RIDGELINEHUNT PLANNINGFIELD NOTES
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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 16 2026 4:24:00 PM MDT8 min read

Jump to the hunt finder ↓CPW source document ↗

Find a hunt that fits.

Start with your species, season and hunting method. Compare units on the map, then review matching hunt codes. OTC options and leftover licenses appear together, with exact dates, land restrictions and links to CPW’s sources.

EXPLORE THE DATA

Colorado hunt finder

Filter the map. Select a unit. Compare hunt codes.
Refine your hunt

Filters

1 OTC option · 6 leftover hunt codes · 669 leftover quota in snapshot · 127 matching GMUs · snapshot Oct 16 2026 4:24:00 PM 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 · 127 matching

Colorado · 127 matching units

Select units on the map or use Choose GMUs in Filters.

Loading map…

OTC · bothResidentNon-residentLeftoverSelected

Hunt codes

All matching GMUs · select units to narrow results

Leftover hunt codes

6 matching
Hunt codeMethodGMUsQuotaSexSeason & datesPrivate / publicNotes
AF132P5RRifle / associated132, 139, 145328FemalePrivate-land season 5Dec 1–31, 2026Private land onlyPRIVATE LAND ONLY
AF112L1RRifle / associated112, 113, 114, 115198FemaleLate season 1Dec 5–13, 2026Public & permitted private land—
AF133P5RRifle / associated133, 134, 140, 141, 14751FemalePrivate-land season 5Dec 5–13, 2026Private land onlyPRIVATE LAND ONLY
AF136P5RRifle / associated136, 14349FemalePrivate-land season 5Dec 1–31, 2026Private land onlyPRIVATE LAND ONLY
AF130P5RRifle / associated130, 14639FemalePrivate-land season 5Dec 1–31, 2026Private land onlyPRIVATE LAND ONLY
AF137P5RRifle / associated137, 138, 1444FemalePrivate-land season 5Dec 1–31, 2026Private land onlyPRIVATE LAND ONLY

Swipe for more columns · Snapshot Oct 16 2026 4:24:00 PM MDT · Quantities are not live.

CPW published snapshot · Availability may change. Sources & methodology ↓

READING
YOUR RESULTS

Understand what you’ve found.

Read the whole hunt code. Each code identifies a species, sex, unit, season and method. Check the exact season dates and any notes in the table. OTC options include their residency rules and exceptions.

Check land access. A license does not grant permission to enter private property. Review the access column and the published restrictions before planning an approach.

Treat availability as a snapshot. Leftover quantities come from CPW’s published report, not live inventory. Confirm availability and restrictions with CPW before purchasing. Selecting several GMUs counts each matching hunt code and its quota once.

Sources & 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 ↗