Hunting Colorado as a non-resident

What's different for non-residents

Three things separate the out-of-state experience from the resident one:

• Price. A non-resident elk license is $845.16 versus $70.40 for residents, and every species costs more. The full fee tables lay out deer, pronghorn, bear and the qualifying-license add-ons.
• OTC archery elk was cut. Non-residents can no longer buy over-the-counter archery elk for GMUs west of I-25 or GMU 140 — those are now draw-only for non-residents, though OTC rifle elk remains. This is the change most out-of-state hunters haven't heard about. What changed and why.
• Draw caps. Limited licenses are allocated with a non-resident cap (broadly, up to 25% of a hunt code's licenses, dropping to 20% for the hardest-to-draw codes), so non-residents draw against each other, not against residents. How the point pools work.

Start here

• Non-resident elk hunting

  The full out-of-state elk plan: costs, tag strategy, OTC status, points.

• Colorado vs. other Western states

  Colorado vs. Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and New Mexico, honestly.

• Planning your first elk hunt

  A step-by-step plan for your first Colorado elk hunt.

The honest version of "can I just come hunt elk?"

For a rifle elk hunt, largely yes — over-the-counter rifle elk tags are still sold to non-residents, and Colorado has more elk than any other state. For an archery elk hunt in the classic western-slope units, you now need to draw a limited tag, which means building preference points. Either way, the non-resident elk guide walks the whole decision, and if you'd rather hunt with someone who knows the unit, our outfitter directory shows each guide's Colorado registration number so you can vet them before you send a deposit.

Common questions

Can a non-resident hunt elk in Colorado?

Yes. Non-residents can buy over-the-counter rifle elk tags and can draw limited elk licenses. The main restriction is that non-resident over-the-counter archery elk was eliminated for units west of I-25 and GMU 140 — those now require drawing a limited tag.

How much does it cost for a non-resident to hunt elk in Colorado?

The 2026 non-resident elk license is $845.16, plus a $12.76 habitat stamp — and, only if you apply in the draw, a qualifying license (~$104.86). So roughly $963 through the draw or about $858 over the counter, before travel, tags for other species, or an outfitter. See license costs.

Do non-residents have a better chance in the draw?

No — non-residents draw against a cap (about 20–25% of a hunt code's licenses depending on how hard it is to draw), in effect a separate pool from residents. For popular units that means non-residents can need more preference points than residents for the same tag.