Colorado bobcat season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Bobcat is open in Colorado from December 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, statewide. This page has the 2026-27 dates, the daily bag and possession limits, the licences you need and the rules that apply, read from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife brochure.
2026-27 season dates and limits
| Season | Dates | Where | Daily bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat season | December 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 | statewide | 2 | No limit |
Shooting hours: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Licences and stamps
- Colorado furbearer licence
- Colorado Habitat Stamp
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) number for this season
Rules for bobcat
- A furbearer licence, or a small game licence with the furbearer harvest permit.
- Present every bobcat or pelt to CPW in person for a seal within 30 days of taking it, or within 5 days after the season closes, whichever comes first.
- Any rifle, handgun or shotgun, bow or crossbow. Electronic calls are legal.
- No night permits for bobcat on public land in the Canada Lynx Recovery Area where lynx are present.
- Contests with money or prizes are prohibited.
- Do not shoot from, on or across a public road. No rifle, handgun or bow within 50 feet of the road centre line.
- Orange or pink is not required for small game, but big game seasons are open around you. Wear it.
Do not mistake these for bobcat
- Canada lynx (protected or closed: never shoot): The tail tip is black all the way round (a bobcat's is black on top and white underneath), the ear tufts are over an inch long, and the feet are huge: tracks 3 to 3 3/4 inches long against a bobcat's 1 3/4 to 2 1/2. State endangered. Lynx live in conifer forest above about 9,000 ft, above all in GMUs 55, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74 to 81, 551, 681, 711 and 751. An accidental kill must be reported within 24 hours.
- Mountain lion kitten and house cats (protected or closed: never shoot): A lion kitten has a long tail. A house cat is a third of the size.
How to hunt bobcat
- Call from a hidden seat overlooking brushy canyon bottoms and rim rock. A bobcat comes slowly; sit longer than you would for a coyote.
- Tracks on snow along rims and draws show which canyons hold cats.
Where to walk for bobcat in your unit
FilledTag finds the patches of the right habitat for your date on public land in the unit you choose, each with legal parking and the walk from the truck.
Check my hunt See a sample planWhat a map cannot tell you
- The other furbearers (foxes, raccoon, badger and the rest) have no model yet.
- Walk-In Access parcels and private land are not in the planner.
Source
CPW regulations chapter W-3, Furbearers and Small Game (07/16/2026, effective 1 Sept 2026); 2026 Colorado Small Game & Waterfowl brochure, pages 3 to 5 and 9: https://cpw.widen.net/s/kmpdszcx6j/ch03. Read October 2, 2026. Rules change every year, and corrections are issued during the season: read the current brochure before you hunt.