| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 14 NOV 2026 – 31 JAN 2027 | 79d |
| Window 2 | 14 NOV 2026 – 03 JAN 2027 | 51d |
As publishedNov 14, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027 (Zone 1); Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027 (Zones 2 & 3)
Combined regulatory listing with scaled and Gambel's quail (identical season/bag applies to all three species). Three zones, all opening Nov 14 2026; Zone 1 and Zone 3 run to Jan 31/Jan 3 respectively; see seasons array. HIP registration required.
CPW's Eastern Plains Pheasant and Quail Forecast identifies two distinct sub-state pockets for bobwhite quail rather than a single range, both in southeastern/northeastern Colorado's river-corridor and CRP grassland habitat. The strongest, described directly in the 2025-26 forecast as “much better than 2024,” is the extreme southeast corner (Baca and Prowers counties, centered on Walsh and Stonington). A second, geographically separate pocket sits along the South Platte River corridor near Sterling, where CPW's own whistle-count survey nearly doubled (16 to roughly 30) between 2024 and 2025 — concentrated specifically upstream from Sterling, with minimal gains on the river's eastern stretches. CPW's own species page corroborates a general “sparse populations in eastern Colorado” framing and references ongoing riparian habitat research at Tamarack State Wildlife Area in northeastern Colorado.
Provisional: CPW's own Eastern Plains Pheasant and Quail Forecast isn't out yet and is expected in November. Ahead of it, Quail Forever's 2026 forecast, drawing on CPW's own small game manager and survey routes, calls bobwhite numbers across much of eastern Colorado "the best they have been in years." Most of CPW's 2026 whistle-count routes ran above average, some averaged 40 calls per station or better, and a few set marks unmatched in 40 years of surveys (route-level figures weren't released). Numbers climbed again along the South Platte corridor upstream of Sterling, in the Arkansas River drainage east of John Martin Reservoir, and in Baca County, where bobwhites have held strong for more than a decade. The catch is production, not breeding birds. A dry spring limited carryover nesting cover in the northeast, while the southeast had enough subsoil moisture for "good numbers of bobwhite broods." Quail Forever's own bottom line: a good season in the southeast, a solid one in the northeast, and a spotty South Platte, where a mid-July storm showed early signs of losses among adults and chicks. The Sharpe Fire burned woody cover on the Comanche National Grassland near Campo, so route a Comanche trip around the burn scar. Access, more than birds, is the limit this year: Walk-In Access properties, most of which can't be grazed, likely carry some of the best remaining cover. All three quail zones open Nov 14, 2026.
A near-snowless winter and some of the strongest whistle counts in 40 years of CPW surveys, tempered by a dry spring that held back production, especially in the northeast. A southeast-led year rather than a uniform one.
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