Colorado · Elk · 2026–27 Edition
Colorado Elk Season 2026–27: Archery, Muzzleloader & Rifle Dates
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone note | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Plains rifle (either-sex, OTC, eastern-plains units) | Roughly GMUs 87–147 | Sep 1 – Jan 31 |
| Archery | Statewide — broad resident OTC; nonresident OTC eliminated in most units | Sep 2 – Sep 30 |
| Muzzleloader | Statewide — draw only, no OTC | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| First rifle | Mostly draw/limited; isolated unit-specific OTC (e.g. GMU 128) | Oct 14 – Oct 18 |
| Second rifle | OTC bull-elk tags in many, not all, GMUs | Oct 24 – Nov 1 |
| Third rifle | Same OTC structure as Second rifle in most valid units | Nov 7 – Nov 15 |
| Fourth rifle | Mostly draw/limited | Nov 18 – Nov 22 |
Colorado is divided into roughly 185 Game Management Units (GMUs), each with its own season dates, license availability and antler-point rules — check CPW's unit maps for the specific GMU you plan to hunt.
02 — Tags & bag limits
| Per tag | One elk per license/tag — the tag specifies bull/antlered, cow/antlerless or either-sex, plus its valid unit(s) and season |
|---|---|
| Multiple tags | A hunter may hold more than one elk license per year only under CPW's List A/B/C system: List A is one only, List B allows up to two (e.g. one List A plus one List B), List C is unlimited additional |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 06:02 — 20:03
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, statewide, for all big game — no elk-specific exception found (per the 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Colorado sun times for any other date.
04 — License & tags
Elk hunters in Colorado need a Colorado hunting license plus an elk tag. Both resident and nonresident tags exist, but nonresident elk tags need the draw far more often than resident tags — nonresident OTC archery now exists only in a handful of eastern units.
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a unit before Colorado's opener usually means glassing basins and running a trail camera through summer.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does elk season start in Colorado?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is September 1, 2026 (Plains rifle (either-sex, OTC, eastern-plains units)). See the table above for every method.
When does elk season end in Colorado?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 31, 2027. Individual seasons close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need to enter a draw to hunt elk in Colorado?
It depends on the season and weapon. Archery elk has broad resident over-the-counter (OTC) availability, but nonresident OTC archery has been eliminated in most units. Muzzleloader elk is draw-only statewide — no OTC tags. Second and Third rifle seasons have OTC bull-elk tags in many, not all, GMUs — see CPW's OTC rifle unit map. First and Fourth rifle seasons are mostly draw. A separate unlimited-OTC 'Plains' either-sex rifle season runs Sept 1 – Jan 31 in eastern-plains units.
How many elk can you shoot in Colorado?
2026–27 bag limits: Per tag — One elk per license/tag — the tag specifies bull/antlered, cow/antlerless or either-sex, plus its valid unit(s) and season. Multiple tags — A hunter may hold more than one elk license per year only under CPW's List A/B/C system: List A is one only, List B allows up to two (e.g. one List A plus one List B), List C is unlimited additional. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting elk in Colorado?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 06:02 to 20:03. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, statewide, for all big game — no elk-specific exception found (per the 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Colorado sun times for any other date.
Verified · Colorado Parks and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-13
Publisher's note. Season dates read directly from the official 2026 CPW Big Game Hunting Brochure PDF (linked from the elk hub page above; cpw.widen.net/s/5wvx7rggrd/colorado-big-game-hunting-brochure), the state's authoritative current-year regulations document. CPW's own hunting-elk and big-game web pages don't embed the season-date table in HTML — they defer to this brochure. The numbered rifle seasons (1st–4th) apply to most mountain GMUs; eastern-plains units instead run a separate unlimited-OTC 'Plains' either-sex rifle season, Sept 1, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027, included below as its own row so nonresident/eastern-plains hunters aren't misled by the four-rifle-season framing. The commonly cited '~185 GMUs' figure is standard CPW terminology corroborated by secondary hunting sites but was not found as an explicit number in the brochure text itself — treat it as an approximation.