Applications for Colorado's big game license draw open Tuesday, March 1. The application period closes on April 5 at 8 P.M.
Hunters interested in taking part this season will need to buy a qualifying license to participate in the draw, and all qualifying licenses will be available beginning March 1.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife have made a few changes to the license requirements and fees for the 2022, and all the changes can be found in the 2022 Colorado Big Game brochure.
Get ready...Primary draw applications open March 1.
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) February 17, 2022
Get caught up on what's new for 2022 🔽 pic.twitter.com/0iV9lTEUdu
If you win the primary draw, CPW will send you an e-mail. If you win but wish to surrender an elk, deer, break, pronghorn, or moose license, you have until Monday, June 6 at 11:59 P.M. Mountain Time to do so.
The deadline for surrendering a bighorn sheep or mountain goat license is Friday, April 22 at 11:59 P.M. Mountain Time.
Surrendering a license reinstates the hunter's preference points to what they were before the draw and will remove the license from their account.
The payment deadlines for the licenses, excluding sheep and goats, is midnight on June 17. For sheep and goats it is May 3. If the payment is missed, both the license and the preference points will be forfeited.
A major change for bow hunters comes this year, as there is no longer a maximum let-off percentage. Now compound bows with any let-off percentage are allowed. However, if you plan to use a draw-loc or a crossbow, an ADA Recreation Accommodation permit is still required.
CPW is also advising archers to wear fluorescent orange or pink during the overlap between the archery and muzzleloader seasons between September 10-18, 2022.
All deer hunters will need to be aware of the mandatory testing in specific hunt codes for Chronic Wasting Disease. CPW is requiring mandatory submission of head samples, which they will test free of charge.
The specific codes are shaded in green on pages 22, and 27-31 in the Colorado Big Game Brochure.
Hunters may also voluntarily submit a head sample for CWD testing for a $25 fee.
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