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Field Notes is published by Ridgeline, the mountain-hunt planning app for terrain, routes, camps, gear, and offline field plans.

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DATA ANALYSIS / COLORADO

Colorado leftover big-game licenses, 2026

Compare 2026 OTC opportunities with leftover elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses by game management unit.

Ridgeline data teamSource snapshot Oct 05 2026 8:59:00 AM MDT8 min read

Summary

Colorado Parks and Wildlife published 163 available quota across 2 bear hunt codes in this snapshot. Those hunt codes reference 14 game management units.

The report is not a live inventory. CPW states that processing delays can make it up to one hour old, and licenses can be purchased after the report is generated.

Available quota
163
Hunt codes
2
GMUs represented
14
Private-land-only codes
0

FIND A LICENSE

Choose game management units

Filter the map, then select one or more GMUs to compare matching licenses below.

Tap GMUs to add or remove them. Use two fingers to move the map.

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Opportunity OTC · both residencies Resident OTC Non-resident OTC Leftover only Gold border = leftover tags
Sources: Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2026 Big Game Hunting Brochure and Limited Licensing Leftover, generated Oct 05 2026 8:59:00 AM MDT. Map boundaries: Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Basemap: USGS The National Map.

FILTERS

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Method, season dates, sex, and access apply to both OTC and leftover results. Dates match seasons that overlap your selected window; either-sex, male, and female refer to the published license or seasonal restriction.

42 OTC options · 2 leftover hunt codes · 163 leftover quota in snapshot · 152 matching GMUs · snapshot Oct 05 2026 8:59:00 AM MDT

Find matches near a ZIP code

Approximate straight-line miles from the ZIP center to the nearest GMU boundary. This is unit proximity; road distance and legal access can differ. ZIP lookup requires a connection. ZIP locations: Esri ArcGIS.

NEXT STEP

Select GMUs to compare

Tap units on the map or choose them from the list. Tap again to remove.

Choose GMUs · 152 matching

RESULTS

Select a GMU to see licenses

Tap a numbered unit on the map or use the GMU picker directly below it.

Start with the map.Select a numbered GMU to see its OTC options and leftover hunt codes here.

METHOD

Data and methodology

Ridgeline extracted hunt code, valid GMUs, list, season dates, description and available quota from CPW's 8-page report. Turkey rows are outside the scope of this big-game analysis.

The OTC layer uses CPW's 2026 license groups and unit tables for the chosen residency; it does not treat every unit as generic OTC territory. The leftover layer counts matching hunt codes by valid GMU. Method, sex, access and overlapping season dates filter both layers. Combined results count each hunt code and its quota once, even when it covers several selected GMUs. The map does not divide a multi-unit hunt code's quota among those units. Readers should confirm current availability, exceptions and restrictions with CPW before purchasing a license.

CPW leftover-license information ↗
CPW source document (updated by CPW) ↗
2026 CPW OTC license source ↗