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Walk-In Access for Small Game Hunters

2010 Walk-In Atlas Brochure CoverThe early season Walk-In Access (WIA) period begins September 1 and runs through the end of February. Many of the properties will offer dove, rabbit or other early small game and waterfowl hunting opportunity. Other properties may be enrolled primarily for their value as quail or pheasant hunting properties later in the season.

Small game hunters are no longer required to purchase permits to hunt properties enrolled in the DOW’s Walk-In Access program. WIA properties are now open to all hunters who possess a small game license.

Download the 2010 Regular Walk-In Atlas (7.5MB PDF) for more information. 

Put Some Dove In Your Bag


A mourning dove. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Image Gallery.After months of anticipation, eager wing shooters will take to the field Wednesday, September 1 when Colorado's dove season opens statewide. An abundant dove population coupled with over 175,000 acres of "Walk-In" hunting access offers ample opportunity for hunters.  

"We are anticipating a good dove season," said Ed Gorman, DOW small game manager. "If the weather holds, there should be a good number of birds out there for the season opener."

Approximately 14,000 Colorado hunters hunt doves, making it one of the most popular small game hunts. According to harvest surveys, hunters in Weld, Morgan, Adams, Arapahoe, Logan, Larimer, Mesa, Yuma, Pueblo, Otero and Prowers counties harvest the most doves.

Gorman suggests hunting near food crops, including wheat stubble, proso-millet stubble and sunflower fields. Roosting areas near food sources should also hold good numbers of doves, helping hunters to fill their bag limit. Hunters should consult the 2010 Small Game Brochure for details regarding bag and possession limits and season dates.  

Colorado is home to three dove species: mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared.

Blue grouse, sharp-tailed grouse and chukar partridge seasons also begin September 1, while sage grouse and ptarmigan open September 11.

Colorado's dove season runs Sept. 1 through Nov. 9 statewide. For more information on small game hunting regulations and advisories, see Colorado's Fall Hunting Seasons.

Backpacking Your Hunt


Mountain scene.Chris Silewski, in Elk Hunting University’s (EHU) newest installment, Wilderness Hunting, writes, “I’m not going to sugar coat it for you—backpack hunting is one of the toughest types of hunting to do.” But the advantages and rewards are well worth the challenges!

Preparation is key: training, knowing where to go, what equipment to use, what food to eat. Silewski offers a wealth of information, ideas and suggestions to use in planning and executing a wilderness backpack elk hunt. The easiest part could be choosing which part of Colorado’s nearly 3.5 million acres of wilderness to hunt!

So—get started. Read Silewski's EHU “lesson” and catch up on any of the previous ones you might have missed. Make this elk season your best ever. Or your first!

Purchase Leftover & OTC Licenses Now

A buck deer near Bailey, Colorado. Photo by David Hannigan.Leftover and general over-the-counter (OTC) big game licenses, as well as OTC bear licenses with caps and turkey licenses, are available for purchase by internet, telephone (1-800-244-5613), license agents and Division of Wildlife offices.

Leftover licenses:  for a current list available and more information, see Leftover Licenses.

OTC Cap licenses:  sold for archery, muzzleloading and rifle bear, as well as some units for rifle elk. Check out the 2010 OTC bull elk license map (1.5MB PDF) and the OTC Cap License List.