Hot Sulphur Springs SWA: hunting rules and access

Hot Sulphur Springs SWA is 2,160 acres of State Wildlife Area in Grand County, Colorado, in game management units 18 and 28. CPW lists bear, deer, dove, dusky (blue) grouse, elk, mountain lion, rabbit and waterfowl for it, and its rules for the property run to 11 lines: 5 on its page for the property and 6 in its regulations.

A State Wildlife Area has its own rules on top of the statewide season rules. How the kinds of public land differ.

What CPW lists for hunting here

Bear, Deer, Dove, Dusky (blue) grouse, Elk, Mountain lion, Rabbit, Waterfowl.

Fishing, as CPW lists it: Fishing Opportunities, Coldwater Stream.

A species on this list is one CPW names for the property. It still needs an open season, the right license for the unit, and nothing in the restrictions below against it on your dates.

Who may enter

A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing this state wildlife area.

Restrictions on CPW's page for this property

• A. Byers Canyon Rifle Range open May 1-Dec. 31 from sunrise to sunset.
• B. Discharging firearms or bows prohibited, except while hunting or on the desig- nated shooting range.
• C. Camping allowed in designated areas from May 15-Dec. 15.
• D. Fires allowed within an established con- tainment structure in designated areas.
• E. Dogs must be under control and on leash by handler, except service animals or when actively hunting, training for hunt- ing or during licensed field trials.

In CPW's regulations

• a. Public access is prohibited on the Byers Canyon Rifle Range, except between sunrise and sunset.
• b. Public access on the Byers Canyon Rifle Range is prohibited from January 1 through April 30.
• c. Discharge of firearms or bows is prohibited, except while hunting or on the designated shooting range.
• d. Camping is allowed in designated campgrounds, in designated sites from May 15 through December 15.
• e. Fires are allowed within an established containment structure in designated areas.
• f. Dogs are allowed but must be kept under control on a physical leash by the handler at all times except as authorized in #900(C)(15).

From CPW regulations, chapter W-9 (Wildlife Properties), 2 CCR 406-9, dated July 16, 2026.

Read it at the source before you go

The rules above are CPW's words, copied from CPW's page for Hot Sulphur Springs SWA as it read on October 8, 2026 and from the regulations for CPW properties. CPW can change them or close the property at any time, signs on the ground count, and a rule that names a season moves with that season each year.

Units 18 and 28, around Hot Sulphur Springs SWA

• Elk in unit 18, 2024: 4,997 hunters in all seasons took 662 elk, 13% success (2023: 10% from 5,500 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 3,544 hunters, 15%. Unit 18 elk by season
• Deer in unit 18, 2024: 609 hunters in all seasons took 110 deer, 18% success (2023: 23% from 1,470 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 489 hunters, 21%. Unit 18 deer by season
• Unit 18: 645 square miles in Grand County, 52.4% national forest and 10.4% BLM land, from 7,600 to 12,300 feet.
• Elk in unit 28, 2024: 2,871 hunters in all seasons took 177 elk, 6% success (2023: 5% from 3,871 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 1,792 hunters, 7%. Unit 28 elk by season
• Deer in unit 28, 2024: 385 hunters in all seasons took 88 deer, 23% success (2023: 15% from 986 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 283 hunters, 27%. Unit 28 deer by season
• Unit 28: 663 square miles in Grand County, 59.2% national forest and 6.3% BLM land, from 7,600 to 12,300 feet.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife survey estimates for the whole unit, private land included. They are not figures for this property, and whether elk or deer may be hunted here is in CPW's list above.

2026 elk and deer rifle hunt codes for units 18 and 28

A code valid in the unit is not permission to hunt this property: the property's own list and restrictions decide that. Legal light is half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset at the coordinates above, on the Colorado clock; the state's printed table is the rule. Archery, muzzleloader, late and private-land codes are on the unit pages: unit 18 elk, unit 18 deer, unit 28 elk, unit 28 deer.

Nearest CPW properties to Hot Sulphur Springs SWA

Straight-line miles between the middles of the boundaries CPW maps, not road miles. A property can be much nearer at its edge.

More CPW properties in units 18, 28

Willow Creek Reservoir SWAGranby Ranch (Conservation Easement)Ptarmigan STLRed Mountain SWA

All 721 State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands