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Youth hunting in Colorado
Colorado youth can hunt big game (elk, deer, pronghorn, bear) from age 12 through 17 at a fraction of the adult license price, and a hunter-education-certified adult mentor is required only for ages 12–15 — a 16- or 17-year-old with a hunter-education card may hunt big game alone. Turkey, small game, and waterfowl have no minimum age. A youth elk, deer or pronghorn license runs $20.30 resident / $130.07 non-resident. CPW · Youth hunting
Who qualifies as "youth"
- Big game (elk, deer, pronghorn, bear) — must be age 12 to 17. A hunter can apply at 11 if they'll turn 12 before the season ends, but can't actually hunt until they reach 12.
- Turkey, small game, and waterfowl — no minimum age, provided the other license and mentor requirements are met.
Youth license pricing, 2026
| License | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Elk / deer / pronghorn (age 12–17) | $20.30 | $130.07 |
| Qualifying (annual small game, age 17 & under) | $2.53 | $2.53 |
Youth applying in the draw still need a qualifying license, the same as an adult — it's just priced far lower — though as for anyone, an over-the-counter licence doesn't require one. Habitat-stamp rules apply by age; the full picture, including adult pricing for comparison, is on the license-costs page. CPW · Deer hunting (youth + qualifying)
The mentor requirement
Does the youth need hunter education?
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 needs hunter education, and that includes every youth hunter. One scoping note matters, because this page previously stated it too broadly: the rule that an apprentice or temporary certificate is not accepted is an eligibility condition of CPW's Mentored Hunts for Novice Youth programme — a limited-slot programme with its own application window — and is not the general law. CPW · Mentored hunts for novice youth The hunter-education page covers course options and the online-plus-field-day path most youth use.
Extended youth seasons
Youth with an unfilled deer, elk, or pronghorn license from the regular season get extra opportunities — with one limit that is easy to miss and expensive to get wrong. The extended youth hunting is antlerless. CPW's wording is that youth may continue hunting deer or elk "during an antlerless hunt in any regular rifle season," and for pronghorn the youth must hold "an unfilled limited pronghorn doe or either-sex license." An unfilled bull or buck tag does not license you to keep hunting for one — taking an antlered animal in an antlerless hunt is a citation. Confirm the exact extended-season dates and eligible units for your license in the current CPW brochure, since they're set unit by unit. CPW · Youth hunting
Where youth fit in the draw
Youth apply through the same primary draw as adults, using the youth license price, and can bank preference points the same way — but four youth-specific rules are worth knowing, because together they are the biggest structural advantage a young applicant has:
- A 15% set-aside. "A minimum of 15 percent of limited licenses for doe pronghorn, antlerless and either-sex deer, and antlerless elk for each GMU shall be available for youth who meet hunter education requirements." CPW · Primary Draw (Youth Applicants) The Commission's own season-structure rule carries the same set-aside and adds the boundaries on it: it runs across "all seasons and manners of take, except public Ranching for Wildlife and Air Force Academy seasons," for youth aged 12–17. CPW 2025–2029 Season Structure §RR Note what it does not cover — it is a set-aside on doe and antlerless licences, not on bull elk or buck deer.
- Priority in the secondary draw. Youth aged 12–17 receive priority for all licenses in the June secondary draw.
- The point fee is waived. Youth pay no preference-point fee for moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goat — the $50 / $100 charge adults owe. Youth get no draw preference and no reduced price on those three species, and reduced cost but no preference on bear.
- Don't apply as a group. CPW is blunt: "Youth lose all youth preference if they apply as a group." Two youth applying together throw away the set-aside above.
One age wrinkle specific to points: an 11-year-old may apply if they turn 12 before the season ends, but if they are applying for preference points they must turn 12 before December 31.
If you're weighing an over-the-counter youth hunt against a limited draw unit, the OTC tags page covers what's still available without applying.
Common questions
What age can you start hunting big game in Colorado?
Age 12. A youth can apply for a big-game license at 11 if they'll turn 12 before the season ends, but can't hunt until they actually reach 12. Turkey, small game, and waterfowl have no minimum age.
Does a Colorado youth hunter need an adult with them?
Only up to a point. For big game CPW requires a mentor for youth hunters aged 12–15; a 16- or 17-year-old holding hunter education may hunt big game alone. For small game the line is age 16. Where a mentor is required they must be 18 or older and hunter-education certified, and the two must be able to see and hear each other in the field without aids like binoculars or radios.
How much is a youth elk or deer license in Colorado?
$20.30 for a Colorado resident and $130.07 for a non-resident, versus $70.40 / $845.16 for an adult elk license. To apply in the draw a youth also needs the qualifying (small-game) license, priced at $2.53 for ages 17 and under; an over-the-counter tag doesn't require one.
Does a Colorado youth hunter need hunter education first?
Yes, if they were born on or after January 1, 1949 — which is every youth hunter today. Note that the stricter rule barring an apprentice or temporary certificate is a condition of CPW's Mentored Hunts for Novice Youth programme specifically, not of hunting in general.