Colorado Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Units & What to Know

The direct answer for Colorado's 2026 season, west of I-25 where most of the state's deer hunting happens: archery runs September 2-30, muzzleloader runs September 12-20, and rifle deer hunting takes place in the combined deer/elk seasons — 1st season October 14-18, 2nd season October 24-November 1, 3rd season November 7-15, and 4th season November 18-22. Deer is huntable in the 1st rifle season on a limited optional deer license: CPW's 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure titles it the "First Regular Rifle Elk and Optional Deer Seasons" and states that deer and elk run as a combined season, but deer hunting is optional. Most deer rifle licenses in Colorado are limited and issued through the draws, so the draw calendar matters as much as the season calendar. The exception worth knowing: over-the-counter white-tailed deer licenses are available in certain units for a late rifle season, December 1-31. If you are tagless, that is the one deer season you can still buy into.

Colorado is a mule deer state first — the western slopes and high country are world-class mule deer habitat. White-tailed deer live mainly east of I-25 on the eastern plains, along the river corridors and agricultural ground, and plains deer hunts run on their own date structure with some over-the-counter whitetail-specific license options. If you are a whitetail hunter reading this, the eastern plains hunt codes are your section of the brochure.

012026 Season Dates (West of I-25)

East of I-25, plains deer seasons (including the whitetail-heavy units) follow different dates and license rules — including late-season opportunity — set out in the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Check your specific hunt code rather than assuming the western dates apply.

The 4th rifle season deserves a note for deer hunters: mid-to-late November puts you into rut behavior for both mule deer and plains whitetails, which is why those licenses take more preference points to draw.

02Licenses and the 2026 Draw Calendar

Colorado runs everything through hunt codes and draws, and a current-year qualifying license is required before you can apply:

• Primary draw: applications closed April 7, 2026; results posted late May.
• Secondary draw: applications June 18-30, 2026; results July 7. Open to everyone, no preference points used.
• Leftover and OTC licenses: went on sale August 4, 2026, at 9 a.m. MT. Some elk, whitetail, pronghorn, and bear licenses are available over the counter.

Both draws are finished and the August 4 leftover sale has already opened. If you are still without a 2026 deer license, what is left is whatever remains unsold on CPW's leftover list plus the over-the-counter options above — check current availability by hunt code before you make plans.

The leftover list is not a one-time drop, and that is the part worth putting on your calendar. CPW returns unsold and turned-back licenses to the list on a weekly cycle: all hunt codes are released as close to 11 a.m. MT as possible on Wednesday of every week, starting the week after leftover licenses go on sale, and no new hunt codes are added to the list after 1 p.m. MT each Wednesday. If the code you want is gone today, check again Wednesday morning rather than giving up on the season.

Also new for 2026: rifle elk licenses in GMUs 54, 55 and 551 in the Gunnison Basin are now fully limited rather than over-the-counter, plus GMU 97/99 boundary changes and mandatory CWD testing for rifle-harvested elk in select units (deer testing is voluntary this year).

03Check the official source

Colorado hangs everything on your hunt code, and CPW moves hunt codes, GMU boundaries and license allocations between seasons — the GMU 97/99 boundary change is this year's example, and the leftover list itself turns over weekly. Before you hunt, confirm the dates printed on your license and your hunt code's entry in Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure; CPW's "What's New" 2026 big game overview covers what moved. The brochure and the license in your pocket are the source of record — where they differ from this post, they win. Season dates vary by hunt code, especially east of I-25, and hunting outside your code's window is a ticket, not a technicality. Verified against CPW's published 2026 big game seasons and the 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure, August 16, 2026.

04Plan the Season

With five-to-nine-day rifle windows, Colorado gives you far less slack than neighboring states. Every day of a drawn license has to count:

• Match your season choice to breeding activity with our Colorado rut prediction for 2026.
• Check feeding and movement windows on the Colorado solunar calendar.
• See today's outlook with the best time to hunt in Colorado.
• Use Trail Pro Intel's free Hunt Forecast to rank the days inside your short season by weather, wind, pressure, and solunar score.

Colorado hunting is won in March at the application desk and in November on the mountain. Get the hunt code right, then let the data pick your mornings.