Last verified Jul. 2026

Hunter education requirements

Who actually needs the card

The rule is a birth-year cutoff, not an age check at the counter: if you were born on or after January 1, 1949, you need a hunter education card before CPW will sell you a license. In practice that covers essentially every hunter today. You must be able to show proof of the card in the field, not just have completed the course. CPW · Education and outreach

Your course options

• In-person classroom — a minimum of 10 hours, which can be split across two or more days, covering lecture, video, a written test, and a live-fire exercise. Cost up to about $10.
• Online + in-person field day — roughly 4 hours of self-paced online coursework through CPW's exclusive online partner, followed by a shorter in-person concluding session (about 4–6 hours, also split-table across two days). This is the path most adult and youth hunters use.
• Test-out — available for hunters 50 and older and for active U.S. military, who can challenge the course with an exam instead of sitting through the full curriculum.

Card validity

Once issued, a Colorado hunter education card does not expire — complete it once and it's good for life. The exception is a temporary card issued during the course; those are only valid through December 31 of the year they were issued, so replace a temporary card with your permanent one before that date. CPW · Education and outreach

Out-of-state reciprocity

Colorado honors hunter education cards from other U.S. states, Mexican states, and Canadian provinces — an original, duplicate, or replacement card from any of those agencies satisfies the requirement. A few conditions apply: a temporary out-of-state card is only honored for the calendar year it was issued, an out-of-state hunting license cannot substitute as proof of hunter education, and CPW evaluates unfamiliar out-of-state certifications individually — if your card doesn't have a printed number, submit the issue date and issuing state to CPW's Hunter Education Section well before your season. A state-issued bowhunter-only card covers archery and unspecified-method licenses, but not rifle or muzzleloader licenses. CPW · Proof of hunter education

Where this fits

Hunter education is the gate before every other step — you can't buy a license, apply in the draw, or sponsor a youth hunter as a mentor without it. Mentors supervising a youth hunter must hold their own current hunter education certification. CPW · Mentored hunts for novice youth