How to Look Up Your Colorado Hunter Safety Card
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) doesn't run its own public lookup portal for hunter education records. Instead, Colorado routes card searches and replacements through ilostmycard.com, where entering your name and date of birth pulls up your certification so you can print a temporary copy or order a permanent replacement. If the search doesn't turn up a match, CPW's own Hunter Education Office can run a manual check on your record.
Colorado's hunter education rule is unusual in one respect: it's tied to birth year rather than age. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 has to complete an approved course before buying or applying for a hunting license, which means the requirement applies to nearly every hunter alive today rather than a narrow youth window. That broad cutoff is exactly why so many longtime hunters eventually need to track down a decades-old card.
Because the lookup itself follows a fairly standard pattern once you know where to look, it's worth walking through the search process, what to do if it comes up empty, and the paperwork you'll actually need in the field. If you're hunting in more than one state, our guide to looking up your hunter safety card breaks down how other states typically handle the same process.
How to Look Up Your Colorado Hunter Safety Card
Colorado keeps this to one primary tool, with a direct line to CPW if that tool doesn't find your record.
- Search ilostmycard.com: Go to the ilostmycard website and enter the name and date of birth used when you originally certified.
- Print or order your card: A match lets you download and print a temporary card right away, with a permanent $5 replacement mailed within two to three weeks.
- Contact CPW's Hunter Education Office if the search comes up empty: Call 303-291-7250 so staff can search your record manually, particularly useful for older certifications or ones filed under a different name.
Since Colorado's requirement covers anyone born on or after 1949, don't assume an older card is out of date. Hunter education certification never expires in Colorado, so a card from decades ago is still valid proof today.
If ilostmycard Can't Find Your Certificate
A blank search result is worth troubleshooting before you conclude the record doesn't exist.
- Try alternate spellings or a maiden name: Registration details from years ago sometimes don't match how your name appears now.
- Confirm the course was actually completed in Colorado: If you certified in another state before moving, your record lives in that state's system, not Colorado's.
- Call the Hunter Education Office directly: Reach CPW at 303-291-7250, and staff can search the database by hand and flag any misspellings on file.
If you completed hunter education somewhere else and are trying to hunt in Colorado, that's a different process than a lost-card search. CPW verifies out-of-state certifications individually, either over the phone or with a physical or scanned copy at a CPW office.
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Hunter Education Certificate in Colorado
How you replace a Colorado hunter education card depends on whether you still have the old one in hand.
- No card in hand: Order a replacement through the Lost Your Card? section on the Colorado course page for Hunter-Ed, which points to the same $5 replacement process, or mail in a completed application with the $5 fee included.
- Damaged, worn, or name-changed card in hand: Bring it to a CPW office and get a free replacement, though a name change also requires proof such as a driver's license, marriage certificate, or court order.
Getting this sorted before opening day matters. Colorado can flag a hunting license as invalid without a completed hunter education requirement on file, so a missing card is worth resolving early rather than at the check station.
What Documentation Does Every Colorado Hunter Need in the Field?
Whether you need a hunter education certificate on hand depends on your birth year, but every hunter needs a valid license and any required tags. Here's what to carry.
Documents You Need to Hunt in Colorado | |
| What You Need | Where to Get It |
| Hunter Safety Certification (Original or Replacement Card) | Hunter-Ed Colorado hunter safety course |
| Hunting License | Colorado hunting license purchase page |
| Tags and Permits | Colorado over-the-counter big game license page |
Colorado accepts hunter education certifications from any other U.S. state, Mexican state, or Canadian province, so a certificate earned elsewhere generally satisfies the requirement once it's verified. New hunters who haven't certified yet can also use the one-time Apprentice Hunter Certificate to hunt with a mentor while they work toward completing the course.
With your certification in hand, Colorado hunting license purchases are the next item on the checklist before opening day. Then, if you're still working out gear, seasons, or the basics of the sport, find a solid starting point in this comprehensive breakdown of getting into hunting.
Find Your Colorado Hunter Safety Card Before the Season Begins
Most Colorado hunter education lookups start and end at ilostmycard.com, with CPW's Hunter Education Office at 303-291-7250 as the backup if that search doesn't find your record.
If you haven't certified yet, the Hunter-Ed Colorado course covers the online portion of the requirement before you finish up with an in-person Conclusion Class.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is there a fee to look up or replace my Colorado hunter safety card?
A: Searching your Colorado hunter safety card record on ilostmycard.com is free, but ordering an actual replacement card through that site or by mail costs $5. If you still have your old card and it's just damaged, worn, or tied to a legal name change, CPW offices issue a replacement for free when you surrender it in person.
Q: What if my record can't be found?
A: If ilostmycard.com can't locate your Colorado hunter education record, call CPW's Hunter Education Office at 303-291-7250 for a manual search. This is especially helpful for older certifications, name changes, or cards that may have been misspelled when originally entered into the system.
Q: Does my Colorado hunter education certificate expire?
A: No. A Colorado hunter education certificate is valid for life once issued and never needs to be renewed. Only temporary hunter education cards, the kind issued while a permanent card is in the mail, expire, and those are only good through December 31 of the year they're issued.
Q: Do I need to carry my hunter education card while hunting in Colorado?
A: Yes. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 must carry proof of hunter education while hunting in Colorado, along with a valid license. Colorado's requirement isn't age-based like many other states, so most adult hunters need to keep this document on hand every season.
Q: Can I use an out-of-state hunter education card to hunt in Colorado?
A: Yes, Colorado accepts valid hunter education certifications from any other U.S. state, Mexican state, or Canadian province. CPW verifies the record either by phone, if you've previously bought a Colorado hunting or fishing license, or in person at a CPW office with the physical card.
Q: Who has to complete hunter education to hunt in Colorado?
A: Colorado requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 to complete an approved hunter education course before buying or applying for a hunting license. That birth-year cutoff is broader than the age-based rules most states use, so it covers the vast majority of hunters in the state.
Q: How long does it take to get a replacement hunter education card in Colorado?
A: A replacement card ordered through ilostmycard.com typically arrives in two to three weeks after the $5 order is placed. In the meantime, the same order lets you download and print a temporary card to carry until the permanent one shows up in the mail.
