We don’t just sell rifles in Steamboat Springs — we hunt the same units you do. Elk River Guns sits right in the middle of Northwest Colorado, home to the White River elk herd, which CPW has long described as one of the largest elk herds in North America. From the Bears Ears country north of Craig to the Flat Tops south of the Yampa, this is some of the best public-land big game hunting in the West — and it’s in our backyard.
This guide pulls the 2026 dates and deadlines that actually matter into one place, flags what changed this year, and points you to the gear that gets it done. Let’s get you ready.
The current CPW Big Game Brochure is the authority — read it for your unit and season.
2026 At a Glance
These are the statewide 2026 deer and elk seasons under Colorado’s current Big Game Season Structure. Many hunts are limited to specific units and hunt codes — always match your license to the dates printed on it.
Official CPW Big Game Brochure →Buy your license at CPWshop.com →
| Season | 2026 Dates |
|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – 30 |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – 20 |
| 1st Rifle (limited) | October 14 – 18 |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – 15 |
| 4th Rifle (limited) | November 18 – 22 |
| Plains Deer Rifle | October 24 – November 3 |
Black bear runs alongside the deer and elk calendar, with the widest opportunity of any big game species. September rifle bear is Sept. 2 – 30, then bear follows the four rifle seasons through Nov. 22.
These are fully limited, draw-only hunts with dates that vary by unit and hunt code. Pronghorn seasons run roughly mid-August (archery) through mid-October (rifle); moose archery and rifle run September into October; and bighorn sheep and mountain goat are managed under their own separate brochure. Drew one of these tags? Stop by the shop — we love talking about a once-in-a-lifetime hunt.
The primary and secondary draws for 2026 have already run, and the August 4 leftover sale has come and gone — but you can still get a tag this fall. Over-the-counter licenses for certain species and units are on sale right now at CPWshop.com or in person, and CPW posts a reissue preview list every Tuesday at 11 a.m. MT (starting Aug. 11), with those returned licenses going on sale the following Wednesday — all season long.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| April 7, 2026 | Primary draw application & correction deadline (8 p.m. MT) |
| May 26 – 29 | Primary draw results posted online |
| June 30, 2026 | Secondary draw application & correction deadline (8 p.m. MT) |
| July 7 | Secondary draw results posted online |
| Aug. 4, 2026 | Leftover limited & over-the-counter licenses went on sale (9 a.m. MT) |
| Tuesdays from Aug. 11 | Reissue preview list posts 11 a.m. MT — returned licenses on sale the following Wednesday, all season |
Full draw & license info at CPW →
A current-year 2026 qualifying license is required before you can apply in either draw — but not to buy a leftover or over-the-counter license.
Northwest Colorado is elk country, plain and simple. The White River herd ranges across the units between Meeker, Craig and Steamboat. To our north and west, the Bears Ears country and the sage and aspen of Moffat County hold strong elk and mule deer numbers; to the south, the Flat Tops Wilderness is classic high-country backpack hunting. The hard winter of 2022–23 knocked herds back, and recovery has varied by species and by herd — check CPW’s current population and harvest data for the specific unit you’re drawing or hunting rather than assuming last year’s picture still holds.
Most of this is public: BLM, White River National Forest, Routt National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and Walk-In Access properties. Just don’t assume public-looking ground is open — sort out unit boundaries, private parcels and seasonal closures first with the free Colorado Hunting Atlas.
Whether you’re chasing bugling bulls with a bow in September or glassing a high basin in the fourth rifle snow, we’ve got the rifles, glass and gear to back your hunt. Browse our top hunting categories:
Rifles
Bolt, lever, semi-auto
Riflescopes
Glass finds animals
Suppressors
Hunt suppressed
Ammunition
Sight in early
Binos & Spotters
Glass more, walk less
Field Gear
Knives, packs, calls, camo
Our gunsmiths at the bench — scope mounting, boresighting, trigger work and general maintenance.
Beyond the sales floor, our team keeps you shooting straight all season. Our gunsmiths handle scope mounting and boresighting for a nominal fee, plus trigger work, barrel and stock work, and general maintenance — get it in early before the fall rush. We also process firearm transfers. See our gunsmithing services.
Season dates and regulations are current as of publication and subject to change. Manner-of-take figures quoted from 2 CCR 406-2-203. Always verify dates, hunt codes and unit-specific rules against your printed license and the official Colorado Parks & Wildlife Big Game Brochure before hunting.
The date under the headline is the last time we checked this page against its sources — not the day it was first written. Rulebooks get amended, regulations change and season dates move, so we review these guides on a regular cycle and re-stamp the date whenever we revise one. If you find something here that has changed before we caught it, email [email protected] or tell us at the counter; we will verify it against the source and correct it.
We write these because people ask us at the counter. Everything in them we either sell, service, or shoot ourselves — and if you'd rather talk it through than read about it, come in.
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