Colorado coyote season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Coyote is open in Colorado from September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote (open all year) | September 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 small game licence
- Colorado Habitat Stamp
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) number for this season
Rules for coyote
- A small game or furbearer licence. Whether an unfilled big game licence still covers coyotes was not confirmed for 2026: carry a small game licence.
- Any rifle, handgun or shotgun, bow or crossbow. Electronic calls are legal.
- Night hunting with a light needs a CPW permit on public land. The permit is not valid during deer, elk or pronghorn rifle seasons, and no animal may be taken within 500 yards of a building.
- 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 coyote
- Gray wolf (protected or closed: never shoot): Twice as heavy or more, with a broad muzzle, short rounded ears and a front track over 4 inches long (a coyote's is under 3). Wolves are in Colorado and are state and federally endangered. Size and colour alone are not reliable: if in doubt, do not shoot.
- Domestic dogs (protected or closed: never shoot): Collars, mixed colours, tails carried up. Near houses and trailheads, assume dog.
- Red, gray and swift fox (different season or permit): Much smaller. Furbearers, open only 1 November to the end of February with a furbearer licence or permit. Kit fox on the West Slope is endangered.
How to hunt coyote
- Walk in quietly with the wind in your face, sit with your outline broken and a wide view downwind, and call for 15 to 20 minutes before moving on.
- Other people use this land. Be sure of the animal and of what is behind it before you shoot.
Where to walk for coyote 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
- Night hunting is not planned by the planner.
- 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.