The 2025 Colorado leftover hunting license sale date is coming up quickly; see your hunting tag options, plus tips on how to get a tag
Sample of the 2025 Colorado limited hunting license leftover list.
Colorado leftover day waiting list queue.
Today, the 2025 Colorado leftover tag preview list became available! This includes all remaining leftover limited licenses and returned licenses to date. So, if you don't have a hunt planned for 2025, this is another chance to pick up a hunting license for this year. These licenses will go on sale Tuesday, August 5, at 9:00 a.m. (MT).
You can access the leftover tag list here. Also, remember that over-the-counter (OTC) licenses will also be available to purchase on August 5. Start your research for OTC licenses here. Note: Over-the-counter licenses and add-on bear licenses are unlimited, so they NEVER sell out.
All leftover licenses will be available for purchase online, and by phone at 800-244-5613, or in person at any CPW offices, and license retailers on Tuesday, August 5, at 9:00 a.m. (MT). You will not lose your points if you pick up a tag on the leftover list.
Remember, you can pick up a leftover license without:
And again, just like I do every year to make things easier, I uploaded the initial sale date license list, plus the old lists if you're curious to see trends. This is useful for tracking trends in what tags made it through as a leftover. Because after this original date, the document from Colorado will change as tags are picked up.
So, if you ever need to access the original list, you can just come back to this article at any time and click the button below to download the list as of July 30, 2025.
These 2025 leftover tags are available after the main draw and the secondary draw. There also could be some reissued licenses if they were returned before August 5.
This is how tags get on this list:
For the leftover tag list, remember that you can begin your research now for the leftover tag you might want to pick up by using research tools on GOHUNT. Personally, I like using Filtering, and Draw Odds to determine the popularity of the leftover tags (certain units in the leftover draw are highly coveted and will most likely be picked over fast), and you can even use our Application Strategy articles for further research. Like other leftover lists, jump in and save or favorite several units you have your eye on, and then you can drop notes and rank your choices in our Hunt Planner.
Note: A qualifying license is not required to purchase a leftover limited license, a reissued license, or an over-the-counter license.
If you're not a member of GOHUNT, there's no better time than now to join.
It is important to have an active account set up and be familiar with how to purchase a license before the start of the leftover day. This is extremely important because certain tags will be picked up fast, and lots of tags will sell out within the first few minutes. This is why, for all these leftover tag sales, I fully ensure I can log in to my account well ahead of time and all my information is ready to go. There is nothing worse than not remembering your password and running into issues on a leftover day.
Be prepared for the leftover day by completing the following checklist before purchases begin on Tuesday, August 5, at 9:00 a.m. (MDT).
Available licenses will go on sale at 9 a.m. You may attempt to get in line CPWshop.com beginning at 8 a.m. to begin the purchase process/waiting room process. The system will reset at 8 a.m., meaning there is no advantage to logging in earlier. Customers who try to access the CPWshop prior to 9 a.m. (but after 8 a.m.) will enter the waiting list queue page to hold their place in the line. If you refresh this page or close your browser and start over, you will be moved to the back of the queue.
Getting through the waiting queue line could take some time, so be sure to set aside a bunch of time.
After purchasing begins at 9 a.m., when you enter a hunt code and confirm it, that hunt code is “held” for you in the cart for 15 minutes or until you process the transaction, whichever comes first. Note: If the time expires, another person can hold/purchase that hunt code. There will be a timer in the upper left corner of your screen that will let you know how long you have to finish processing your transaction, as well as pop-ups with 5 minutes left and when the time has expired. If the time is allowed to expire, another customer can hold/purchase that hunt code. Note: you may still see the quota available on the leftover list, even if all the quota for that particular hunt code has already sold out. That is because the leftover list only updates every 5 - 10 minutes.
Just a reminder, some reissued licenses will be available on the leftover list starting August 5 at 9 a.m. Any additional reissued licenses that are not on the initial leftover list will be added starting August 12 at 11 a.m. There will be a preview list available every Tuesday at 11 a.m. (the first one is available on August 12).
On Wednesdays, all hunt codes that were on the Preview List, will be released for sale as close to 11 AM as the system will allow. As the Leftover List periodically refreshes, any Preview List licenses left unsold will be added to the Leftover List.
The reissue preview list will be cleared after sales begin on Wednesday, August 13, and will repopulate the following Tuesday. If there are no hunt codes available for reissue this week, the reissue preview list will get a blank report with the following message: “There are no reissued licenses scheduled for release this week.”
No new hunt codes will be added to the leftover list after 1 pm MT on Wednesdays. The reissue preview list will be cleared after sales begin on Wednesday and will repopulate the following Tuesday.
Returned deer, elk, antelope, and bear hunt codes that took five or more resident preference points to draw, in the current year's draw, will be reissued to the next person in the draw order.
All other returned limited licenses, excluding public Ranching for Wildlife, will be available to any of the public who meet licensing and education requirements.
This article has been updated to reflect the 2025 license list.
A qualifying license
An application
Preference point use
Limited licenses left after the primary and secondary draws for elk, deer, antelope, and bear that took four or less preference points
Limited elk, deer, antelope, and bear licenses that someone drew but did not pay for during the secondary draw
Limited licenses that were returned for refund/preference point restoration since the opening of the secondary draw but before late July
If you are an existing customer, log in to CPWshop.com to confirm that you can access your account. If you forgot your password, have a new one sent to you.
Have your CID, hunter ed, and credit card info validated in the system
If you are unsure whether or not you are a customer with an account, use LOOK UP to see if you have an existing account. Caution: Do not create multiple accounts. Purchasing licenses with multiple accounts could potentially invalidate your sale.
If you are a new customer, you need to create an account.
Check that your contact info is correct, including phone, email and mailing address. Note: You will need to enter your credit card information when you check out (VISA, MASTERCARD, OR DISCOVER)
Your credit card on file will not be charged automatically
These reissued licenses will require the use of preference points as per regulation if accepted.
If one of the first five customers contacted do not accept it, the license will then be added to the Reissue Preview List, and finally the Leftover List.
These returned limited licenses reissued utilizing the current leftover list will NOT require the use of preference points.
Limited licenses will continue to be reissued as long as a sufficient number of licenses are returned or unsold.
