Hunting in Colorado
Duck and goose hunting in Colorado
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.
License and stamps
The license is only the first item
Buy a current small-game license
Colorado uses the small-game license for ducks and geese. Register with HIP for the current season before the first hunt and carry proof of the registration.
Age 16 adds two waterfowl stamps
A hunter age 16 or older needs the Colorado waterfowl stamp and the federal duck stamp. The state stamp prints on the hunting license and is validated by signing the license in ink.
A federal E-Stamp works all season
A signed physical federal stamp or valid electronic federal stamp works. An authorized E-Stamp is valid from purchase through the following June 30. A store receipt by itself is not a hunting stamp.
Most adults also need the Habitat Stamp
CPW generally adds one annual Habitat Stamp for hunters ages 18 through 64, subject to its listed exceptions. It is separate from the Colorado and federal waterfowl stamps.
2026-27 duck seasons
Find the duck zone before you choose the date
Central Flyway Mountain and Foothills
This zone is west of I-25 and east of the Continental Divide, except El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano, and Las Animas counties. Duck season is October 3 through November 29, 2026, then December 25, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Central Flyway Northeast
This zone is east of I-25 and north of I-70. Duck season is October 17 through November 29, 2026, then December 11, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Central Flyway Southeast
This zone is east of I-25 and south of I-70, plus all of El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano, and Las Animas counties. Duck season runs October 28, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Pacific Flyway Western
This covers land west of the Continental Divide that is not in the Pacific Eastern zone. Duck season is October 3 through 20, 2026, then November 6, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Scaup closes January 12.
Pacific Flyway Eastern
This is the named group of central mountain counties and partial-county areas in Chapter W-5. Duck season runs October 3, 2026, through January 15, 2027. Scaup closes December 27, 2026.
Duck and coot limits
The total limit still has species limits inside it
Central Flyway means six ducks total
The daily aggregate is six ducks and mergansers, not six of each. Inside that total, no more than five may be mallards and no more than two may be female mallards. The other caps are three pintails, two canvasbacks, two redheads, three wood ducks, and one scaup.
Pacific Flyway means seven ducks total
The daily aggregate is seven ducks and mergansers. Inside that total, the caps are two female mallards, three pintails, two canvasbacks, two redheads, and two scaup.
Coot limits also change by flyway
The daily coot limit is 15 in the Central Flyway and 25 in the Pacific Flyway. The ordinary possession limit for ducks and coots is three daily bag limits.
Bird identification matters before the shot
Sex and species sublimits can make a legal six- or seven-bird total illegal. Leave room in the limit for an uncertain bird and use the current CPW table, not a remembered number from another state.
Early and special days
A few 2026 dates sit outside the regular duck season
September teal is a limited-area season
Teal season is September 12 through 20, 2026, in Lake and Chaffee counties and all areas east of I-25. The limit is six teal a day and 18 in possession.
Youth, veteran, and active-military days vary by zone
The two-day dates are September 26 and 27 in the Mountain and Foothills and Pacific Eastern zones, October 10 and 11 in the Northeast, October 17 and 18 in the Southeast, and October 24 and 25 in the Pacific Western zone.
Youth hunters need a mentor
The youth days are for hunters age 17 or younger with a mentor age 18 or older who meets CPW's hunter-education rule. The mentor may not hunt ducks, geese, mergansers, or coots during the youth season.
Special days do not erase the license rules
The small-game license and HIP still apply. Hunters age 16 or older still need the state and federal stamps. Veterans and active military hunters also need the identification CPW accepts.
2026-27 goose seasons
The goose map is different from the duck map
North Park and South Park dark geese
The dark-goose season in both zones runs October 3, 2026, through January 15, 2027. The daily limit is five, with 15 in possession.
San Luis Valley dark geese use a split season
The season is October 3 through 21, 2026, then November 21, 2026, through February 14, 2027. The daily limit is five, with 15 in possession.
The rest of the Central Flyway opens later
Outside North Park, South Park, and the San Luis Valley, the Central Flyway dark-goose season runs November 2, 2026, through February 14, 2027. The daily limit is five, with 15 in possession.
Pacific Flyway goose dates are shorter
The Pacific Western zone is open October 3 through 11, 2026, then November 6, 2026, through January 31, 2027. The Pacific Eastern zone is open October 3, 2026, through January 6, 2027. The daily limits are five dark geese and 10 light geese.
Central Flyway light geese have a high regular limit
The regular Central Flyway light-goose season runs October 31, 2026, through February 14, 2027. The daily limit is 50, with no possession limit.
The conservation order changes four rules
East of I-25, the light-goose conservation order runs February 15 through April 30, 2027, with no bag or possession limit. Electronic calls, shotguns holding more than three rounds, and hunting until one-half hour after sunset are allowed. The federal duck stamp is not required, but the Colorado stamp is.
Early Canada goose is west of the Divide
The Pacific Flyway early Canada goose season runs September 1 through 9 each year west of the Continental Divide. The limit is five a day and 15 in possession.
Legal equipment and methods
Waterfowl rules are narrower than ordinary bird rules
Carry approved nontoxic shot only
While hunting ducks, geese, or coots, do not possess lead shot. Use steel or another shot type approved as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The ordinary shotgun limit is three shells
A shotgun cannot be larger than 10 gauge and must be fired from the shoulder. It may hold no more than three shells in the chamber and magazine combined. A one-piece plug must require disassembly to remove. Slugs are not legal for waterfowl.
Calls, decoys, and dogs are allowed with limits
Hand or mechanical duck and goose calls, artificial decoys, and retrieving dogs are allowed. Recorded or electronically amplified calls are not allowed except during the light-goose conservation order.
A boat must stop before the shot
A motorboat or sailboat may be used only after the motor is off, the sail is furled, and forward movement has stopped. A motorized boat may be used to set or retrieve decoys and to pick up dead or injured birds.
Ordinary shooting hours end at sunset
Waterfowl hours run from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Do not add the extra half hour used by some other hunts. Only the light-goose conservation order extends to one-half hour after sunset.
Bait can close an otherwise legal field
Do not hunt waterfowl over bait or a baited area. A baited area stays closed for 10 days after all bait is removed. If grain is present and you cannot confirm that it came from a legal agricultural practice, leave the site.
Finding a legal hunt site
Open season does not mean every pond is open
Some CPW properties require a reservation
Use CPW's reservation page to find the current properties, hunt areas, dates, and openings. A reservation is tied to the named hunter, property area, and date, and the posted check-in and check-out rules still apply.
Walk-In Access is foot access on signed parcels
Walk-In parcels can open enrolled private land to waterfowl hunting without a separate Walk-In permit or landowner permission. Carry the required hunting license and stamps, follow the parcel dates, and enter only where current boundary signs are posted.
Ordinary private land needs permission
Get landowner permission before entering private land. Also ask whether grain, feed, or crop work could make the area baited. Permission to enter does not make a baited hunt legal.
A refuge or state property can add rules
National wildlife refuges, State Wildlife Areas, state parks, and local properties can limit hunt days, blinds, party size, ammunition, parking, boats, or check-in. Read the exact property page and current signs.
After the shot
The limit and identification rules follow the bird home
Make a real effort to retrieve every bird
Retrieve birds killed or crippled, keep them in your custody in the field, and count wounded birds you recover toward the daily limit. Bring out the edible meat and prepare it for people to eat.
Keep the head or one wing attached
Do not completely dress a duck or goose in the field. Keep the head or one fully feathered wing attached while transporting the bird to your home or a waterfowl processor.
Tag birds left with another person
A bird left for cleaning, storage, processing, or taxidermy needs a tag with your signature, address, species and number of birds, and the date they were killed.
One daily limit is the whole day's limit
Eating, donating, or storing birds does not create a second daily limit. Keep each species sublimit and the possession limit straight when birds from more than one day are together.
Take this with you
Before a Colorado duck or goose hunt
- ✓ The small-game license, HIP registration, Habitat Stamp, and age-based waterfowl stamps are settled.
- ✓ The flyway, duck or goose zone, 2026-27 date, species limit, and possession limit all match.
- ✓ The nontoxic shot, shotgun capacity, calls, boat, shooting hours, and bait history are legal.
- ✓ Permission or reservation, property rules, retrieval gear, identification, and transport 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: Waterfowl zones, dates, species sublimits, stamps, and property rules can change. CPW's final 2026-27 regulations control now, and the easier annual brochure is due in August. Check the current Chapter W-5, your license and stamps, and the exact property rules before hunting.
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.
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.