal in an archery season.

Muzzleloader season

A bear muzzleloader must use a .40-caliber or larger conical bullet, or a .50-caliber or larger round ball. Use open or iron sights during muzzleloader season. Do not use a scope, pelletized powder, a sabot, or smokeless powder.

Rifle season

For a centerfire rifle, use at least .24 caliber. The bullet must expand, weigh at least 70 grains, and meet CPW's energy rule. During a rifle bear season, you may instead use a legal shotgun slug, handgun, muzzleloader, hand-held bow, or crossbow.

Orange or pink

If you hunt bear with a firearm or muzzleloader, wear at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink above your waist. You also need a matching hat that can be seen from every direction. This rule does not apply to an archery bear license. CPW still recommends bright clothing when seasons overlap.

Methods to leave at home

Bait, dogs, and electronic help can cross the line

No bait

Hunting bear over bait is illegal even if someone else placed it. Bait includes food, grain, animal parts, salt, or minerals placed to attract big game. Salt or mineral blocks used for normal farming are not treated as bait.

Food-scent sticks count too

A scent stick that smells like food is illegal for bear hunting. A product sold as a scent does not get around the food-smell rule.

No dogs

Dogs cannot be used to hunt a black bear. Colorado's permit for using a leashed dog to recover wounded big game also excludes black bears.

No electronic calls or scouting shortcuts

Hand and mouth calls are legal. Electronic calls are not. Do not use artificial light or a drone to find a bear. You also may not use a live camera feed to find wildlife for a hunt that day or the next day.

Land and timing

A bear license does not create access

Get private-land permission

Private land does not need a fence or sign. Get permission before you enter. You also need permission before you follow a wounded or harvested bear onto private land.

Match the unit and parcel

Check the exact GMU boundary and who owns the ground. A private-land-only license works only on private land. An OTC license works only in the units printed for its hunt code.

Check roads and land orders

A hunting license does not open a closed road. It also does not cancel a fire order, seasonal closure, wildlife area rule, or federal land rule. Check with the land manager just before your trip.

Legal hours

Big-game hunting hours run from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Use the sunrise and sunset time for the hunting location.

After a harvest

The tag, evidence, and inspection all start in the field

Validate the carcass tag

Immediately after taking the bear, sign, date, and detach the carcass tag. Attach it to the carcass before transport and keep it with the meat as the brochure directs.

Keep evidence of sex attached

For a male bear, keep the testicles or penis naturally attached to the carcass. For a female, keep the vulva attached. A detached head by itself is not legal evidence of sex.

Arrange the mandatory inspection

The hunter must personally present the head and hide to CPW within five working days. Bring both unfrozen so CPW can inspect the bear, take a premolar tooth, and seal the hide.

Do not leave Colorado first

The bear cannot be taken out of Colorado until the head and hide have been inspected and sealed. The seal stays attached to the hide until it is tanned.

Bring out the edible meat

The meat does not go to the inspection, but it must be prepared for people to eat. At minimum, Colorado treats the four quarters, tenderloins, and backstraps as edible meat. Taking only the head or hide is not enough.

Take this with you

Before and after a Colorado bear hunt

✓ The hunt code, units, dates, method, land type, and List A, B, or C limit all match.
✓ Any add-on bear license matches a deer or elk license by method and overlapping unit.
✓ The cub, family-group, den, equipment, clothing, bait, dog, and access rules are clear.
✓ The tag, evidence of sex, meat care, and five-working-day inspection plan are ready.

Official sources and review

Check the current rule before you act

These links go to the agencies that control this part of the trip. Use the exact page, license, listing, map, order, or confirmation for your situation.

Reviewed: July 2026 CPW — Hunting Black Bear CPW — Bear in the Field CPW — 2026 Big Game Brochure CPW — Over-the-Counter (OTC) Licenses CPW — Where to Hunt & Hunting Atlas

Use this carefully: Bear hunt codes, dates, license lists, OTC units, and land limits can change. Add-on combinations and inspection steps can change too. Check the current Big Game brochure, your exact license, the unit map, and CPW's inspection instructions.

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