Colorado cottontail rabbit season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Cottontail rabbit is open in Colorado from October 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottontail season | October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 | statewide | 10 | 20 |
Shooting hours: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset.
Licences and stamps
- Colorado small game licence
- Colorado Habitat Stamp
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) number for this season
Rules for cottontail rabbit
- Any rifle or handgun, a shotgun holding no more than three shells, bow, crossbow, air gun or slingshot.
- West of I-25 during the regular rifle deer and elk seasons, no centerfire rifle larger than .23 calibre for small game unless you hold an unfilled deer or elk licence for that season.
- No dogs for this animal while a regular deer, elk, pronghorn or moose season is open on that land.
- Wear gloves to handle and skin it, and cook the meat through. Rabbits, hares and rodents carry tularemia; leave any animal that looks sick.
- 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 cottontail rabbit
- American pika (protected or closed: never shoot): Tiny, with round ears and no tail, on rock slides in the high country. It may not be hunted.
- Snowshoe hare and jackrabbits (different season or permit): Bigger, with longer ears and hind feet. Same dates, but each has its own limit of 10.
How to hunt cottontail rabbit
- Walk brushy draws, thickets, rock piles and fence rows slowly and stop often. A rabbit bolts when you stop.
- With a rifle, know your backstop. With partners, keep a line and know where everyone is.
Where to walk for cottontail rabbit 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
- Almost no Colorado study gives numbers for cottontail habitat; most of these curves are assumed.
- 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.