Colorado Hunting Laws

What makes land legally posted in Colorado?

You must have the owner's permission before hunting private land in Colorado, whether or not it is posted or fenced. Private land does not need signs for you to be in violation, so know where the boundaries are.

Also applies to State Land Board land not leased and signed by CPW. It is illegal to post public land (not under an exclusive-control lease) as private (§ 33-6-116(2)).

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-116(1) · official source

Does Colorado have a purple paint law?

Colorado has no purple-paint posting statute. It doesn't matter for hunters: private land needs no posting at all, so you need permission whether or not it is marked.

No purple-paint provision appears in the wildlife title (33) or the criminal trespass statutes (C.R.S. 18-4-502 to 18-4-504.5).

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-116; C.R.S. Title 18, Art. 4, Part 5 · official source

Do you need written permission to hunt private land in Colorado?

You need permission from the owner or person in possession before hunting private land. The statute does not require the permission to be written or carried.

Getting it in writing is still a good way to prove permission if questioned.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-116(1) · official source

Can you retrieve a deer or a hunting dog from posted land in Colorado?

No. You may not follow wounded game or retrieve a harvested animal onto private land without the landowner's permission. Try to contact the landowner yourself; if you can't, call the local CPW office.

You are still legally required to make a reasonable attempt to track wounded game, so you must try to get permission to enter.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-116(1) · official source

What is the penalty for hunting trespass in Colorado?

Hunting private land without permission is a misdemeanor with a $200 fine and 20 license suspension points. CPW says trespass violators can lose hunting privileges for up to five years.

Up-to-five-year suspension stated in the 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure. General criminal trespass (C.R.S. 18-4-504) can also apply.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-116(3) · official source

Can you hunt from or near a road in Colorado?

You may not shoot a firearm or release an arrow from, on, or across any public road. CPW says anyone firing a bow, rifle, handgun or slug shotgun must be at least 50 feet from the road's centerline.

Misdemeanor, $100 fine and 5 suspension points. 50-ft centerline rule from the 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure. Loaded long guns are also illegal in motor vehicles (§ 33-6-125).

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-126 · official source

What are legal shooting hours in Colorado?

Big game may be hunted from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset unless a specific hunt is more restrictive.

Big game hours; other species may differ.

Source: official source

What are the blaze orange requirements in Colorado?

Anyone hunting deer, elk, pronghorn, moose or bear with a firearm license must wear at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink on an outer garment above the waist, plus a fluorescent orange or pink hat visible from all directions. Camo orange/pink doesn't count.

Includes all muzzleloader hunters and archers hunting during rifle seasons. Archery-license hunters are exempt but encouraged during overlapping muzzleloader seasons. Mesh is legal but not recommended; display orange/pink on ground blinds.

Source: official source

Is night hunting legal in Colorado?

Using any artificial light to hunt wildlife is illegal unless a CPW rule allows it, and night-vision or thermal devices may not be used outside legal hours. Big game may only be hunted during legal hours.

Landowners, family and agents taking damage-causing nuisance species under § 33-6-107(9) are excepted. Light violation: $200 + 20 points; night vision/thermal: $2,000 + 20 points. Check CPW small-game/furbearer rules for any species-specific night hunting.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-127 · official source

Do you need a hunting license to hunt your own land in Colorado?

No general exemption — landowners need licenses to hunt game on their own land. The only license-free exception lets owners, family and employees take listed nuisance species (coyotes, prairie dogs, raccoons, etc.) on land they own or lease when the animals are damaging crops, property or livestock.

Landowners may qualify for big-game vouchers through the Landowner Preference Program (C.R.S. 33-4-103), but that is not a license exemption.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-107(9) · official source

Who needs hunter education in Colorado?

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1949 needs a hunter education card to buy a license and must carry it while hunting unless it has been verified and the license is marked with a "V." An apprentice certificate lets new hunters (age 10+, 12+ for big game) hunt with a mentor without the course.

Apprentice waiver can be used twice in a lifetime. Hunters over 50 and active-duty military/veterans can test out. Other states' cards are honored.

Source: C.R.S. § 33-6-107(10) (apprentice) · official source

Is Sunday hunting legal in Colorado?

Colorado has no Sunday hunting ban; hunting is allowed every day of the open season.

Individual properties (e.g., some State Wildlife Areas) can have their own access-day rules.

Source: C.R.S. Title 33 (no Sunday restriction) · official source

Is it legal to bait deer in Colorado?

Hunting big game over bait is illegal, even if someone else put the bait out. Bait includes salt, minerals, grain, animal parts or other food placed to attract big game.

Salt or mineral blocks used for normal agricultural purposes are not bait. Food-scented scent sticks are illegal for bear.

Source: official source

Can you use a crossbow during archery season in Colorado?

Crossbows are illegal during Colorado's archery seasons. They are legal in rifle seasons as an associated method (minimum 125-lb draw weight, 16-inch bolt, 7/8-inch broadhead).

Crossbow also needs a 14-inch minimum draw length and a positive mechanical safety.

Source: official source

Can you use a drone to scout or recover game in Colorado?

It is illegal to use unmanned or remote-control drones to look for, scout or detect wildlife. Using aircraft to spot game also bars you from hunting that day and the next.

Source: official source

Are trail cameras restricted in Colorado?

You can't use a live-action (wireless/cellular) game camera to locate game in order to hunt it the same or the following day. Standard cameras that only store images for later are allowed.

"Live-action game camera" means any device that can transmit photos/video wirelessly to a remote device such as a phone or computer.

Source: official source

Is a landowner liable if someone gets hurt hunting on their land in Colorado?

A landowner who lets people hunt or recreate for free does not promise the land is safe and is generally not liable for injuries to those users.

Protection does not apply to willful or malicious failure to guard or warn, or when a fee is charged (§ 33-41-104).

Source: C.R.S. §§ 33-41-101 to 33-41-106 · official source