Hunting in Colorado
Pronghorn hunting in Colorado
Draw and OTC archery licenses, 2026 dates, private-land-only tags, buck and doe rules, legal equipment, tagging, and access.
The license path
Archery has a draw path and an OTC path
Muzzleloader and rifle
Every 2026 muzzleloader and rifle pronghorn license is limited. Hunters apply through the draw, though remaining or returned licenses may later appear as leftover or reissued licenses.
Limited archery
The archery tables also offer limited buck, doe, and either-sex hunts for particular units. The hunt code controls the legal sex and ground.
OTC archery
The unlimited OTC archery license skips the draw, but it works only in the units on the current map. The 2026 brochure lists hunt code A-E-000-U1-A and marks it for license agents only.
Preference points
A hunter may submit one pronghorn application per draw. Preference points are earned and used only in the primary draw, not the secondary draw.
2026 dates
The OTC archery tag changes halfway through its season
Archery
The regular 2026 archery season is August 15 through September 20. Limited hunt-code tables can narrow the sex or unit.
The OTC sex change
The OTC archery license is buck-only from August 15 through 31. If it remains unfilled, the hunter may take either sex from September 1 through 20.
Muzzleloader
The regular 2026 muzzleloader season is September 21 through 29.
Rifle
The regular 2026 rifle season is October 3 through 11. Some hunt-code rows have early, second, late, or private-land dates instead.
Buck or doe
Colorado uses horn length and cheek color
Legal buck
CPW defines a buck as a male with horns at least 5 inches long from skull to tip, not counting a prong or point between the base and tip. Bucks have a black cheek patch.
The doe category
A female has horns under 5 inches and no black cheek patch. CPW also places young bucks with horns under 5 inches, and fawns of either sex, in the doe category.
Either sex
An either-sex license covers an animal that meets CPW's legal buck or doe definition during the dates when either sex is open.
Use the whole animal
Check horn length, cheek color, body size, and the sex line on the license. If the animal is not clearly legal for that date and tag, do not shoot.
Private ground
Private-land-only means permission comes before the application
Look for the P code
A private-land-only hunt has a P in the second-to-last block of its hunt code. It is valid only on private land in the GMUs listed for that license.
Permission first
CPW requires landowner permission before applying for a private-land-only license. Drawing the license does not create permission or a route across another property.
The public-land label
A CPW public-land limited license can also be valid on private land and most federal land in its listed units. The name describes the license type, not a right to enter private property.
Plains access
The 2026 brochure warns that most land is private in many pronghorn areas east of I-25. Settle the parcel, permission, road, and boundary before applying.
Legal equipment
The season decides which tool is legal
Rifle
A centerfire rifle must be at least .24 caliber. It must use an expanding bullet of at least 70 grains and meet CPW's 100-yard energy rule.
Muzzleloader
A pronghorn muzzleloader must use at least a .40-caliber conical bullet or a .50-caliber round ball. Scopes, pelletized powder, sabots, smokeless powder, and attached electronics are not allowed during muzzleloader season.
Archery and crossbows
The regular archery season requires a hand-held bow with at least 35 pounds of draw weight and a legal broadhead. Crossbows are not legal in archery season, but can be used during a rifle season.
Orange or pink
A firearm pronghorn license requires at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink above the waist and a matching hat visible from every direction. Muzzleloader hunters are included.
After a shot
Tagging and evidence duties begin at the animal
Validate the tag
Sign and detach the carcass tag immediately after harvest, then notch the date and sex. Attach it to the carcass before vehicle transport or while the animal is in camp or storage.
Keep evidence of sex attached
For a buck, keep the head with horns or the required male evidence naturally attached. For a doe, keep the head, udder, or vulva naturally attached as the brochure directs.
Care for the meat
The four quarters, tenderloins, and backstraps are edible meat. Plan the cooling and transport before the shot and prepare the meat for human use.
Collars and ear tags
If the pronghorn has a collar or ear tag, record its number and color plus the harvest place and date, then report it and return the collar to CPW.
Take this with you
Before a Colorado pronghorn hunt
- ✓ The hunt code, unit, sex, dates, method, and land type match the license.
- ✓ Private-land permission and the legal route are settled before applying or entering.
- ✓ Buck and doe identification, equipment, and orange-or-pink rules are clear.
- ✓ Tagging, evidence of sex, meat care, and any collar report 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: Pronghorn hunt codes, dates, units, legal sex, OTC maps, private-land hunts, and sale methods can change each year. The current brochure, exact hunt-code row, and 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.
Elk hunting
Draw and over-the-counter elk licenses, 2026 seasons, bull and cow rules, legal equipment, tagging, and CWD checks.
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.