Colorado Outdoors Online

2019 Colorado Big Game Leftover License Tips

Doug Skinner
big-game hunter

What and When is Leftover Day?

Leftover day is the day when Colorado Parks and Wildlife makes all remaining big-game hunting licenses available for purchase. This year, leftover licenses go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m (MDT).

At 9 a.m., licenses will be available for purchase online (CPWshop.com), in person at CPW offices and license retailers (sporting goods stores, hunting and fishing supply stores, etc.), and by phone at 1-800-244-5613. While there are no guarantees that you will get a license on leftover day, there is a great deal of opportunity for big-game hunters looking to get a license to hunt in Colorado this year.

A QUALIFYING LICENSE is NOT required to purchase a leftover limited license, reissued license or an over-the-counter license.

What is the Leftover License List?

Leftover licenses are the remaining limited licenses available after the draw and leftover draw are completed. The official 2019 leftover big-game limited licenses list for deer, elk, bear and pronghorn is now available. These remaining limited licenses provide hunting access on specific Game Management Units (GMUs) and offer Colorado big-game hunters some great opportunities this big-game hunting season.

Now it’s time to figure out which licenses will work best for you.

What types of big-game licenses are available on the leftover list?

Limited Licenses

This year, there are more than 54,500 big-game hunting limited licenses available on the leftover list.

Reissued Licenses

Don’t be surprised if a limited license that you, a family member or friend failed to draw in April appears on the leftover list. This may happen if someone drew a license and chose not to pay or decided to return a license. The leftover list includes reissued hunt codes that were processed prior to the creation of the leftover list. For more info on the reissue process including which licenses are eligible for reissue, please visit the License Refunds, Reissues, Reversals and Exchanges page on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

What do you need to do before leftover day?

 Before leftover day arrives, research and select multiple license “hunt code” options. Many of the available licenses will sell out in the first minutes of leftover day. If you are looking at licenses with a small “AVAILABLE QUOTA” (number of licenses), you should try to find multiple “Hunt Code” options for each species that you would like to hunt.

Common Question: What does FLOAT mean in Available Quota?
FLOAT = A hunt code is part of a float group. Refer to first hunt code in group for quota (total number of license available). In the example below, two hunt codes DE018P2R and DE018P3R are in a “Float Group.” The “Available Quota” for the two hunt codes is 106 licenses.

​​Once you’ve identified hunt codes that work for you, you’ll need to confirm that you are ready to make your purchase.

FOR ONLINE CUSTOMERS

Confirm that you have access to high-speed internet.
The CPWshop.com is designed for high-speed internet connections. If you are on a dial-up connection, you may time out before you are able to complete your transaction. If you do not have a high-speed internet connection, you may want to check with your local library to see if they have computers and high-speed internet that you can use to submit your application.

Validate or create your customer account.
If you are planning to make your purchase online, please confirm the following info before Aug. 6.

Review the 2019 Big-Game Leftover Purchase Guide.
To see exactly what the purchasing process will look like, follow this step-by-step guide that includes screenshots and additional leftover day tips.

FOR IN-PERSON PURCHASES

Locate a CPW office (including many state park offices) or license retailers and confirm that they will be open at 9 a.m. on Aug. 6 AND that they will be selling leftover licenses.  Check with purchasing agent location to inquire about leftover day sale procedures. Not all locations operate on a first-come first-served basis, so make sure you know how your location works. For example, CPW’s Northeast region office uses a lottery system for ordering customers for purchase.

What do you need to do ON leftover day?

Once sales start at 9 a.m. on Aug. 6, the leftover list will refresh every 5 minutes. If the hunt code you were looking for is no longer on the list, the license has sold out. The license may become available later in the season as a reissued license, but you will not see it appear on the list again on Aug. 6.

Online Customers:

If you have logged into CPWshop.com before 9 a.m. and are waiting for leftover licenses to go on sale, only go as far as the residency page. If you go past this page prior to 9 a.m. in an effort to get ahead and purchase faster, you will need to log out and back in once leftover licenses are on sale in order to purchase. 

Work Fast!!!
Licenses are limited in quantity so you need to COMPLETE YOUR TRANSACTION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! And the license in your cart is not yours until you have completed the transaction. Several customers may be in the process of purchasing the same license that is in your cart, so it’s essential to complete your transaction. Again, putting a license into your cart does not mean that you have your license. You only have a license after you have completed your purchase. CPWshop.com allows multiple customers to add a tag to their cart. If there is only a single license available, the first individual to complete the sale will be awarded the license (you will receive an email confirmation to the email address you have on file).

IMPORTANT: Connection Speed and Timeout Info
Since  CPWshop.com is designed for high-speed internet connections, you may time out if you are on a dial-up connection. And remember, you must be prepared to make your purchase before you log into the system. Customer can stay in CPWshop.com (static) for 15 minutes before their connection will timeout and they have to log back in.

Have a valid credit card available at the time of purchase!
You will need to enter your credit card information when you check out (VISA, MASTERCARD OR DISCOVER). Your credit card on file will not be charged automatically.

Phone Sales Customers

Licenses can only be purchased over the phone at 1-800-244-5613. Licenses cannot be purchased by contacting (303)297-1192. 

Group Purchases
For groups of hunters looking to purchase licenses together, be aware that phone sales agents must talk to each person purchasing a license. So phone purchases are limited to 4 individuals per call. 

Gift licenses
Gift licenses will NOT be sold over the phone.

What do you do AFTER leftover day?

If you are unsuccessful on leftover day, there are still two great options that will guarantee your big-game hunting in Colorado this season.

Reissued Licenses – All additional reissued hunt codes that aren’t on the initial leftover list will be randomly added starting Aug. 13. When reissued licenses are available, the new hunt codes will appear on the list Tuesday thru Friday (throughout the season) from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no preview list, so you never know which licenses will appear from week to week. But there are amazing opportunities for hunters with flexible schedules and they will appear throughout the season. Reissued licenses will include hunt codes that took four or fewer preference points to draw and the licenses will appear on the leftover list the week after they are processed. Visit the CPW website to learn more about the reissue process.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) – OTC license sales begin on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 at 9 a.m. (MDT). Big-game hunting license options include Unlimited OTC licenses for cow, bull, and either-sex archery elk, bull elk in the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons, either-sex elk in the plains, either-sex archery pronghorn, and doe and either-sex whitetail deer licenses. OTC licenses are great options for hunters that are looking to start planning today. OTC hunts are restricted to certain units and manners of take. Please visit the CPW website for more information about OTC season dates and big game hunting opportunities.

If you’ve ever thought about hunting bear in Colorado, this is the year. There are more licenses available (increased quota),and hunters can now get up to two bear licenses, one List A and one List B or two List B, with in an increased number of GMUs. See the hunt code tables and chart on pages 57–59 of the 2019 Colorado Big-Game brochure.

NONRESIDENT BEAR LICENSE FEE REDUCED TO $100 Nonresident bear licenses still have the $1.50 Wildlife Education Fund and $0.25 search-and-rescue fees.

Take a Friend Hunting

Do you have a friend that has been asking you about hunting? Colorado Parks and Wildlife, along with our hunting partners, is encouraging hunters to take a friend into the field. As a reward for taking time to teach a new hunter, CPW has created a contest for mentors who pass on their knowledge. Take a novice hunter out and be entered to win some great prizes by submitting a photograph and brief story about your experience. Learn more in the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website. And first-time hunters can take advantage of the Apprentice Hunter Certificate​ – a free one-year hunter education requirement waiver ca​n only be obtained once and is valid from April 1 to March 31.​ That makes 2019 the perfect year to mentor a new hunter and share your outdoor adventures.

Good luck!

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