It’s hunting season in Colorado again and Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Friday that its annual “Take a Friend Hunting” contest is back for its fifth year.

Colorado’s hunting season officially opened Aug. 15 for archery Pronghorn hunts, however, starting Friday and into the Labor Day weekend, multiple archery Pronghorn hunts start up again, with archery ​deer and elk and bear hunts beginning Saturday.

As hunting season starts, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials encourage hunters to participate in the take a friend hunting contest, and can win prizes for sharing their knowledge too.

Prizes​ include, Primos bipod trigger sticks, gift cards, Outdoor Edge butcher kits, turkey calls, binoculars, range finders, gun bags and more.

“I often run into people wanting to hunt but they just don’t know how to start. Most of them just need a mentor to help out,” Hunter Outreach Coordinator Bryan Posthumus said in a news release. “It is so easy to ask your friends, co-workers, or family if they want to hunt and help them get started. Quite a few started out small game hunting. Many of the hunters last year are planning on hunting with their new hunting buddy this year.”

CPW said hunting has several barriers that can make getting started difficult and equipment can be expensive, with obtaining knowledge hard too. But taking your friends hunting can reduce those barriers by allowing you to share equipment and pass on the knowledge that only experience can teach.

“With CPWs Take a Friend Hunting Contest, you can win a variety of prizes that will help you in future hunts,” the agency said.

How it works

If you are a hunter, take a friend hunting. If you want to learn to hunt, encourage a hunter to take you with them. Submit a photograph and brief story of your time in the field for a chance to win a variety of hunting related prizes. Submissions will be judged by their ability to inspire and are due by Feb. 28, 2024.

To be eligible to enter:

Hunters must commit to mentoring an eligible new or former hunter in Colorado on at least three separate occasions. The occasions may involve any part of the mentoring process including scouting, testing/purchasing hunting gear, sighting in/practicing with hunting firearms/archery equipment, or game processing and game cooking. At least one occasion must be taking the mentee hunting. Mentor and mentee must be at least 18 years of age.

Mentors must:

• Hold a valid 2023 Colorado hunting license

• Have held a Colorado hunting license in at least 3 of the last 5 years (2018-2022)

Mentee must either have:

• Never had a hunting license until 2023

• Only had a hunting license in 2022 (e.g., a second-year hunter) or

• Not had a hunting license in the past five consecutive years (i.e., since 2018)

Contest participants must follow all applicable Colorado hunting regulations; this includes possession of all appropriate licenses. Employees of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and their immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee, are not eligible.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded at the end of March to winners of the photo/narrative competition. There will be multiple winners selected for a variety of prizes.

All prizes are non-transferable. No substitution may be made except as provided. The winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. Please check the CPW website cpw.state.co.us for more details and an updated list of prizes.