Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released its preliminary alternatives and staff recommendations for the 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure (BGSS). Over the past year, CPW carefully considered various biological, social, and economic factors, as well as internal and external input received during its extensive public outreach process, when developing these BGSS recommendations.
The BGSS planning process is a critical component of big game management and big game hunting regulation development in Colorado and provides a framework for CPW staff to make annual license recommendations. The central purpose of the BGSS planning process is to determine what, when, and where various types of big game hunting opportunities are available and to determine how the timing of opportunities are divided among hunters. Through this planning process, CPW is better able to maintain healthy wildlife populations in keeping with management objectives.
2025-2029 BGSS Staff Recommendations
- Change to the previous season structure (2015-2019) for regular deer and elk rifle seasons.
- Maintain the status quo for season structure for early seasons (archery and muzzleloader) for deer and elk west of I-25 and GMU 140; in addition, there shall be an additional stand-alone limited archery antlered deer season that opens August 15th and closes September 1st, annually. This season would be optional and determined on a herd-by-herd basis (DAU/GMU), allowing for regional flexibility. This optional antlered deer season would not replace existing antlered, either-sex, and antlerless deer archery seasons.
- Over-the-counter (OTC) archery: Limit all resident and nonresident archery licenses – limited licenses to be available through the draw by management area (Data Analysis Unit (DAU) or Game Management Unit (GMU)).
- OTC rifle: Maintain the status quo; keep unlimited licenses available for antlered elk during the second and third general rifle seasons in OTC units. Keep limited either-sex or limited antlered elk licenses available in remaining limited units. All antlerless elk licenses remain limited. Limited licenses issued by GMU/DAU.
- Addition of an optional* rifle deer hunt during the first regular rifle season (currently elk only).
- Addition of an optional* second regular rifle buck and doe pronghorn season.
- A change to the BGSS cycle length was considered. CPW recommends maintaining the status quo of conducting a review of the BGSS every five years.
- Administrative topics (cow moose): Optional late cow moose season that would be additional to the regular moose rifle season, and would be valid for all regular rifle deer and elk seasons (with no hunting during the breaks between seasons) when necessary to meet management objectives for moose.
- Administrative topics (private-land-only (PLO) black bear): Modify the existing language to clarify that PLO rifle bear licenses are not required to be unlimited OTC for every population/DAU (managers could still choose an unlimited PLO OTC strategy).
*Optional: CPW staff would have the option to utilize this season as a tool to meet biological objectives (established in Herd Management Plans) and/or social management objectives, which would be determined on a herd-by-herd basis (DAUs).
CPW will present these preliminary alternatives and staff recommendations to the Parks and Wildlife Commission at the March Commission meeting in Denver; staff are planning a three-step approval process, with the Commission making final decisions on season structure in June.
If members of the public are interested in providing a comment on the BGSS preliminary alternatives and staff recommendations, they are encouraged to either 1) submit a written comment to the Commission inbox (dnr_cpwcommission@state.co.us) to ensure their comments are included in the record and provided to the Commission or 2) sign up to provide a verbal comment at the upcoming March Commission meeting.
Additional Information
Visit our Big Game Season Structure Engage CPW webpage to find more information on the Big Game Season Structure process and ways to continue to be involved.
Written by Joey Livingston. Joey is a statewide public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
9 Responses
I realize that CPW is an enterprise agency and relies on those funds from the nonresident 2nd and 3rd season OTC sales, but I personally believe that leaving the OTC 2nd rifle season as status quo is a disservice to the hunters and the elk herds. The overcrowding that is occurring during the 2nd rifle season is frankly dangerous. Another option to consider is making nonresident draw only for the 2nd rifle season, leaving resident as OTC. I could also accept leaving the 3rd rifle season as OTC for both resident and nonresident.
Your voice matters. Please submit comments in the following ways, so they become part of the official discussion. “If members of the public are interested in providing a comment on the BGSS preliminary alternatives and staff recommendations, they are encouraged to either 1) submit a written comment to the Commission inbox (dnr_cpwcommission@state.co.us) to ensure their comments are included in the record and provided to the Commission or 2) sign up to provide a verbal comment (https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Submit-Public-Comments.aspx) at the upcoming March Commission meeting.”
There are more non resident archery hunters than residents. This is likely due to all other states limiting non residents but not at the expense of residents. I feel that it is an injustice to limit resident hunters and CO should follow other state leads in keeping OTC hunting open to residents and cutting non residents by 25% or some cap and that way they would have much better data on the hunters in each GMU
I am a long time landowner but do not qualify as a resident due to only summertime use. But, I am still a tax payer to the state of Colorado. I would like to see consideration of landowners like me to at least be in the category of the resident 75 percentage of allotted licenses even though I would still pay non-resident fees. As far as the overcrowding goes, it’s in all the seasons from the first to the third that I have hunted in the last seven or eight seasons. I have been hunting Colorado since 1973 and things have definitely changed, not always for the better. Anyway, please consider my proposal as a landowner.
There is a lot of National Forest in Colorado and if Non-Residents have to draw for an Archery Tag so should the Resident hunters. I like the idea of all Archery tags going to a Draw.
Thank You.
As a long time non-resident hunter I find the price of elk tags has gotten out of hand. It will cause a number of non-residents to stop hunting elk in CO.
Having OTC tags for 2nd and 3rd elk season is unsustainable to the elk herds. At least put a cap on them with the % quotas as the preliminary drawing for residents and nonresidents . Follow what other states are doing by capping nonresidents to 10 % rather than the 25%.
For archery, besides all draw that is now recommended, divide the present 30 day season to three separate seasons and make hunters choose which season the same as CPW did with rifle season to alleviate over crowding. Limit the allocated tags for each season differently so less pressure is put on peak rut. Make the peak rut season tag cost more than the other two.
Will there be private land draw for non residense? I have dealt with outfitters and a lot of resident hunters and do not care to deal with them again! They have no respect for the landowner and don’t appreciate our land! I prefer the NR hunters we have had here in unit 85 for 50 years! This will also hurt us as small land owners that have only the income of the hunts to survive on. We have no more cattle due to age and are limited in work. I wish we as land owners, had a say in the vote. Outfitters are trying to take over this unit and they are slowly succeeding! Thanks for thinking of all of us in the southern part of this state!
I give the state of Colorado about $2,000 a year (tags & local stores), in a group of around 10-15 people spending the same. If all you residents reading this want us to stop coming there, prepare for your tags to make up for the difference. Your draw system sucks.