Colorado · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Colorado Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fox & pine squirrel — regular season | Statewide | Oct 1 – Feb 28 |
| Fox & pine squirrel — extended falconry season | Statewide, falconry only | Sep 1 – Mar 31 |
| Abert's squirrel | Statewide | Nov 15 – Jan 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Fox squirrel — Daily | 5 |
|---|---|
| Fox squirrel — Possession | 10 |
| Pine squirrel — Daily | 5 |
| Pine squirrel — Possession | 10 |
| Abert's squirrel — Daily | 2 |
| Abert's squirrel — Possession | 4 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 06:02 — 19:33
Rule: Small game — one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (2 CCR 406-3, §302-A-1). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Colorado sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Colorado need a Colorado hunting license — Requires a Colorado small game license. Fox, pine, and Abert's squirrel bag/possession limits are tracked separately by species — they do not share a combined limit.
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Colorado?
The 2026–27 opener is September 1, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Colorado?
The 2026–27 closing date is March 31, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Colorado?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Colorado Parks and Wildlife before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Colorado per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Fox squirrel — Daily — 5. Fox squirrel — Possession — 10. Pine squirrel — Daily — 5. Pine squirrel — Possession — 10. Abert's squirrel — Daily — 2. Abert's squirrel — Possession — 4. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Colorado?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 06:02 to 19:33. The rule is: Small game — one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (2 CCR 406-3, §302-A-1). 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 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. CPW's live small-game page loaded directly and listed three huntable squirrel species with their opening dates (Fox and Pine squirrel: October 1; Abert's squirrel: November 15) and links to the '2026 Small Game and Waterfowl Brochure,' but the brochure itself is a Widen-hosted document viewer that would not yield readable text through either a direct fetch (too large) or an r.jina.ai proxy (interface chrome only, no body text). The authoritative numbers instead come from the actual Code of Colorado Regulations, 2 CCR 406-3 (Colorado Parks and Wildlife's own codified small-game rule), read via an r.jina.ai proxy of the official sos.state.co.us rule-PDF generator (direct fetch returned 403) and cross-checked against a Cornell LII mirror of the same code sections (406-3-308 for Abert's squirrel, 406-3-309 for fox/pine squirrel). Verbatim: Abert's squirrel — 'Statewide: November 15 - January 15 annually,' daily bag 'Two (2) squirrels,' possession 'Four (4) squirrels.' Fox and pine squirrel — regular season 'Statewide: October 1 - end of February annually' (2027 is not a leap year, so that is February 28, 2027), daily bag 'Five (5) fox squirrels and five (5) pine squirrels,' possession 'Ten (10) fox squirrels and ten (10) pine squirrels'; PLUS an 'Extended Falconry Season - Statewide: September 1 - March 31 annually' for the same two species, found in the same code section — a genuine second, wider legal-method window that most casual hunters would not expect. General small-game shooting hours, from the same code (§302-A-1): 'from one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise to sunset.' Because the falconry window is a real, legally distinct way to take fox/pine squirrel across a wider date range, it is modeled as its own methods[] row per this file's opener/seasonCloses convention, which is why the overall window quoted on the page (Sept 1–Mar 31) is wider than the regular gun/archery season (Oct 1–Feb 28).