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.