Colorado (CO)
Colorado is one of North America's core elk application states.
Agency links, deadlines, unit maps, and species opportunities are tied to official sources below.
Huntable species in CO
Pick a species to assemble the available permit/tag opportunities for this state.
Unit Map / Units
Official GIS polygon layers render here when available. Click a unit polygon to ask Jeremiah for practical hunting background; seeded unit cards appear only when no GIS layer has been imported yet.
Agency source
1
high confidence
Opportunities
13
researched nonresident paths
Applications
0
public research mode
Unit map
GIS
ArcGIS REST
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep opportunities
First-pass official-source research package for nonresident applications, draw/OTC paths, odds, harvest stats, and map linkage. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
Colorado uses species-specific hunt codes and GMUs. Nonresidents apply online or by phone for primary and secondary draws, may buy OTC licenses where offered, and may pursue leftover/reissued licenses after draw cycles. Preference points apply only in the primary draw for deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and mountain goat; desert bighorn sheep has no preference points.
Hunt codes: sheep hunt-code tables and preference point code in 2026 Sheep & Goat brochure
Units: sheep unit-specific
Deadlines: Application deadline 2026-04-07 20:00 MT • results 2026-04-23
Fees: Nonresident Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep/fishing combo $2823.53 • Application fee $11.49
Open map layer- • CPW Shop account/CID through cpw.state.co.us/buy-apply or cpwshop.com.
- • Current-year qualifying hunting license required before applying for big-game draws.
- • 2026 Habitat Stamp required for ages 18-64 unless exempt/lifetime; brochure lists $12.76.
- • Nonresident application processing fee is $11.49 per species per draw and nonrefundable.
- • Proof of hunter education required as applicable; SSN or ITIN required for hunters age 12+.
- • Nonresident allocation caps apply in the primary draw: deer/elk/pronghorn/bear up to 20% for hunt codes needing 6+ resident points, up to 25% for fewer than 6 resident points; sheep/goat limited licenses allocate 10% to nonresidents.
Create or confirm a CPW Shop account/CID, verify hunter education and ID details, then buy the required qualifying license and Habitat Stamp before submitting draw applications.
Not broadly. CPW says nonresidents can no longer use unlimited OTC archery elk in GMUs west of I-25 and GMU 140; those are now limited nonresident V1A draw licenses. Some east-of-I-25 archery elk OTC opportunity remains and must be verified in the current brochure.
No. Preference points are not used or generated in the secondary draw, and nonresident allocation caps do not apply there.
Look at OTC rifle elk, OTC/add-on bear, OTC archery pronghorn, white-tailed-only deer where offered, leftover limited licenses, and weekly reissues. Verify species, sex, GMU, method, and private-land restrictions before buying.
Moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and mountain goat use weighted preference after three regular points. Desert bighorn sheep does not use preference points.
Agency portals
Official agency, license/application, regulations, draw odds, and harvest stats.
Official CPW shop portal is operated separately at CPWShop/Aspira. Statistics URL is a species statistics page; similar CPW pages exist for elk, pronghorn, bear, etc.
Deadlines
Application, draw, reporting, and point purchase reminders.
No deadlines seeded yet.
Unit boundary source
Official map/GIS source for the future clickable unit-level map.
Format: ArcGIS REST
Conversion: Query polygon layers 6, 7, and 8 with f=geojson; retain CPW layer ids/source date.
License/source notes: Official CPW ArcGIS hosted public service; check item terms before redistribution.
Open boundary sourceSpecies available
Starter list for this jurisdiction.
No species data yet.
Applications
State/province-specific plans, submitted applications, draw status, and spend.
No applications yet.