Hunting in Colorado
Elk hunting in Colorado
Draw and over-the-counter elk licenses, 2026 seasons, bull and cow rules, legal equipment, tagging, and CWD checks.
The license path
Some elk licenses use a draw and some do not
Limited licenses
A limited hunt has a set number of licenses. The primary draw is the main path, and a qualifying license is required before applying.
Over-the-counter licenses
An OTC license skips the draw and does not use preference points. It is still limited to the units, season, method, sex, and hunter type shown in the current brochure.
The 2026 nonresident archery change
Nonresidents now use limited hunt codes for archery elk west of I-25 and in GMU 140. CPW still lists narrow OTC archery options in certain units east of I-25.
Leftover and reissued licenses
Some limited licenses that remain after the draws may be sold later as leftover or reissued licenses. Buying one does not use preference points.
2026 dates
The regular elk seasons run from September into November
Archery
The regular 2026 archery season is September 2 through 30.
Muzzleloader
The regular 2026 muzzleloader season is September 12 through 20.
Rifle
The four regular 2026 rifle seasons are October 14 through 18, October 24 through November 1, November 7 through 15, and November 18 through 22.
Read the hunt code too
Special hunts and unit tables can use different dates. The season printed on the license and its current hunt-code row is the answer for that hunt.
Bull or cow
The sex line and antler rule both matter
Antlered and antlerless
CPW defines a bull as a male with antlers at least 5 inches long. Antlerless can mean a cow or a young male with antlers shorter than 5 inches. Either-sex means a legal bull or cow.
Many units add a point rule
In many GMUs, a legal bull must have four points on one antler or a brow tine at least 5 inches long. Other units do not add that point rule beyond the basic 5-inch antler definition.
List A, B, or C
The letter beside a hunt code controls how many elk licenses one hunter may hold. A hunter may hold one List A and one List B, or two List B licenses. List C licenses can be additional.
Legal equipment
The season name changes what you may carry
Rifle
For elk, a centerfire rifle must be at least .24 caliber. The expanding bullet must weigh at least 85 grains and meet CPW's energy rule.
Muzzleloader
An elk muzzleloader must use at least a .50-caliber conical bullet or a .54-caliber round ball. During muzzleloader season, scopes, pelletized powder, sabots, smokeless powder, and attached electronic devices are not allowed.
Archery and crossbows
The ordinary archery season is for a hand-held longbow, recurve, or compound bow with at least 35 pounds of draw weight. A crossbow is not legal during an ordinary archery season unless an applicable CPW accommodation allows it.
Orange or pink
A firearm elk license requires at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink above the waist and a fluorescent orange or pink hat visible from every direction. The rule includes muzzleloader hunters and archers hunting during a rifle season.
After a shot
Tag, meat, and testing duties start in the field
Know an elk from a moose
Elk have a reddish-brown body, darker legs, a chestnut neck, a pale rump, and a slender snout. Moose are much darker, with pale lower legs, a throat bell, and a long bulb-shaped nose.
Tag the carcass
Sign, date, and detach the carcass tag immediately after taking the elk, then attach it to the carcass. Do not detach or sign it before harvest.
Keep evidence of sex attached
Evidence of sex must stay naturally attached to the carcass or a major portion. For a bull, the head or skull plate with both antlers must also travel with the carcass in camp and in transit.
Take care of the meat
At minimum, CPW treats the four quarters, tenderloins, and backstraps as edible meat that must be reasonably cared for and prepared for use.
Check the 2026 CWD list
CPW requires a CWD head sample for elk taken during rifle seasons under selected 2026 hunt codes. Not every rifle hunt code in the same GMU is selected, so match the code, not only the unit.
Take this with you
Before a Colorado elk hunt
- ✓ The sex, unit, season, method, hunter type, and hunt code match the license.
- ✓ Land permission, road access, unit boundaries, and the pack-out route are settled.
- ✓ Legal equipment, orange or pink, and any bull antler-point rule are clear.
- ✓ Tagging, evidence of sex, meat care, and the 2026 CWD check 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: Elk hunt codes, dates, OTC units, resident and nonresident paths, antler rules, and CWD testing can change each year. The current brochure, the exact hunt-code row, and the license in your hand control the hunt.
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.
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.
Coyotes and furbearers
Find the license, HIP, season, daily limit, night-hunting, trapping, and sealing rules for coyotes, bobcats, beavers, foxes, raccoons, and other furbearers.
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.