Hunting in Colorado
Turkey hunting in Colorado
Spring, fall, and late turkey seasons, draw and OTC licenses, legal birds, equipment, access, calls, tagging, and the rules that change by unit.
The license path
A turkey needs its own license
A small-game license is not enough
Colorado requires a turkey license to take a wild turkey. A small-game license does not cover turkey.
Limited spring and fall licenses
Limited licenses have a set quota and use separate spring and fall draws. A leftover or reissued license may become available after a draw, but it still carries the unit, dates, and land limits printed on it.
Spring and fall OTC licenses
CPW also sells over-the-counter licenses for listed spring and fall units. OTC means no draw, not statewide access. The current brochure map controls where the license works.
Late private-land licenses
The late license is OTC, beardless, and valid only on private land in units 112 and 113 for 2026. A hunter may buy up to two, but CPW says to get landowner permission before buying.
2026 seasons
The legal bird changes with the season
Spring
The regular 2026 spring season runs April 11 through May 31. The limit is two bearded turkeys, but one must be taken with a limited license and the other with an OTC license.
Fall
The fall limit is one turkey of either sex. The 2026 OTC season runs September 1 through October 4 west of I-25 and in GMU 140, and through October 23 east of I-25 except GMU 140.
Late season
The 2026 late season runs December 15 through January 15, 2027. It is for beardless turkeys on private land only in units 112 and 113, with a limit of two.
Legal hours
Turkey hunting hours run from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Use the time for the hunting location, not a general Denver time if you are elsewhere in the state.
Legal equipment
Spring and fall do not allow the same methods
Shotguns
A shotgun may be no larger than 10 gauge and may hold no more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use shot size #2 or smaller. Slugs are not legal for turkey.
Bows and crossbows
Hand-held bows and crossbows are legal turkey methods. The license, season, and property can still add limits that need a final check.
Rifles, handguns, and air guns
Rifles and handguns are not legal in spring. In fall and late seasons, CPW allows qualifying muzzleloading, centerfire, and rimfire firearms. Precharged pneumatic air guns must be .25 caliber or larger and are also limited to fall and late seasons.
Calls, decoys, and bait
Manual calls and artificial decoys are legal. Recorded or electronically amplified calls are illegal. Baiting turkey is illegal, though hunting over standing crops or feed scattered only for farming is allowed.
Before buying
Settle education, unit, and access first
Hunter education
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, needs an accepted hunter education record to buy or apply for a license. Carry the card unless CPW has verified it and the license shows a V.
Habitat Stamp
Most hunters age 18 through 64 need a current Habitat Stamp before buying a turkey license. One stamp covers the license year.
Youth hunters
A hunter under 16 using a youth turkey license must hunt with a mentor age 18 or older. They must be able to see and hear each other without radios, binoculars, or other aids.
The property can add another step
A valid license does not create access. Get permission before entering private land, and check the property page for reservations or special rules on a State Wildlife Area or other managed land.
A Colorado quirk
Read the bird rule, not just a familiar nickname
Spring says bearded
The spring limit is written for bearded turkeys. Confirm the beard before the shot instead of treating the season as a general male-bird rule.
Fall says either sex
A fall license can cover a bearded or beardless turkey, but only in the unit and dates printed on that license.
Late says beardless
The late license is the opposite of the spring rule. It covers a beardless turkey and only the private land and units listed for that license.
One license does not follow you everywhere
OTC maps include unit closures, property exceptions, and places where the license works only on private land. Match the exact parcel to the current map before hunting.
After a harvest
Tag the turkey before moving on
Validate the tag immediately
After taking a turkey, immediately detach, sign, and date the carcass tag and attach it to the bird.
Keep the tag with the bird
The tag must remain attached while the carcass is transported, kept in camp, stored, or otherwise in your possession.
Keep the spring beard attached
A turkey taken in spring must keep its beard naturally attached while it is being transported.
Care for the meat
Colorado requires hunters to reasonably dress, care for, and prepare edible wildlife meat for human use. Plan cooling and transport before the hunt.
Take this with you
Before a Colorado turkey hunt
- ✓ The license, legal bird, unit, dates, method, and land type all match.
- ✓ Hunter education, Habitat Stamp, permission, and any property reservation are settled.
- ✓ Shotgun capacity, shot size, calls, decoys, bait, and legal hours are clear.
- ✓ The carcass tag, spring beard, meat care, and transport 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.
Use this carefully: Turkey dates, hunt codes, quotas, OTC maps, private-land units, sale methods, and property rules can change. The current Turkey Brochure, exact license, unit map, and property rules 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.
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.
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.