Colorado sets its deer seasons on a five-year schedule that runs from 2025 through 2029. Mountain mule deer hunts follow the same archery, muzzleloader, and rifle calendar as elk. The eastern plains have their own longer seasons, and a handful of wilderness units open early for rifle hunters. Here are the 2026 dates.

2026 mountain deer season dates (west of I-25)

Season	2026 dates	Notes
Archery	September 2–30	Limited licenses only
Muzzleloader	September 12–20	Limited licenses only
Early high-country rifle	September 5–13 or September 12–20 in most units	Mostly buck only, wilderness or above timberline
1st rifle	October 14–18	Mostly elk; limited deer hunts in a few units
2nd rifle	October 24 – November 1	Limited deer licenses
3rd rifle	November 7–15	Limited deer licenses
4th rifle	November 18–22	Limited deer licenses, often the toughest to draw

2026 eastern plains deer season dates (east of I-25)

Season	2026 dates
Plains archery	October 1–23, November 4–30, and December 15–31 in many units
Plains muzzleloader	October 10–18
Plains rifle	October 24 – November 3
Late plains rifle	December 1–14
OTC whitetail rifle (Front Range and south-central units)	December 1–31

Archery dates on the plains vary by unit group. Some units run straight through November 4 to December 31, and a few have shorter seasons. Late seasons, private-land-only licenses, and youth hunts can have different dates. The CPW Big Game brochure lists the exact dates for every hunt code.

Early high-country rifle hunts

These rifle hunts, almost all for bucks, are a Colorado specialty. They put a rifle hunter in alpine country while bucks are still on summer range, often still in velvet or just out of it. They are limited to wilderness areas or terrain above a set elevation or timberline. 2026 examples:

• September 5–13: parts of GMU 6 above 10,000 feet and the Rawah Wilderness, the Flat Tops, the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, and GMU 74 above 11,000 feet
• September 12–20: Eagles Nest, Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Holy Cross, Hunter-Fryingpan, and above-timberline portions of several central units
• September 29 – October 7 and October 1–7: a few northern units, including GMU 6 and units 16, 17, 161, and 171, with one antlerless hunt in this group

Expect steep, high terrain, thin air, and afternoon storms. Most hunters backpack or use horses. Tags take points, but they offer a rifle hunt with very little competition.

What each season is like

Archery (September 2–30)

Bucks are in bachelor groups and on predictable summer patterns early in the month, then begin to scatter as they shed velvet. Spot-and-stalk in high basins is the classic hunt. It is warm, so plan to get meat cooled fast.

Muzzleloader (September 12–20)

Same high-country bucks, with more range than a bow. Licenses are limited and the popular units take points.

2nd and 3rd rifle (October 24 – November 15)

Bucks start moving lower as the weather turns. Snow in the high country helps push deer toward transition range. These seasons share the mountains with elk hunters, so expect company on public land.

4th rifle (November 18–22)

This is the season serious mule deer hunters wait for. The rut is starting, bucks are moving and chasing does, and deer are often on winter range where they are easier to find. Late-season buck licenses in good units can take many years of points.

Plains seasons (October through December)

Plains whitetails and mule deer live in river bottoms, shelterbelts, and crop fields. The whitetail rut builds through November, and December seasons find deer grouped near food. Most of this land is private, so access is the first thing to sort out.

How to pick your season

• Want a trophy mule deer? Late rifle in a good unit, or an early high-country hunt.
• Want a rifle hunt in September? Early high-country rifle.
• Want a bow hunt with lots of time? Plains archery, which runs into December in many units.
• First deer hunt, want the best odds of a tag? A plains or doe license, or a 2nd or 3rd season buck code that draws with few points.
• Hunting elk too? 2nd and 3rd rifle let you carry both tags. See our Colorado elk guide.

Key license dates for 2026

• Primary draw applications: March 1 – April 7
• Draw results: May 26–29
• Secondary draw: June 18–30
• Leftover licenses on sale: August 4

Read our step-by-step guide to the Colorado deer draw

Related: How Colorado draw points work · Draw odds by unit · Colorado Deer Hunting Guide · Colorado deer tags · Cost of a Colorado deer hunt

Season dates are for 2026 from the CPW 2025–2029 season structure. Dates vary by unit and hunt code, so confirm the dates for your hunt in the current CPW Big Game brochure.