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Colorado Approves Dual Legal Status for Bison, Paving the Way for Wild Herd Management Under 2025 Protect Wild Bison Act
Description: Colorado Parks and Wildlife approves dual classification for bison, recognizing them as both livestock and wildlife under the 2025 Protect Wild Bison Act, with new management regulations taking effect January 1, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Parks and Wildlife Commission Approves Dual Classification for Bison
DENVER — At its November meeting in Sterling, Colo., the Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved regulations giving bison a dual legal classification as both livestock and wildlife in Colorado, following the direction of the 2025 Protect Wild Bison Act (SB25-053).
Under the new regulations, privately owned and fenced bison herds will continue to be managed as livestock through the Colorado Department of Agriculture. However, free-ranging bison that naturally enter the state from neighboring jurisdictions will now be managed as wildlife, specifically as a big-game species under Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) authority.
Colorado currently has no confirmed wild bison herds, though animals from Utah’s Book Cliffs herd occasionally cross into the state. Wild bison in Colorado will receive legal protection beginning Jan. 1, 2026, as outlined in SB25-053.
Proposed CPW regulations are designed to implement SB25-053. CPW is not proposing regular bison hunting seasons at this time.
“This dual classification recognizes both the cultural and ecological importance of bison while providing the tools needed to manage wild bison as big game wildlife,” said CPW Big Game Manager Andy Holland. “Colorado’s last native wild bison were killed in the late 1800s, but as restoration efforts expand across the West, wild bison are moving into Colorado from the Book Cliffs herd in Utah.”
Adding bison to the list of animals that CPW manages and protects as a big-game species requires several updates to existing regulations, including the addition of Director-approved management licenses to be used on a case-by-case basis, for example, in the case of game damage, updates to definitions and the adoption of license fees. CPW is developing a registration process for interested hunters to join a management roster, which could be used if needed to manage a free-ranging herd. That process, including a public application form and drawing system, is expected to be available in January 2026 through the CPW website. If management action is necessary, names from the roster will be used for a random draw to issue licenses. Successful applicants will be notified directly by CPW.
“These regulations prepare Colorado for when wild bison once again roam here,” Holland said. “Our goal is to ensure we have the management tools available while we are engaging stakeholders to create a Book Cliffs Bison Herd Management plan, which will establish the bison management area and population objectives.”
For more information on bison management in Colorado, visit CPW’s Rules and Regulations page.
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