Colorado Hunting | Public Hunting Lands, Licenses, Tags, Guides, and Trips in CO

Hunting exists all over the state, with opportunities for deer, duck, elk, moose, and more, depending on season and tags. Experience the rugged beauty of the land as you’re on your quest.

Hunting in Colorado State Parks

Fifteen of forty-two state parks permit hunting during appropriate seasons in certain sections of their park. Campgrounds are available on-site at these parks.

Hunting in Colorado State Wildlife Area

With a valid hunting or fishing license, you can access more than 348 state wildlife areas.

Beaver Creek State Wildlife Area, Colorado

Prewitt Reservoir SWA – Merino

Russell Lakes National Natural Landmark Colorado

Skaguay Reservoir SWA – Victor

Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area Blanca

South Republican (Bonny Lake) SWA – Idalia

Guided Hunting Trips in Colorado

Both single-day and multi-day guided hunts are available across the state. Experienced guides are a sure-fire way to up your chances of bagging that trophy!

Ripple Creek Lodge – Guided elk and deer hunts, fishing trips, log cabin rentals, horseback riding. Located on the Flat Tops Scenic Byway in Meeker.

Trappers Lake Lodge & Resort – Trappers Lake Lodge is located on the Flat Tops Byway in Meeker. It’s open from late May through October. They offer hunting and fishing trips, both day and overnight, as well a horse and cabin rentals. There is also a restaurant with a bar.

Guide to Hunting in Colorado

Colorado Hunters Elk — 1961 elk hunting trip.

With a valid hunting or fishing license, guests can access more than 348 state wildlife areas in addition to the numerous state parks, national forests, and BLM lands. With people all over the world venturing to Colorado to hunt big game, it’s important to note that there are three main seasons depending on your firearm: archery, muzzleloading (draw only), and rifle.

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Local hunting resources

Colorado Parks & Wildlife – Official resource for hunting in Colorado. Find season dates & fees, get your license online and learn about hunting.

Plan Your Hunt – Resources for planning your trip.
Colorado Hunting Atlas – Find game management units (GMU’s), campgrounds, and Parks & Wildlife offices.

Hunting on state and federal land

A variety of state parks and federal land permit hunting, all based on seasons and tags. Here are the public parks that permit hunting during the season.

State parks:

Barr Lake – Brighton; waterfowl hunting starting late September.
Boyd Lake – Loveland; waterfowl hunting.
Colorado River – Grand Junction; waterfowl blinds.
Crawford – Crawford; waterfall and big game hunting.
Harvey Gap – Rifle; waterfowl hunting.
Highline Lake – Rifle; seven waterfowl blinds.
Navajo – Arboles; deer, elk, and bird hunting.
Ridgway – Ridgway; big and small game hunting.
State Forest – Walden; certain sections, certain seasons.
Steamboat Lake – Clark; hunting permitted after Labor Day with license.
Sweitzer Lake – Delta; shotgun hunting is allowed, waterfowl only on weekends.
Trinidad Lake – Trinidad; Labor Day to Memorial Day.
Vega – Collbran; only archery or shotgun loaded with bird-shot permitted.

State wildlife areas:

Prewitt Reservoir – Merino; Northeast Colorado lake with fishing, hunting, and camping. Waterfowl, Pheasant, Bobwhite Quail, Deer.
San Luis – Mosca; big game, small game, and waterfowl.