Last verified
What's open right now
As of July 25, 2026, no Colorado big-game season is open. The next to open is Pronghorn archery on AUG 15. The board below shows every species and method with its exact status, recomputed automatically each night from the current CPW season structure.
The board
Blaze dot means the season is open today. Otherwise you'll see the next opening date, or "closed" once a season is over for the year. Dates are the statewide framework west of I-25 — your hunt code can run narrower. CPW 2025–2029 Season Structure
Elk
Deer
Pronghorn
Black bear
Moose
How this stays correct
This page has no clock running in your browser and no guesswork. It is rebuilt every night at 3 a.m. Mountain time from the same season-date file that draws the calendar — so the status you see is what the current CPW structure says for today's date, not a number somebody typed months ago and forgot. The page shows the date it was last built at the top.
Sheep, mountain goat, turkey and waterfowl are set in separate CPW brochures and aren't on this big-game board yet. Small-game and waterfowl dates in particular are set later in the year under federal frameworks.
Planning ahead instead?
The full season calendar shows the whole fall on one graphic, the draw explains how to apply for the limited seasons, and if you want the dates to come to you, the season & deadline alerts send one reminder before the April draw deadline.
Common questions
Is it hunting season in Colorado right now?
The board above answers this for today's date automatically. In broad terms, Colorado's big-game seasons run from mid-August (pronghorn archery) through late January (some late rifle seasons), with the busiest stretch — archery, muzzleloader and the four rifle seasons — falling between early September and late November.
What is open on the earliest and latest dates?
The first big-game season to open is pronghorn archery on August 15. The latest big-game hunting runs into late January for certain late rifle and plains seasons. Everything in between is on the season calendar.
Does this include small game, turkey, or waterfowl?
Not yet — this board covers big game (elk, deer, pronghorn, bear, moose). Turkey, small game and waterfowl are managed in separate CPW brochures, and waterfowl dates are set under federal frameworks later in the year.
Primary sources
- CPW 2025–2029 Big Game Season Structure (official rule PDF) verified Jul. 2026
- CPW 2026 Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure the canonical annual publication