Colorado deer seasons, 2026

Colorado deer hunting is almost entirely limited (draw) — even the archery and rifle seasons that are over-the-counter for elk generally require drawing a deer tag. The dates below are the general framework for units west of I-25, from the full calendar; your hunt code sets your actual window. Plains deer runs on a separate structure with its own, later dates.

Season dates as a table

Species	Method	2026 dates
Deer	Archery	SEP 2 – SEP 30
	Muzzleloader	SEP 12 – SEP 20
	Rifle (1st–4th)	OCT 14 – OCT 18 (1st); OCT 24 – NOV 1 (2nd); NOV 7 – NOV 15 (3rd); NOV 18 – NOV 22 (4th)

Deer in the rifle seasons — the part people get wrong

Deer and elk share the four rifle seasons, but not equally:

• 2nd & 3rd rifle — the full combined deer-and-elk seasons. This is when most rifle deer hunting happens.
• 1st & 4th rifle — elk-primary. Deer is available only through a separate limited optional-deer license, not the general season.

So "is deer season open in first rifle?" has a genuinely nuanced answer, and it's the kind of thing the older Colorado hunting sites blur. The rifle-seasons page lays out all four.

Archery and muzzleloader

Archery deer runs the full month of September 2–30, overlapping the elk archery season; archery rules and crossbow details apply the same as for elk. Muzzleloader deer is the short September 12–20 season and is limited (draw); the muzzleloader page has the dates and legal weapons has the actual equipment specs.

The deer rut

Unlike elk, the mule deer rut comes late — mid-to-late November — which is part of why the fourth rifle season and late plains seasons are prized by deer hunters even though they're cold and hard to draw.

Drawing a deer tag

Because deer is largely limited, preference points matter, and the draw is how you get most deer tags. Non-residents should read the non-resident guide for the caps that apply.

The one deer licence you don't have to draw

Everything above is about mule deer, which is what nearly everyone means by "Colorado deer" — and it is limited, full stop. Whitetail is the exception the shorthand hides. CPW's season structure provides that "portions of the state may offer both limited and unlimited whitetail deer hunting opportunities," and CPW sells over-the-counter white-tailed deer licences valid for any legal method of take — archery, muzzleloader or rifle, unlike OTC elk, which is rifle-only. Whitetail in Colorado is an eastern, river-bottom and farmland animal rather than a high-country one, so this is a genuinely different hunt and not a back door into mule deer country. CPW · Over-the-counter licenses The OTC page has the residency detail.

Common questions

When is deer season in Colorado in 2026?

Archery deer opens September 2 and runs through September 30. Rifle deer falls in the four fall seasons between October 14 and November 22, with the second (Oct 24 – Nov 1) and third (Nov 7–15) being the main combined deer-and-elk seasons.

Is deer season open during first rifle in Colorado?

Only through a limited optional-deer license — the first rifle season (October 14–18) is elk-primary. The second and third rifle seasons are the full combined deer-and-elk seasons.

Do you need to draw a tag to hunt deer in Colorado?

For mule deer — which is what most people mean — essentially always, yes: it is limited (draw only), so you apply in the draw and may need preference points for better units. There is one real exception and it is not mule deer. CPW sells over-the-counter white-tailed deer licences, valid for any legal method of take, in the parts of the state that offer unlimited whitetail hunting. If a whitetail is what you're after, you may not need to draw at all — see OTC tags.