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What's open right now
As of October 22, 2026, these Colorado big-game seasons are open: Pronghorn. The board below shows each big-game species and method in the statewide framework with its exact status (open, upcoming, or closed), 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, or later: plains and late seasons sit outside this framework entirely. 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 season calendar shows the statewide big-game framework (elk, deer, pronghorn, bear, moose) on one graphic, the draw explains how to apply for the limited seasons, and if you want the dates to come to you, the monthly email covers deadlines and season changes once a month.
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 statewide big-game seasons run from mid-August (pronghorn archery) through late November (the 4th rifle season closes November 22), and the over-the-counter plains either-sex elk license runs to January 31, 2027, 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 statewide framework closes with the 4th rifle season on November 22. The latest big-game hunting is the over-the-counter plains either-sex elk license, valid through January 31, 2027. The season calendar covers the statewide framework for elk, deer, pronghorn, bear and moose; the plains and Unit 128 over-the-counter elk license dates are on the OTC tags page.
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.