Colorado greater sage-grouse season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Greater sage-grouse is open in Colorado from September 12, 2026 to September 18, 2026, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage-grouse season 1 | September 12, 2026 to September 18, 2026 | GMUs 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 27, 37, 181, 201, 211, 301 and 441, and parts of 18 and 28 | 2 | 4 |
| Sage-grouse season 2 (North Park) | September 12, 2026 to September 13, 2026 | only GMUs 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171 | 2 | 2 |
Shooting hours: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset.
Units we can plan for greater sage-grouse
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.
Sage-grouse season 1: GMUs 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 27, 37, 181, 201, 211, 301 and 441, and parts of 18 and 28
14 units: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 27, 37, 181, 201, 211, 301, 441.
GMUs 18 and 28 are open only in part and are not offered.
Sage-grouse season 2 (North Park): only GMUs 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171
5 units: 6, 16, 17, 161, 171.
Licences and stamps
- Colorado small game licence
- Colorado Habitat Stamp
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) number for this season
- The permit this species needs (see the brochure)
Rules for greater sage-grouse
- Carry the white-tailed ptarmigan, greater sage-grouse and mountain sharp-tailed grouse permit.
- 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 sage-grouse hunting.
- The open units changed for 2026. Do not use an older list.
Do not mistake these for greater sage-grouse
- Gunnison sage-grouse (protected or closed: never shoot): About a third smaller, in the Gunnison Basin and south-west Colorado only. The two do not share ground. No season anywhere, and the marks are weak on a flushing bird, so never hunt sage-grouse outside the open units.
- Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (different season or permit): Much smaller and pale, with a short pointed tail that shows white at the sides. Its own units, dates and limit.
- Dusky grouse (different season or permit): Square dark tail with a pale band at the tip, at the aspen and timber edge. Its own limit.
How to hunt greater sage-grouse
- Walk sagebrush near green, wet ground. Birds are often within a hundred yards of the sage edge.
- Shots are over open ground. Know where your partners and the road are.
Where to walk for greater sage-grouse 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. Small game plans are free for the first 75 hunters, then $9.99.
Get my free plan See a sample planWhat a map cannot tell you
- GMUs 18 and 28 are open only in part and are not offered.
- Most hay meadows are private. the planner offers only public sagebrush near them.
- The planner has no layer of leks or of this year's counts.
Source
2026 Colorado Small Game & Waterfowl brochure (corrections 21 Aug 2026), pages 3, 5, 7 and 10: 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.