Colorado Leftover Tags 2026: What’s Still Available and How to Buy

Colorado’s 2026 leftover big-game licenses went on sale August 4 and remain first-come, first-served, with no application and no preference points.

Last updated: October 9, 2026 · Originally published September 16, 2026

No points, no application, no waiting on a draw. That is the whole appeal of a leftover tag, and every year hunters who came up empty in June find out too late that the list was sitting there in August. Here is how the sale works, what it costs, and how to watch the weekly reissue loop.

Last verified: 2 September 2026. Availability changes daily; the CPW list linked below is the live source of truth.

What Are Leftover Tags?

Leftover licenses are the limited (draw) licenses still unsold after Colorado’s primary and secondary draws wrap up — real limited-unit deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, and turkey tags, not just over-the-counter inventory. In 2026, CPW published the leftover list on July 29 and opened the sale August 4 at 9 a.m. MDT. Among the leftovers are limited licenses that took up to four preference points to draw this spring — sitting there for anyone with a credit card. Sources: CPW leftover, remaining & reissued licenses; CPW’s Colorado Outdoors announcement (Jul 29, 2026) (both retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

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What Is Still Available Right Now?

CPW does not publish a running inventory count. The live documents are the answer:

• Leftover list: cpw.widen.net/content/o9u5wmxrdp/original/Leftover.pdf — every unsold hunt code by species and season.
• Reissue preview list: ReissuePreviewList.pdf — returned licenses about to go back on sale.

Now, the reissue cycle is the part most hunters miss, and it’s why “sold out” in August does not mean sold out in September:

MTReissue preview list posts — every returned hunt code going on sale that weekWednesday, ~11 a.m.MTThose hunt codes go on sale (no new codes added after 1 p.m.)

Set a Tuesday reminder, shortlist your hunt codes from the preview, and be logged in Wednesday morning. That weekly loop runs deep into the fall as hunters return licenses ahead of the refund deadlines. Source: CPW leftover page (retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

What Does a Leftover Tag Cost in 2026?

Prices include the $1.25 search-and-rescue and $1.50 wildlife education surcharges; the nonrefundable application processing fee is $8.93 for residents and $11.49 for nonresidents, per species; nonresident big-game licenses are combo licenses that include annual fishing. Everyone 18–64 also needs the $12.76 habitat stamp (one per year), and hunters born after January 1, 1949 must carry hunter education. Sources: CPW elk fees, CPW deer fees, habitat stamp (retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

Can Nonresidents Buy Them?

Yes. Leftover licenses are open to nonresidents on the same first-come, first-served terms as residents — CPW’s own nonresident page points to the leftover list as a route to a Colorado tag without draw points. For a nonresident who came up empty in other states’ draws, an August leftover elk tag is one of the few same-year recoveries left in the West. Source: CPW nonresidents (retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

What Changed for OTC Elk in 2026?

Two changes matter if your fallback plan was over-the-counter: Gunnison Basin GMUs 54, 55, and 551 rifle elk are now fully limited (no longer OTC), and nonresidents can no longer buy OTC archery elk licenses for GMUs west of I-25 and GMU 140 — those became limited draw codes, with NR OTC archery remaining only in specific east-of-I-25 hunt codes (including the new-for-2026 E-F-059-V1-A covering GMUs 59, 511, 581, and 591). OTC licenses for eligible units went on sale the same day as leftovers: August 4, 9 a.m. Remaining OTC categories: elk (rifle, in eligible units), white-tailed deer, pronghorn archery, and bear. Sources: CPW: What’s New for 2026; CPW OTC licenses (retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

What If My Plans Change? (Refunds, Exchanges, Returns)

Habitat stamps and application fees are non-refundable, draw licenses can’t be exchanged, and late refunds are only granted for documented extreme circumstances up to 30 days after the season starts. Every returned license feeds the Tuesday reissue list, the loop that keeps this sale alive. Source: CPW refunds, reversals & exchanges (retrieved Aug 19, 2026).

Keep Reading

• Western big-game draw deadlines: the master calendar — so next year you are drawing tags, not scanning leftovers.
• Deer season dates by state (2026-27) — the whitetail schedule, straight from the agencies.
• KFI Monza in 6.5 Creedmoor — a leftover-tag elk rifle that will not outcost the tag.
• From the Brand Avalanche network: filling a freezer this fall? The smoking times & temperatures chart at Popular BBQ is the post-hunt companion.

What Was on the List When I Last Read It, 19 August 2026

Pulled from CPW’s live Leftover List (the file header on the copy I read was stamped Aug 19 2026 11:49:00 AM MDT and carries CPW’s own note that the data “may be up to one hour old”). These are counts of hunt codes still listed, not counts of licenses.

Read this as a shape, not a stock check. CPW regenerates that file continuously, and returned tags land on it every week. The reissue preview posts Tuesdays at 11 a.m. MT and those hunt codes go on sale Wednesdays at about 11 a.m. MT, with nothing new added after 1 p.m. So the mix below tells you which species and license types tend to survive the draws in Colorado. It does not tell you what is on the shelf this morning. For that, open the list itself. It is linked twice on this page and it is stamped with the minute it was generated.

Both public-land and private-land-only codes appear on the list. Sheep, goat and moose are not on it. CPW reissues those to the next person in the draw order instead.

One Thing to Check Before You Buy an Elk Rifle Tag

Colorado has mandatory CWD testing on selected elk rifle hunt codes in 2026. CPW’s wording: in 2026 it “will require mandatory submission of CWD test samples (heads) from all elk harvested during rifle seasons from specific hunt codes.” There is no charge for the mandatory samples. There is no mandatory testing for deer this season (deer testing is voluntary at $25), and voluntary moose fees are waived statewide.

The affected elk hunt codes are listed on pages 41–52 of the 2026 Big Game Brochure rather than on the CWD page itself, so check your code against the brochure before you buy. A leftover elk rifle tag can put you into a mandatory-testing hunt code without you realizing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Colorado leftover tags?

Limited (draw) licenses still unsold after Colorado’s primary and secondary draws wrap up — real limited-unit deer, elk, pronghorn, bear and turkey tags, not just over-the-counter inventory. Some of the leftovers took up to four preference points to draw in the spring draw.

What does a leftover tag cost in Colorado?

For 2026: elk runs $70.40 resident ($845.16 nonresident combo with fishing), and deer runs $51.25 resident ($506.92 nonresident combo with fishing), plus reduced youth pricing.

Can nonresidents buy Colorado leftover tags?

Yes, on the same first-come, first-served terms as residents. CPW’s own nonresident page points to the leftover list as a route to a Colorado tag without draw points.

Final Thoughts

Set the Tuesday reminder, shortlist your codes, and be logged in Wednesday morning. Basically, the hunters who fill leftover tags are the ones who treat the reissue list like a season of its own.

Download this data: every table on this page as a CSV. Free to reuse with attribution to Popular Outdoorsman (CC BY 4.0).

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James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer & Professional Gunsmith The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to. James is an 07/02 NFA Firearms Manufacturer, a Professional Gunsmith with over 20 years of experience, and a Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. Connect with him on Instagram, X, and Facebook as @therealxdman.

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