2027 Colorado Big Game Season Dates

Colorado Hunting · Season Dates

Published September 2026 · Elk River Sports, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Colorado sets its big game season dates five years at a time. The current structure was adopted by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in June 2024 and runs through 2029 — which means every 2027 season date on this page is already fixed. You can plan a 2027 hunt right now.

What is not fixed that far out is the draw calendar. Application deadlines and the leftover-license sale are set annually. Those are further down, clearly marked as projected, with the reasoning shown so you can judge it yourself.

Archery elk & deer — September 2 to September 30, 2027

Muzzleloader — September 11 to September 19, 2027

1st rifle (elk only) — October 13 to October 17, 2027

2nd rifle — October 23 to October 31, 2027

3rd rifle — November 6 to November 14, 2027

4th rifle — November 17 to November 21, 2027

Deer and elk

Archery and muzzleloader dates below apply west of I-25 and in GMU 140 — that includes all of Northwest Colorado.

Worth knowing: first rifle is elk only. Second season is the busiest week of the Colorado year — it carries two full weekends, which is exactly why it fills. If you want elbow room, fourth season is five days in cold weather with far fewer trucks at the trailhead.

Bear

Moose and pronghorn

Plains deer — east of I-25

Bighorn sheep and mountain goat seasons are unit-specific and set annually, so 2027 dates for those are not yet published. We will add them here when CPW releases them.

2027 draw and license calendar

These dates are projected, not confirmed. CPW sets them each year and has not published the 2027 calendar. The projections below follow a pattern that has held for three straight years: the primary draw deadline lands on the first Tuesday of April (April 2 in 2024, April 1 in 2025, April 7 in 2026) and the leftover sale on the first Tuesday of August (August 6, August 5, August 4). We will confirm every line here when the 2027 brochure comes out, usually in February.

One rule that catches people out: since 2026 you must already hold a current-year qualifying license before you can enter any big game draw. Buy it before you apply, not after.

We’ll email you when CPW confirms the 2027 dates

One email in February when the brochure drops, and a reminder before the April deadline and the August leftover sale. No noise in between.

If you’re hunting Northwest Colorado

We’re in Steamboat Springs, in the middle of GMUs 14, 15, 131, 161, 211, 214 and 231. Roughly 15,800 hunters work those seven units in a normal year. A few things we tell people who stop in:

• Success rates vary more than you’d expect between neighboring units. Units 211 and 214 have run roughly 25–26% on elk while 14, 15 and 161 have run 11–12%. Same country, very different odds.
• Public land access is the real constraint, not tags. Unit 214 is only about a quarter public land. Check your maps before you commit to a camp.
• Lodging in Craig fills for the whole season and has lost rooms in recent years. More people are camping than used to. Plan on it rather than discovering it.
• Steamboat is the last real supply stop between the Flat Tops and the Wyoming line. If you need something before opening morning, we’re it.

Unit-by-unit guides for each of those GMUs are in progress. Get on the list above and we’ll send them as they go up.

Start getting ready

Game CallsElk, predator and turkey
Game CamerasScouting before the season
BinocularsGlassing optics
Range FindersKnow the distance
Packs & Gear BagsDay packs to haul frames
Boots & FootwearThe thing people cheap out on
Coats & JacketsFor fourth season weather
DecoysPronghorn, turkey, waterfowl

Where these dates come from. Season dates and the date-setting formulas are taken from Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s 2025–2029 Big Game Season Structure, adopted June 2024. Draw calendar projections are ours, derived from CPW’s published 2024, 2025 and 2026 calendars and labelled as projections above.

We check this page against CPW every February and after any Commission action. If you spot something wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it. Always confirm against the current CPW brochure before you buy a license or hunt.