Step Inside Huntin' Fool: Membership Drives
| UP-FRONT FEES | |
| Annual Small Game Hunt License (Required to Apply) | $104.86 |
| Youth Annual Small Game Hunt License (Under Age 18, Required to Apply) | $2.53 |
| Habitat Stamp (Required to Apply, Adults Only) | $12.76 |
| Draw Application (Per Species) | $11.00 |
| Preference Point Fee (Per Species for Sheep, Moose, and Mtn Goat) | $100.00 |
| Preference Point Fee (Per Species for Deer, Elk, and Antelope) | $0.00 |
| Youth Preference Point Fee (All Species) | $0.00 |
| All non-resident licenses include an annual fishing license valid through March 31 | |
| POST DRAW FEES (IF SUCCESSFUL) | |
| Rocky / Desert Bighorn Sheep | $2,758.49 |
| Shiras Moose | $2,758.49 |
| Mountain Goat | $2,823.53 |
| Elk (Bull, Cow, or Either Sex) | $845.16 |
| Deer | $506.92 |
| Antelope | $506.92 |
| Black Bear | $302.56 |
| Mountain Lion | $825.03 |
| Turkey | $188.86 |
| Youth Big Game (Deer, Elk, and Antelope) | $130.07 |
| Youth Black Bear | $64.10 |
| Youth Turkey | $126.49 |
| UP-FRONT FEES | |
|---|---|
| Annual Small Game Hunt License (Required to Apply) | $38.49 |
| Youth Annual Small Game Hunt License (Under Age 18, Required to Apply) | $2.53 |
| Habitat Stamp (Required to Apply, Adults Only) | $12.76 |
| Draw Application (Per Species) | $8.93 |
| Preference Point Fee (Per Species for Sheep, Moose, and Mtn Goat) | $50.00 |
| Preference Point Fee (Per Species for Deer, Elk, and Antelope) | $0.00 |
| Youth Preference Point Fee (All Species) | $0.00 |
| POST DRAW FEES (IF SUCCESSFUL) | |
| Rocky / Desert Bighorn Sheep | $385.66 |
| Shiras Moose | $385.66 |
| Mountain Goat | $385.66 |
| Elk (Bull, Cow, or Either Sex) | $70.40 |
| Deer | $51.25 |
| Antelope | $51.25 |
| Black Bear | $64.01 |
| Mountain Lion | $64.02 |
| Turkey (Spring) | $38.49 |
| Turkey (Fall) | $32.11 |
| Youth Big Game (Deer, Elk, and Antelope) | $20.30 |
| Youth Black Bear | $19.93 |
| Youth Turkey | $20.62 |
| COLORADO ELK SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Sept 2 – Sept 30, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept 12 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| Early Rifle (Limited Units) | Oct 1 – Oct 11, 2026 |
| 1st Rifle | Oct 14 – Oct 18, 2026 |
| 2nd Rifle | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 3rd Rifle | Nov 7 – Nov 15, 2026 |
| 4th Rifle | Nov 18 – Nov 22, 2026 |
| COLORADO DEER SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Sept 2 – Sept 30, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept 12 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| Early Rifle (Unit-Specific) | Sept 12 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| 1st Rifle | Oct 14 – Oct 18, 2026 |
| 2nd Rifle | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 3rd Rifle | Nov 7 – Nov 15, 2026 |
| 4th Rifle | Nov 18 – Nov 22, 2026 |
| COLORADO ANTELOPE SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Aug 15 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept 21 – Sept 29, 2026 |
| Rifle | Oct 3 – Oct 11, 2026 |
| COLORADO MOOSE SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Sept 12 – Sept 30, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept 12 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| Rifle | Oct 1 – Oct 14, 2026 |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN GOAT SEASON DATES | |
| Archery (Unit-Specific) | Sept 1 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| Rifle (Unit-Specific) | Sept 1 – Oct 23, 2026 (varies by GMU) |
| COLORADO BEAR SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Sept 2 – Sept 30, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept 12 – Sept 20, 2026 |
| Sep Rifle | Sept 2 – Sept 30, 2026 |
| 1st Rifle | Oct 14 – Oct 18, 2026 |
| 2nd Rifle | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 3rd Rifle | Nov 7 – Nov 15, 2026 |
| 4th Rifle | Nov 18 – Nov 22, 2026 |
| COLORADO DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP SEASON DATES | |
| Rifle | Nov 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP SEASON DATES | |
| Archery | Aug - Dec 2026 (by GMU) |
| Rifle | Aug – Dec 2026 (by GMU) |
Disclaimer: Season dates vary by GMU, weapon type, and draw status. Always confirm with Colorado Parks & Wildlife: https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/SeasonDates.aspx
| YEAR | SHEEP & GOAT | MOOSE | ELK | DEER | ANTELOPE | BEAR | SECONDARY DRAW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | April 23 | May 26 | May 28 | May 27 | May 29 | May 26 | July 7 |
| 2025 | April 16 | May 27 | May 29 | May 28 | May 30 | May 27 | July 7 |
| 2024 | April 16 | May 28 | May 29 | May 29 | May 30 | May 28 | July 8 |
| 2023 | April 18 | May 30 | June 1 | May 31 | June 2 | - | July 7 |
| 2022 | April 19 | May 31 | June 3 | June 2 | June 2 | - | July 7 |
| 2021 | April 20 | May 25 | May 26 | May 25 | May 26 | - | July 6 |
| 2020 | May 1 | June 1 | June 4 | June 3 | June 4 | - | - |
| 2019 | May 3 | - | June 5 | June 5 | June 5 | - | - |
| 2018 | May 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
You may take one mountain lion, either sex, per license year (April 1–March 31). Hunters may harvest one lion in the month of April or one lion during the fall season, which starts at the end of November and runs until the end of March the following year, depending on the valid season dates for the unit you are hunting. Not every unit is open for both sets of season dates. Furthermore, each hunting unit has its own total harvest limit. You must check daily to make sure the unit you want to hunt is open. Units close when harvest limits are reached. It is illegal to hunt (pursue or harvest) a mountain lion in a unit after it has closed. Dogs are permitted in Colorado and possess their own set of limitations.
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Advisor Articles from Our Magazine on Colorado Application and Hunting Strategy

As expected, after the initial release of the first 10 wolves in December of 2023, there has not been protection for any livestock producers. Mitigation claims have exceeded $500,000, which the state is struggling to find funding to pay because the mitigation fund only has $350,000 in it. CPW has tried translocating some of the wolves, which has obviously been unsuccessful. Now CPW’s answer is that if they bring in more wolves (which was 15 additional wolves brought in from British Columbia) to bolster the packs, they will now have the ability to target more adult elk instead of calf elk. Anyone with a drop of brain at all has to be thinking that this is the dumbest idea that was ever dreamed up by a round table of “wildlife specialists” who have no idea or sense of reality. So far, every single rancher and person who voted against the wolf supplementation has been vindicated. The Shangri-La place that was promised by wolf lobbyists that was going to have wolves only eating out the sick and dying wildlife that “in turn would eliminate disease within the rivers” turns out to be what every sane person with a bit of common sense said it was going to be, BS!
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