How Old Do You Have to Be to Hunt Elk in Colorado? (2026 Youth Rules)

Short answer: in Colorado a kid must be 12 to hunt elk or any big game. An 11-year-old can buy or apply for a license if they turn 12 before the season ends, but cannot hunt with it until their birthday. They also need hunter education (or a one-year Apprentice Hunter Certificate) and a mentor 18 or older. Youth elk licenses cost far less than adult ones. Everything below comes from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) pages, checked October 24, 2026.

Age

CPW: "Youths must be 12 years old to hunt big game." Youth means hunters 12 to 17. (CPW primary draw)
Starting at 11, a kid can buy or apply for a license if they will turn 12 before the season ends, but "youth cannot hunt with the license until they turn 12." (CPW youth hunting)
Hunters 10 and 11 can hunt small game. CPW recommends small game like pheasant, rabbit and squirrel as a place to start. (CPW new hunters)

Hunter education

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 must complete an approved hunter education course. (CPW hunter education)
Two ways to do it: a classroom course (up to $10, at least 10 hours), or an online course (Hunter-ed.com, $34.95) followed by an in-person concluding class (up to $10).
Not ready yet? The Apprentice Hunter Certificate is a free one-year waiver for people 10 and older. It can be used twice, runs April 1 to March 31, and the apprentice must stay in voice and sight contact with a mentor. (CPW new hunters)

Mentors

A mentor must be 18 or older and meet hunter education requirements. Mentors do not have to hunt themselves.
Youth and mentor must be able to see and hear each other without binoculars, radios or other aids. (CPW youth hunting)
CPW's pages word the mentor rule slightly differently in places, so check the current big game brochure for your hunt.

Licenses and the draw

Youth elk license: $20.30 for residents and $130.07 for nonresidents, versus $70.40 and $845.16 for adults. (CPW youth hunting, CPW elk hunting)
At least 15 percent of limited antlerless elk licenses are set aside for youth who meet hunter education requirements. Youth lose that preference if they apply as a group, and the preference point fee is waived for youth. (CPW primary draw)
Everyone, youth included, must buy a qualifying hunting license to apply for the big game draw. A Social Security or ITIN number is required for hunters 12 and older. (CPW elk hunting)
Extended youth elk season: youth 12 to 17 with an unfilled antlerless or either-sex elk license can keep hunting in later seasons, following rifle season rules including blaze orange. Archery and bull tags do not qualify. (CPW extended youth elk)

Blaze orange

With any firearm elk license, hunters must wear at least 500 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink on an outer garment above the waist, plus a fluorescent orange or pink hat visible from all directions. Camouflage orange does not count. (CPW field regulations)

Free mentored hunts

CPW runs free mentored hunts for novice youth. For big game the hunter must be 12 to 17 and have completed hunter education (apprentice certificates are not accepted). Applications open June 1 to 30 each year. (CPW mentored hunts)

Before the first season

Rules tell you when a kid can hunt. Readiness is a different question: can they sit still, stay warm, walk the distance and understand why the wind matters? Reading and talking through the elk's side first helps. See how to take a kid on a first elk hunt and the 7 elk rules.

Regulations change every year. Confirm everything in the current CPW Big Game Brochure before you apply or hunt. This page is a summary for parents, not legal advice.

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