Hunting in Colorado
Coyote and furbearer hunting in Colorado
Find the license, HIP, season, daily limit, night-hunting, trapping, and sealing rules for coyotes, bobcats, beavers, foxes, raccoons, and other furbearers.
License and HIP
Coyote has the simpler license path
A small-game license covers coyote
A current small-game license authorizes coyote hunting. A furbearer license also works. Complete the annual HIP registration before the first coyote hunt and carry proof.
Coyote does not need the added permit
You do not need the annual furbearer harvest permit for coyote. That exception is useful, but it does not remove the hunting license or HIP requirement.
Other furbearers use one of two paths
For bobcat, beaver, fox, raccoon, and the other listed furbearers, carry either a furbearer license or a small-game or small-game-and-fishing license plus the annual furbearer harvest permit.
Furbearer-only hunters can skip HIP
If you hunt only furbearers other than coyote and do not hunt small game or waterfowl, CPW says HIP is not required. A youth small-game license authorizes both small game and furbearers.
Rule change
The new daily limit starts September 1, 2026
The older rule lasts through August 31
Through August 31, 2026, the earlier unlimited bag-and-possession rule remains in force. Do not apply the new daily limit early.
The new limit is two of each species
Beginning September 1, the daily limit is two coyotes, two bobcats, two beavers, and two of each other furbearer species. It is not two furbearers total. Possession remains unlimited.
Coyote stays open all year
The statewide coyote season runs January 1 through December 31. The new two-coyote daily limit starts September 1, 2026, in the middle of that year-round season.
The other statewide seasons are shorter
Most listed furbearers run November 1 through the end of February. Bobcat runs December 1 through the end of February. The 2026-27 beaver season runs October 1 through March 31.
What counts as a furbearer
The category is broader than coyotes and bobcats
Colorado lists 17 furbearer species
The list includes coyote, bobcat, beaver, badger, raccoon, opossum, mink, pine marten, muskrat, ring-tailed cat, three foxes, two skunks, and two weasels.
The exact species controls the season
A year-round coyote date does not carry over to fox, raccoon, bobcat, or beaver. Identify the animal and use that species entry before planning the hunt.
Contests are prohibited
Colorado prohibits competitive events that award money or other valuable prizes for taking furbearers. An ordinary personal hunt is a different activity.
Calls, bait, and equipment
Electronic calls are legal, but the method still has limits
Several ordinary methods are legal
CPW allows rifles, handguns, shotguns, hand-held bows, crossbows, and air guns. For coyote or bobcat, an air gun must be a precharged pneumatic model of .25 caliber or larger.
Electronic calls are allowed
Recorded or electronically amplified calls may be used for furbearers. That is different from many Colorado small-game and bird hunts.
Furbearer bait has a narrow definition
Bait must be plant or animal material and cannot contain metal, glass, porcelain, plastic, cardboard, or paper. Wildlife bait is limited to the legal sources named in Chapter W-3.
A rifle limit appears during big-game seasons
During regular rifle deer and elk seasons west of I-25, a centerfire rifle larger than .23 caliber is not legal for furbearers unless you hold an unfilled deer or elk license for that season. The small-game license is still required.
Hours and artificial light
Night hunting is legal only through a specific path
Ordinary hours extend past sunset
Furbearer hunting normally runs from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Trapping may occur day or night.
Private-land night hunting needs writing
At night, artificial light may be used for beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, raccoon, red fox, striped skunk, and swift fox on private land with written permission from the person authorized to give it.
Public-land night hunting needs a CPW permit
The permit is limited to a species, place, and time. It is not valid around specified big-game seasons and opening weekends, and the light cannot be attached to or projected from inside a vehicle.
Local safety rules still apply
The wildlife rule does not override local firearm, discharge, trespass, or public-safety rules. Public-land night permits also bar taking within 500 yards of a building, dwelling, other structure, or unsafe public gathering.
Live trapping
Colorado limits recreational furbearer traps to cages or boxes
Use a cage or box trap
The ordinary live-trap method in Chapter W-3 is limited to cage or box traps. Public-land traps must show the trapper's CID, or the trapper's name if there is no CID.
Check every trap in person each day
Every live trap must be visually checked on site at least daily. In the Canada lynx recovery area or on land known to have lynx, the check must occur every 24 hours.
Do not move a captured furbearer
A furbearer caught in a live trap must be killed legally or released at the capture site when the trap is checked. It cannot be moved to another location.
A wrong animal starts a reporting rule
Release an accidentally captured live animal immediately when the season is closed or trapping is not legal for that species. Deliver an accidental mortality to CPW within five days. Canada lynx have faster, separate reporting rules.
Bobcat and beaver
Two pelts need a CPW seal
Bobcat sealing is already required
The hunter must personally present the bobcat or pelt to CPW within 30 days after take or within five days after the season closes, whichever comes first.
Beaver sealing begins with the new season
For a beaver taken in Colorado by an avocational sportsperson after October 1, 2026, personally present the pelt or hide within 30 days after take or within five days after the season ends, whichever comes first.
Keep the seal on until processing
An unprocessed bobcat or beaver pelt cannot leave Colorado before inspection and sealing. The seal stays attached until the pelt or hide is processed.
Some property-damage beavers are excepted
The new beaver sealing rule does not cover the specific agricultural or nuisance removals named in the regulation. CPW may still seal those pelts on request.
Property damage
Nuisance authority is separate from an ordinary hunt
The exception starts with actual damage
A landowner, employee, or agent may have separate authority when listed wildlife is damaging crops, livestock, or real or personal property on land the person owns or leases. A permit may still be required.
Local law can be more restrictive
A state wildlife exception does not settle city, county, HOA, firearm, or discharge rules. Follow the more restrictive rule at the exact property.
Bobcat sealing still follows the animal
A bobcat taken under the property-damage authority still must be personally presented for inspection and sealing. Do not treat the nuisance path as a waiver of every wildlife rule.
Take this with you
Before a Colorado coyote or furbearer hunt
- ✓ The license, HIP registration, and any annual furbearer harvest permit match the exact species.
- ✓ The hunt date matches the species season and the September 1, 2026 daily-limit transition.
- ✓ The land permission, artificial-light authority, local discharge rules, and big-game-season rifle limit are settled.
- ✓ Any trap checks, lynx precautions, accidental-capture duties, and bobcat or beaver sealing deadline are planned.
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.
Use this carefully: The daily-limit and beaver changes adopted July 16 do not take effect until September 1, 2026. Seasons, methods, night permits, property rules, and sealing duties can change. Check the current Chapter W-3, your license, and the exact land rules before hunting or trapping.
Keep going
More about hunting in Colorado
Deer hunting
Mule deer, white-tailed deer, license paths, hunt codes, and the field rules that are easy to miss.
Elk hunting
Draw and over-the-counter elk licenses, 2026 seasons, bull and cow rules, legal equipment, tagging, and CWD checks.
Pronghorn hunting
Draw and OTC archery licenses, 2026 dates, private-land-only tags, buck and doe rules, legal equipment, tagging, and access.
Moose hunting
The primary draw, the one-bull lifetime limit, and the reporting and inspection steps after the hunt.
Turkey hunting
Spring, fall, and late turkey seasons, draw and OTC licenses, legal birds, equipment, access, calls, tagging, and the rules that change by unit.
Black bear hunting
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.
Small game and upland birds
See what a Colorado small-game license covers, the 2026 seasons and limits for common animals and birds, the extra permits some birds need, and the field rules that are easy to miss.
Ducks and geese
Check the license and stamps, find the right 2026-27 season zone, understand the duck and goose limits, and avoid the field rules that cause trouble.
Licenses and the draw
How to start with hunter education, choose the right Colorado hunting license, and tell whether a hunt uses the draw or another license path.
Seasons and species
How Colorado hunting seasons fit together, why the exact species and game unit matter, and where to confirm the current dates and hunt code.
Where to hunt
How to use the CPW Hunting Atlas, tell who manages the land, and check access before entering public, private, or enrolled land.
Field rules and safety
The field checks to make before a Colorado hunt, including legal equipment, tagging, access, weather, meat care, and species-specific rules.