Colorado wilson's snipe season 2026-27: dates, units and bag limits
Wilson's snipe is open in Colorado from September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snipe season | September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026 | statewide | 8 | 24 |
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 wilson's snipe
- Shotgun holding no more than three shells. Rifles and pistols are not legal for migratory birds.
- Carry your hunter education card.
- Keep one fully feathered wing or the head on each bird until you are home.
- The state rule does not require non-toxic shot for snipe, but a property may, and you may not carry lead while also hunting ducks. Use non-toxic shot in wetlands.
Do not mistake these for wilson's snipe
- Every other shorebird (yellowlegs, dowitchers, killdeer, sandpipers, phalaropes, avocets, stilts) (protected or closed: never shoot): A white rump or a white wedge up the back, long trailing legs, or a flock that rises together and flies in formation is not a snipe. A bird you can see standing in open water before it flushes is probably not a snipe.
- Sora and Virginia rail (different season or permit): Flush weakly with a short flight and no zigzag. Legal 1 September to 9 November with their own limit.
- Bitterns and small herons (protected or closed: never shoot): Much larger, with slow wingbeats.
How to hunt wilson's snipe
- Walk wet meadow and pond margins slowly. The bird sits tight, bursts out near your feet with a harsh call and zigzags low.
- Fresh sign is clusters of small round probe holes in soft mud with white droppings beside them.
- Low birds and partners walking abreast are the danger. Keep a straight line.
- Mark the fall exactly. A snipe on mud and grass is very hard to find. Mind deep mud and irrigation ditches.
Where to walk for wilson's snipe 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
- The planner cannot see water depth, or whether the mud is wet or frozen this week.
- Most irrigated hay meadow is private and is not offered.
- State Wildlife Areas with wetlands often have waterfowl closures or reservation rules. National wildlife refuges are closed unless they say they are open, and are not in the planner.
Source
2026 Colorado Small Game & Waterfowl brochure (corrections 21 Aug 2026); CPW regulations chapter W-5 (03/04/2026): 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.