Colorado gambel's quail season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Gambel's quail is open in Colorado from November 14, 2026 to January 31, 2027, in the areas listed below. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quail season, west of I-25 | November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027 | west of I-25, except the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties, which stay open to 31 January | 8 | 24 |
| Quail season, south-east | November 14, 2026 to January 31, 2027 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 | 24 |
| Quail season, north-east | November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 | 24 |
Shooting hours: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset.
Units we can plan for gambel's quail
The legal area is as the brochure words it in the table above. These are the units inside it that our maps cover: a unit missing from a list may still be open, so check the brochure.
Quail season, west of I-25: west of I-25, except the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties, which stay open to 31 January
111 units: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 86, 131, 161, 171, 181, 191, 201, 211, 214, 231, 301, 361, 371, 411, 421, 431, 441, 444, 471, 481, 500, 501, 521, 551, 561, 581, 681, 682, 691, 711, 741, 751, 771, 791, 861.
8 a day and 24 in possession of each quail species. The five counties are not mapped, so the shorter season is used.
Quail season, south-east: east of I-25 and south of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas)
22 units: 113, 119, 120, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 130, 132, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147.
Quail season, north-east: east of I-25 and north of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas)
10 units: 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98.
Licences and stamps
- Colorado small game licence
- Colorado Habitat Stamp
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) number for this season
Rules for gambel's quail
- Shotgun (10 gauge or smaller, no slugs, three shells at most), bow or crossbow only. No rifles or handguns.
- Keep one fully feathered wing or the head on each bird until you are home.
- Walk-In Access land is closed to Gambel's quail.
- Quail hunting is prohibited on Horsethief Canyon State Wildlife Area.
Do not mistake these for gambel's quail
- Chukar (different season or permit): Larger, grey with black bars on the flanks and a red bill, on steep rocky slopes. Chukar season closes 30 November, before most of the quail season.
- Scaled quail (different season or permit): Grey with a white-tipped crest and no plume. Its own limit of 8.
How to hunt gambel's quail
- Walk brushy washes and river-bottom thickets near water. The birds run before they fly.
Where to walk for gambel's quail 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
- Colorado has few Gambel's quail, mostly in the western valleys and partly in towns. Treat every pin as "possible", not likely.
Source
2026 Colorado Small Game & Waterfowl brochure (corrections 21 Aug 2026), pages 3, 5, 7 and 11; CPW regulations chapter W-3 (07/16/2026): https://cpw.widen.net/s/bklvf2bjmw/colorado-small-game--waterfowl-brochure. Read October 2, 2026. Rules change every year, and corrections are issued during the season: read the current brochure before you hunt.