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Colorado draw application deadlines
The 2026 Colorado primary draw application window runs March 1 through April 7, 2026, closing at 8 p.m. Mountain time. Results post in late May, a secondary draw for leftover licenses follows with its own hard deadline of June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m. Mountain time, and whatever remains — plus every over-the-counter tag — goes on sale August 4, 2026 at 9 a.m. MDT. CPW Primary Draw
The four dates that matter
| Stage | 2026 window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Primary application window | Mar 1 – Apr 7, 2026, 8 p.m. MT | Submit ranked hunt-code choices. This is where preference points matter — points don't help in the later stages. |
| Primary results | Late May 2026 | CPW posts draw results online; successful applicants can buy their license. |
| Secondary draw | deadline Jun 30, 2026, 8 p.m. MT | A genuine draw — not a first-come sale — for elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses left after the primary. Points are neither used nor awarded, and youth 12–17 get priority. |
| Leftover & OTC sale | Aug 4, 2026, 9 a.m. MDT | Any licenses still unclaimed go on sale first-come, first-served, alongside every over-the-counter tag. |
The primary window and its deadline are stated directly on CPW's Primary Draw page. The secondary draw deadline is no longer approximate: CPW prints both deadlines on the front cover of the Big Game Brochure — "Primary draw: April 7 (8 p.m. MT) • Secondary draw: June 30 (8 p.m. MT)." 2026 Big Game Brochure · cover What is still soft is when the secondary window opens (around mid-June) and when results post ("late May"), neither of which CPW pins to a day. Those two are approximate here; the deadlines are not. CPW Primary Draw CPW 2026 season dates
Why the deadline is unforgiving
Colorado's draw software closes at the stated minute — 8 p.m. Mountain time on April 7, 2026 — and does not accept late submissions for any reason, including payment or website problems on your end. Apply early enough to fix a rejected card or a wrong hunt code before the window shuts. If you're weighing whether to spend a point this year or hold it, see how points accumulate before you submit.
After the deadline
If you miss the primary window entirely, or don't draw, you still have two more chances at a 2026 tag — and they work differently from each other, which is the part people get wrong.
The secondary draw is still a draw. You submit one application per species with up to four hunt choices by June 30 and wait for a result; being early buys you nothing. It covers elk, deer, pronghorn and bear only, it is open to everyone whether or not you applied in the primary, groups are not accepted, and youth aged 12–17 receive priority for every license. Preference points are neither used nor awarded. CPW Secondary Draw
The leftover sale on August 4 is the first-come stage: whatever survives both draws goes on the leftover list and is simply bought, with no application, no preference points and not even a qualifying license required. That is the same moment OTC elk and other over-the-counter tags go on sale. Demand on the sought-after codes is real enough that CPW added a confirm-step delay and reCAPTCHA to CPWShop specifically to stop autoclicking software, so plan to be logged in and ready rather than scripted. CPW · leftover licenses
Common questions
When is the Colorado draw application deadline for 2026?
April 7, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Mountain time. The application window opened March 1, 2026. There is no late-submission grace period.
When do 2026 Colorado draw results come out?
CPW posts primary draw results in late May 2026. The exact day is not fixed on CPW's own draw page as of this writing, so check your account after the deadline rather than a specific calendar date.
What if I miss the April deadline?
You can still apply in the secondary draw, which closes June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m. Mountain time, or buy a leftover or over-the-counter license starting August 4, 2026 at 9 a.m. MDT. You lose access to the limited tags awarded in the primary draw, which are typically the higher-quality units.