Colorado Hunting Information Regulations

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Colorado Hunting Regulations

Always check the Colorado DOW website for complete hunting regulations, rules and information at http://wildlife.state.co.us/

Big Game Regulations: A Must Read for Big Game Hunters
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In this year's 40-page Colorado Outdoors Hunting Guide you can get the 2009 statewide big game hunting season forecast from Division of Wildlife (DOW) experts. Read the story "After the Shot" and be prepared for what comes after you pull the trigger. Determine the perfect gun/cartridge/bullet combo for your intended game. Learn what DOW female employees have to say about their hunts.
You can receive the Hunting Guide free by subscribing to Colorado Outdoors magazine for one year for $10.50 (6 issues). You can also purchase the annual guide separately for $5.

Big Game Harvest Survey
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Tell us about your hunt. An important part of setting seasons and license numbers for next year comes from harvest survey responses. Each year from October through mid-February the Division of Wildlife contracts with an outside firm to collect hunt and harvest information from deer, elk and pronghorn hunters. Hunters are asked various questions that relate to:

where and when they hunted
did they harvest
what they harvested
were they satisfied with their hunt
did they feel crowded by other people during their hunt.

Each year Colorado has over 375,000 deer, elk and pronghorn hunters making it unfeasible to contact each individual hunter by February. Therefore approximately 160,000 hunters are randomly selected to participate in the annual harvest survey. The information from the participating hunters is then used with information collected by DOW biologists to estimate annual big game harvest and population numbers.

Not all hunters are eligible to take the survey. Only those hunters who have been randomly selected and notified by the Colorado Division of Wildlife are eligible. To complete your Big Game Harvest Survey anytime (24 hours/7 days/October-mid February) go to http://www.cdowsurvey.com/ or call 1-866-825-0045. (If you would like to speak to an operator you may press zero at any time.)


Purchase Leftover and OTC Licenses
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Leftover and general over-the-counter (OTC) big game licenses, as well as OTC bear licenses with caps, are available for purchase by internet, telephone (1-800-244-5613), license agents and Division of Wildlife offices.

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Hunter Education
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Colorado Division of Wildlife Hunter Education Courses, led by trained and certified volunteer instructors, are offered throughout the year and throughout the state. Enroll—find a course at a place and time to fit your schedule! Courses are offered in several formats. Depending upon your requirements, you can choose a course given in a format other than the traditional classroom setting: Homestudy, Internet-based, or CRASH course. (CRASH courses are intended for, primarily, non-residents.) And, some are offered especially for women and youth.

The Division of Wildlife furnishes hunter education manuals, equipment, and ammunition. Instructors are permitted to collect a small fee to help defray classroom expenses, though free classes are not uncommon. The fee for regular classes may not exceed $10, and the fee for crash courses may not exceed $20.

Note: If you have a valid hunter education card/certificate from another state, and it can be verified, it will be honored in Colorado. Certifications from other countries may also be accepted. For more about this, see the "Proving HE Course Completion" section of the HE Card Replacement Page.

Course Completion Required
To Apply For Or Buy A License Or Preference Point And To Hunt

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By Colorado statute, everyone born on or after January 1, 1949 who applies for a Colorado hunting license or preference point must have successfully completed an approved hunter education course. Why? To make hunting safer.


Hunting is safer in Colorado. Since 1970, over 600,000 students have taken and passed Colorado's hunter education course. And hunting is now safer across the United States, too, as all states have hunter education programs similar to Colorado's. (Canada does, also.)

Safe Hunting Is No Accident
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The most basic purpose of a hunter education course is to teach safe, responsible firearm handling in the field, in the vehicle, and in the home after hunting. Through lectures, hands-on activities, and videos, students learn about firearms and ammunition, firearm safety, shooting fundamentals, and firearm and wildlife laws. While hunter education courses enable safer hunting, they also help hunters be more successful in their hunts—and emphasize ethical hunting behavior. Subjects covered include hunter responsibility, wildlife identification and management, game care, outdoor survival, and more. Students also receive introductions to hunting with bows and black powder firearms.

Hunter education courses are recommended for anyone who spends time in the outdoors, whether or not they intend to hunt. Basic outdoor skills acquired in a hunter education course can be invaluable during any outdoor activities. For example, survival basics can help you prepare for and deal with emergencies. And wildlife management lessons provide insight into how and why wildlife agencies manage the resource, particularly by using hunting as a management tool. To cover these topics adequately, courses consist of at least ten hours of instruction (as mandated by the law). A Hunter Education Card (or sometimes called a 'certificate') is awarded to students who have attended all classes and who pass the final exam and 'live fire' exercise.