Colorado small game seasons 2026-27: every date
All 44 Colorado small game, upland bird, waterfowl and furbearer seasons for 2026-27, in the order they open. Tap a species for its units, licences, rules and look-alikes.
| Species | Season | Opens | Closes | Where | Daily bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie dog | Prairie dogs on public land | Jun 15 | Feb 28 | Statewide | No limit |
| Yellow-bellied marmot | Marmot season | Aug 10 | Oct 15 | Statewide | 2 |
| Band-tailed pigeon | Sep 1 | Sep 14 | Statewide | 2 | |
| Chukar | Sep 1 | Nov 30 | Statewide | 4 | |
| Coyote | Coyote (open all year) | Sep 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 2 |
| Dusky grouse | Sep 1 | Nov 22 | west of I-25 | 3 | |
| Eurasian collared-dove | Open all year | Sep 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | No limit |
| Mourning dove | Dove season | Sep 1 | Nov 29 | Statewide | 15 |
| Mountain sharp-tailed grouse | Sep 1 | Sep 20 | only GMUs 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 23, 131, 211, 214 and 441 | 2 | |
| Sora and Virginia rail | Rail season | Sep 1 | Nov 9 | Statewide | 25 |
| Wilson's snipe | Snipe season | Sep 1 | Dec 16 | Statewide | 8 |
| Greater sage-grouse | Sage-grouse season 1 | Sep 12 | Sep 18 | GMUs 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 27, 37, 181, 201, 211, 301 and 441, and parts of 18 and 28 | 2 |
| Greater sage-grouse | Sage-grouse season 2 (North Park) | Sep 12 | Sep 13 | only GMUs 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171 | 2 |
| White-tailed ptarmigan | Ptarmigan season 1 | Sep 12 | Oct 4 | statewide except GMUs 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74 to 81, 444 and 751 | 3 |
| White-tailed ptarmigan | Ptarmigan season 2 | Sep 12 | Nov 22 | only GMUs 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74 to 81, 444 and 751 | 3 |
| Cottontail rabbit | Cottontail season | Oct 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 10 |
| Fox squirrel | Oct 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 5 | |
| Greater prairie-chicken | Oct 1 | Jan 31 | GMUs 93, 97, 98, 100, 101, 102, 103 and 109 (the brochure also opens Morgan County and ground east of Colo. 71 and south of Colo. 14 and US 138, which is not mapped) | 2 | |
| Jackrabbit | Oct 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 10 | |
| Pine squirrel | Oct 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 5 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Oct 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 10 | |
| Sandhill crane | Sandhill crane season, east of I-25 | Oct 3 | Nov 29 | east of the Continental Divide except North Park (Jackson County) and the San Luis Valley (the part east of I-25) | 3 |
| Dabbling ducks | Central Flyway Northeast zone, first split | Oct 17 | Nov 29 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 | 6 |
| Diving ducks | Central Flyway Northeast zone, first split | Oct 17 | Nov 29 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 | 6 |
| Dabbling ducks | Central Flyway Southeast zone | Oct 28 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (all of El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano and Las Animas counties are also in this zone, and are not mapped) | 6 |
| Diving ducks | Central Flyway Southeast zone | Oct 28 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (all of El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano and Las Animas counties are also in this zone, and are not mapped) | 6 |
| Light geese | Central Flyway, east of I-25 | Oct 31 | Feb 14 | east of the Continental Divide (the part east of I-25) | 50 |
| American crow | Crow season | Nov 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | No limit |
| Dark geese | Balance of Central Flyway, east of I-25 | Nov 2 | Feb 14 | east of the Continental Divide outside the North Park, South Park and San Luis Valley zones (the part east of I-25) | 5 |
| Gambel's quail | Quail season, west of I-25 | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | west of I-25, except the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties, which stay open to 31 January | 8 |
| Gambel's quail | Quail season, south-east | Nov 14 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 |
| Gambel's quail | Quail season, north-east | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 |
| Northern bobwhite | Quail season, south-east | Nov 14 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas); also the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties west of I-25 | 8 |
| Northern bobwhite | Quail season, north-east | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 |
| Northern bobwhite | Quail season, west of I-25 | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | west of I-25, except the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties, which stay open to 31 January | 8 |
| Pheasant | Pheasant season, east of I-25 | Nov 14 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 | 3 |
| Pheasant | Pheasant season, west of I-25 | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | west of I-25 | 3 |
| Scaled quail | Quail season, south-east | Nov 14 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and south of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas); also the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties west of I-25 | 8 |
| Scaled quail | Quail season, north-east | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 (I-25 to Byers) and US 36 (Byers to Kansas) | 8 |
| Scaled quail | Quail season, west of I-25 | Nov 14 | Jan 3 | west of I-25, except the parts of Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, El Paso and Las Animas counties, which stay open to 31 January | 8 |
| Abert's squirrel | Nov 15 | Jan 15 | Statewide | 2 | |
| Bobcat | Dec 1 | Feb 28 | Statewide | 2 | |
| Dabbling ducks | Central Flyway Northeast zone, second split | Dec 11 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 | 6 |
| Diving ducks | Central Flyway Northeast zone, second split | Dec 11 | Jan 31 | east of I-25 and north of I-70 | 6 |
From the Colorado Parks and Wildlife small game and waterfowl brochures for 2026-27. Rules change and corrections are issued during the season: check the brochure before you hunt. Groups on this page: small_mammal, migratory_bird, furbearer, upland_bird, waterfowl.
Where to walk for it
A FilledTag small game plan finds the patches of the right habitat for your date on public land in your unit, each with legal parking and the walk from the truck.
Get a plan See a sample plan