A Colorado small game license costs $35.76 for residents and $98.92 for nonresidents, and it covers upland game birds, small game mammals, prairie dogs, coyotes, and a short list of other species like prairie rattlesnake and common snapping turtle.1eRegulations. Colorado Hunting Licenses and Fees Most hunters will also pay a $12.47 Habitat Stamp on top of the license, and a few species require an extra permit or federal stamp before you can hunt them.
What the License Covers
The license authorizes hunting in three groups of species.
Game Birds
- Grouse: dusky, greater sage-grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse, and mountain sharp-tailed
- White-tailed ptarmigan
- Quail: northern bobwhite, scaled, and Gambel’s
- Pheasant, chukar partridge, and greater prairie-chicken
Game Mammals
- Cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, white-tailed jackrabbit, and black-tailed jackrabbit
- Fox squirrel, pine squirrel, and Abert’s squirrel
- Marmot2Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – Section 300 Definitions
Other Small Game
- Black-tailed, white-tailed, and Gunnison’s prairie dogs
- Wyoming (Richardson’s) ground squirrel
- Prairie rattlesnake
- Common snapping turtle
Coyotes can be taken on either a small game license or the standalone furbearer license, so if you already hold a small game license you’re covered.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
Species That Need Something Extra
Three birds require a separate $5 permit in addition to the small game license: white-tailed ptarmigan, greater sage-grouse, and mountain sharp-tailed grouse.3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
Wild turkey is defined as small game in Colorado regulations, but a small game license does not authorize turkey hunting. Turkey requires its own license.4Colorado Secretary of State. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – License Requirements
What the License Does Not Cover
A small game license does not authorize big game: deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bear, or mountain lion all require separate licenses. Wild turkey is also outside the small game license despite the regulatory definition. Migratory birds like doves and waterfowl start with the small game license, but waterfowl hunters need additional stamps described below.
Full Cost With Add-Ons
- Annual small game license: $35.76 resident, $98.92 nonresident1eRegulations. Colorado Hunting Licenses and Fees
- Habitat Stamp: $12.47, required for hunters aged 18 through 64 and added automatically to the first license purchase of the year5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp
- Sage-grouse, ptarmigan, or sharp-tailed grouse permit: $5 each3Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Small Game
- Colorado Waterfowl Stamp: $12.76 for the 2026 season6Colorado Secretary of State. General Provisions – Fee Schedule 2026
- Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp): $25, required for waterfowl hunters aged 16 and older
If you buy one-day or additional-day small game licenses, the Habitat Stamp is waived on the first two of those purchases in a year. The stamp is charged starting with the third one-day license.5Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Habitat Stamp
Waterfowl Rules to Know
Waterfowl hunters aged 16 and older need both the federal duck stamp and the Colorado Waterfowl Stamp on top of the small game license.6Colorado Secretary of State. General Provisions – Fee Schedule 2026 Federal baiting rules also apply. You cannot hunt waterfowl over a baited area, and an area remains off-limits for ten days after bait is completely removed. Hunting over standing crops that have been mowed, disced, or otherwise manipulated without first being harvested is illegal. Areas planted, harvested, and handled through normal agricultural practices are the exception.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting Baiting violations are federal offenses.
Before You Buy: Education, HIP, and Youth Rules
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949, must complete an approved hunter education course before buying a Colorado hunting license.8Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Hunting Colorado generally honors hunter education certificates from other states.
You also have to register with the Harvest Information Program before you hunt. HIP registration is required for small game, migratory birds, coyotes, and falconry. It’s free, takes a few minutes, and has to be renewed every year.9Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Harvest Information Program
Hunters under 16 who hold a youth small game license must be accompanied at all times by someone at least 18 years old, and the accompanying adult must meet hunter education requirements.10Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-4-117 Youth and Mentor Hunting Programs
Legal Methods of Take
Game mammals can be hunted with rifles, handguns, shotguns up to 10 gauge with a three-shell maximum, handheld bows, crossbows, air guns, slingshots, or falconry.11Legal Information Institute. 2 CCR 406-3-303 Manner of Take
Game birds are more restricted. Shotguns are the primary firearm and cannot hold more than three shells in magazine and chamber combined.12Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game – Section 303 Manner of Take Rifles and handguns are allowed only for dusky grouse, ptarmigan, and turkey during the fall and late seasons. Air guns and slingshots are limited to dusky grouse and ptarmigan. Handheld bows, crossbows, and falconry are permitted for all game birds.11Legal Information Institute. 2 CCR 406-3-303 Manner of Take
Penalties Worth Knowing
Colorado uses a point-based suspension system. Firing a gun or releasing an arrow from a motor vehicle to take wildlife is a misdemeanor carrying a $200 fine and ten license suspension points. Using aircraft to spot wildlife and relay its location to someone on the ground carries a $2,000 fine and fifteen suspension points, and the person on the ground who receives the communication and hunts that day or the next is equally liable.13Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-124 Use of a Motor Vehicle or Aircraft
Colorado also requires hunters to field-dress and preserve the edible portions of game wildlife for human consumption. For small game, failing to do so is a misdemeanor with a $100 fine and ten suspension points.14Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-119 Pursuit of Wounded Game – Waste of Edible Game Wildlife Check current CPW guidance on which species carry the consumption requirement, because hunters occasionally trip up on prairie dogs and rattlesnakes.
Colorado belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which now includes all 50 states. A suspension in Colorado can block license sales in other member states, and a suspension elsewhere can follow you here.13Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 33-6-124 Use of a Motor Vehicle or Aircraft