Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting recap for November 4-5, 2026

11/12/26

Joey Livingston
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-345-4658 / [email protected]

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting recap for November 4-5, 2026

November 12, 2026

Fort Morgan, Colo — At its November 4-5, 2026 meeting, the Parks and Wildlife Commission heard proposed changes to regulations as follows. All final regulations approved at the meeting will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027 unless otherwise noted.

Updated chapters include: P-01, P-03, P-04, P-05, P-07, W-00, W-01, W-02, W-03, W-07, W-11, and W-16.

Final Regulations
Agenda Item 10: Chapter W-0 - "General Provisions" 2 CCR 406-0, and those related provisions of Chapter W- 2 ("Big Game" 2 CCR 406-2), Chapter W-3 ("Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds" 2 CCR 406-3), Chapter W-11 ("Wildlife Parks and Unregulated Wildlife" 2 CCR 406- 11), Chapter W-16 ("Parks and Wildlife Procedural Rules" 2 CCR 406-16), Chapter P-1 ("Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands" 2 CCR 405-1), Chapter P-4 ("Snowmobile Regulations" 2 CCR 405-4), Chapter P-5 ("Off-Highway Vehicle Regulations" 2 CCR 405-5), and Chapter P-7 ("Passes, Permits, and Regulations" 2 CCR 405-7) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-0 (Step 2 of 2)

The Commission finalized regulations including adjusting license fees and license agent commission rates according to adjustments to the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Consumer Price Index. The Commission also finalized regulations to implement the new licensing and registration system in June of 2027.

Agenda Item 11: Chapter W-2 - "Big Game" 2 CCR 406-2 and those related provisions of Chapter W-3 ("Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds" 2 CCR 406-3) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-2 (Step 2 of 2)

The Commission finalized regulations including preference point fees for bear, elk, deer, pronghorn, and turkey.

Issues Identification
Agenda Item 12: Chapter W-0 "General Provisions" 2 CCR 406-0 (Step 1 of 2)

Open for annual review of game management unit boundary modifications and other annual changes. Specific changes include:

• Adopting regulations to prohibit hunting, fishing or trapping on lands managed by Eagle County, Larimer County, and the City of Fort Collins that are closed by rule or ordinance by the managing city or county agency.
• Updating game management unit boundaries for GMU 125 and 126.
• Updating game management unit boundary for S44 be extended to include areas used by the S44 bighorn sheep herd on the north side of Red Table Mountain.
• Updating game management unit boundaries for G17 and 18.

Agenda Item 14: Chapter W-2 - "Big Game" 2 CCR 406-2 (Step 1 of 2)

Open for review of annual changes to season dates, limited license areas and manner of take provisions for deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. Specific changes include:

Deer

• Creating a first rifle antlered deer season in data analysis unit (DAU) D-41.
• Extending the season dates for DE052P6R to be from August 15 to September 30 annually.
• Converting hunt codes in mule deer data analysis unit D29 to be game management unit specific.
• Adding private-land-only antlered hunt codes to the fourth rifle season in data analysis units D-23 and D-24.
• Adding private-land-only antlered hunt codes to select rifle seasons in data analysis unit D-19.

Elk

• Closing the regular rifle antlerless seasons in game management unit 461 while maintaining the antlerless private-land-only season.
• Creating new hunt codes in game management unit 38 to create a subunit at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
• Creating over-the-counter private-land-only either-sex archery licenses.
• Updating data analysis unit E-14 muzzleloader hunt codes to be standard with E-14 archery hunt codes.
• Updating Eastern Plains either-sex rifle elk licenses from list C to list B.
• Closing the archery antlerless elk season in the St. Vrain Elk Herd.
• Closing the first late antlerless elk season in the St. Vrain Elk Herd.
• Modifying season start dates for private-land-only antlerless licenses in data analysis unit E-4.
• Modifying either-sex licensees in muzzleloader, first season and fourth season rifle data analysis unit E-8 to sex specific licenses.
• Modifying either-sex licensees in muzzleloader, first season and fourth season rifle data analysis unit E-13 to sex specific licenses.
• Modifying antlered hunt codes EM01101R, EM01104R, and EM01204R in data analysis unit E-6 to either-sex hunt codes EE01101R, EE01104R, and EE01204R.
• Updating list A antlerless elk licenses to be list B licenses, and adding over-the-counter antlerless licenses in data analysis units E-2 and E-6.

Pronghorn

• Modifying regulations for youth hunting extended season with an unfilled doe license.

Moose

• Modifying antlered and antlerless hunt codes in data analysis unit M-9.

Bighorn Sheep

• Changing the S39 archery ram season to a rifle season.
• Closing S40 for sheep hunting.
• Removing hunt code SMS3701A in the St. Vrain bighorn sheep herd.
• Closing S28 for sheep hunting.
• Adding a late rifle ram season to game management unit S04.
• Adding a second ewe rifle season to game management unit 503.
• Adding an archery ram season to game management unit S04 and add a rifle ram season aligned with 503.
• Modifying existing ewe rifle seasons in game management unit S41.

Agenda Item 15: Chapter W-3 "Furbearers and Small Game, except Migratory Birds" 2 CCR 406-3 (Step 1 of 2).

Open for review of prairie dog bag and possession limits, and legal methods of take on public lands, including consideration of a season closure on public lands.

Citizen Petition
Agenda Item 21: Renaming Roxborough State Park

The Commission denied the citizen petition requesting to rename Roxborough State Park to Richard D. Lamm State Park at Roxborough.

Consent Agenda
Final Regulations

Agenda Item 20.1: Chapter P-3 - "River Outfitters" 2 CCR 405-3 (Step 2 of 2)

The Commission finalized changes to update river outfitter regulations to implement HB 26-1197, which revised the statutory definition of "vessel." Allowing the limited use of single- chamber vessels on regulated trips.

Agenda Item 20.2: Chapter W-1- "Fishing" 2 CCR 406-1 and those related provisions of Chapter W-0 ("General Provisions" 2 CCR 406-0) and Chapter W-7 ("Herpetofauna" 2 CCR 406-7) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-1 (Step 2 of 2 except as noted):

The Commission finalized changes including, but not limited to, consideration of regulations regarding season dates, bag and possession limits, licensing requirements, manner of take provisions and special conditions or restrictions applicable to waters of the state. Specific considerations included:

• Requiring aquatic nuisance species (ANS) inspection and management for aquatic wildlife production facilities in Chapter W-0, Article VII, #014 Aquatic Wildlife Health Management.
• Amending regulations to prohibit the use of any amphibian (alive or dead) as fishing bait.
• Modifying bag and possession limits for walleye and saugeye, and remove the restriction limiting angler harvest to a single walleye or saugeye exceeding 21 inches at Boyd Lake.
• Updating regulations at Button Rock Reservoir to remove regulations not directed by CPW.
• Modifying property-specific fishing regulations at Golden Park Ponds for largemouth and smallmouth bass for the use of artificial flies and lures.
• Updating Lutz Reservoir regulations to establish a 10" minimum size limit on crappie, establish catch and release fishing regulations for largemouth and smallmouth bass, and establish an artificial fly and lure only regulation.
• Restricting harvest and manner of take regulations for cutthroat trout at Mill Creek.
• Updating regulations at Willow Bend Natural Area Ponds (Willow Bend, Kingfisher, and Turtle) to implement special regulations for largemouth and smallmouth bass.
• Establishing catch-and-release regulations for largemouth and smallmouth bass at the following Front Range locations: Arapahoe Bend Natural Area, Riverbend Ponds, Dixon Reservoir, Prospect Ponds, and Kyger Reservoir.
• Updating property-specific regulations on Scotland Peak Reservoir to include flies and lures only and trout must be released immediately upon catch. (Step 1 of 1)

*These regulations go into effect April 1, 2027.

Agenda Item 20.3: Chapter W-3 - "Furbearers and Small Game, except Migratory Birds" 2 CCR 406-3 (Step 1 of 1 and Step 2 of 2)

The Commission finalized changes to regulations regarding turkey hunting, including but not limited to, license areas, season dates, manner of take provisions for the 2026 turkey hunting seasons and adding game management unit 26 to the over-the-counter turkey hunt code.

Issues Identification
Agenda Item 20.4: Chapter W-0 "General Provisions" 2 CCR 406-0 (Step 1 of 2)

Open for annual review of game management unit boundary modifications and other annual changes. Specific changes include:

• Updating game management unit boundaries for GMU 30, 31 and 575.

Agenda Item 23.5: Chapter W-2 - "Big Game" 2 CCR 406-2 (Step 1 of 2)

Open for review of annual changes to season dates, limited license areas and manner of take provisions for elk, pronghorn antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. Specific changes include:

Elk

• Modify data analysis unit E-19 late-season cow tags from list A to list B licenses.

Pronghorn

• Modifying private-land-only seasons in data analysis unit PH-36.
• Creating a new private-land-only doe hunt code in the data analysis unit PH-39.

A complete agenda along with all materials for this meeting are available on CPW’s website for public review. 

The public is encouraged to submit comments to the PWC at engagecpw.org/pwc-public-comment. Details on providing public comments for hybrid meetings are available on CPW’s website.

The commission meets regularly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation. This opportunity keeps constituents informed about the development of regulations and how the commission works with Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to manage the parks, wildlife and outdoor recreation programs administered by the agency. 

Learn more about the Parks and Wildlife Commission on CPW’s website.

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