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Nakagawa State Wildlife Area: where and how to hunt
State wildlife area in Weld County (159 acres).
Photo: City of Greeley (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Nakagawa State Wildlife Area
Entry requirements for Nakagawa SWA
The statewide SWA rule covers Nakagawa SWA: visitors 16+ carry a hunting license, a fishing license or the State Wildlife Area Pass. Keep trucks on open roads; pitch a tent only in places CPW allows. A blind or stand must be portable and can be placed at most 30 days before the season. Discharge of firearms or bows is banned in parking, camping and picnic areas.
Site rules from CPW:
- Discharging firearms or bows allowed only while hunting.
From the agency source, CPW SWA finder; checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Nakagawa State Wildlife Area
What the agency says about Nakagawa SWA
Going by the CPW SWA page, Nakagawa SWA covers 159 acres. 224 state wildlife areas appear on this site, and by acres Nakagawa SWA comes 188th. Within Weld County there are 7 state wildlife areas on file. For CPW purposes Nakagawa SWA belongs to Area 4 in the Northeast Region, district Greeley N. Call 970-472-4300 (Area CPW Office, Fort Collins) about conditions on Nakagawa SWA. In the 2026 brochure the hunting entry reads: deer, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, dove, waterfowl. Non-hunting uses noted: wildlife viewing. The CPW page marks camping as not offered on Nakagawa SWA.
The listed quarry: Deer, Waterfowl, Doves, Pheasant, Rabbits, Squirrels.
Allowed activities per CPW: Hunting, Nature Viewing.
From the agency page, 2026 Recreation Lands brochure, p. 20 (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Open seasons by unit on Nakagawa SWA
In all, 7 public-land season rows apply in these GMUs. All of these licenses are limited; apply in the primary draw or watch leftovers. Private-land-only and ranch rows (2) are not shown. 10 unit rows for unlisted game are omitted.
| Game | Method | Sex | Sale | Opens | Closes | GMUs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 951 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 951 |
Small game, birds and furbearers
| Game | Hunt | Area | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | Season 1 | East of I-25 | Nov 14, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Pheasant | Season 2 | West of I-25 | Nov 14, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 |
| Mourning dove | Season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 |
| Ducks and coots | Season (split) | Mountain zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Ducks and coots | Season (split) | Northeast zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Dark geese | Season | except zone | Nov 2, 2026 | Feb 14, 2027 |
| Fox squirrel | Season | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Cottontail | Season | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Abert's squirrel | Season | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 |
Season rows and hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; property access dates still apply; checked November 5, 2026.
Which units cover Nakagawa SWA
The CPW unit layer puts Nakagawa SWA in 1 GMU: GMU 951.
No antler point limit on bulls in the units of Nakagawa SWA. Lion hunters check the quota for group 19 before going out.
Read these as whole-unit numbers: the biggest 2024 total among them was 104 deer in GMU 951.
GMU overlay from the CPW Big Game GMU layer; unit rules from the 2026 Big Game brochure; 2024 elk harvest by GMU, 2024 deer harvest by GMU, 2024 pronghorn harvest by GMU, 2024 bear harvest by GMU; checked November 5, 2026.
Where Nakagawa SWA is and how to get in
Directions from the 2026 brochure: From Kersey, go 5 miles E on Highway 34 to CR 61, then 2 miles N.
Its map point, 40.3957, -104.4938, comes from the boundary layer.
Directions from the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure; map files from the CPW property page; point from CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid); checked November 5, 2026.
Towns and outfitters within reach of Nakagawa SWA
Count on Greeley, about 15 miles out, as the first town for supplies. Census 2024 counts 170,924 people in Fort Collins, the largest nearby. The nearest CPW office is in Fort Collins, 33 miles away.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley | Weld | 114,363 | 15 miles | west |
| Ault | Weld | 2,660 | 19 miles | northwest |
| Windsor | Weld | 41,734 | 23 miles | west |
| Loveland | Larimer | 81,102 | 30 miles | west |
| Fort Collins | Larimer | 170,924 | 32 miles | west |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); CPW offices from the CPW Contact Us page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 5, 2026.
Public places a short drive from Nakagawa SWA
The closest other public ground is Centennial Valley SWA, 3 miles to the southeast. Within the six nearest places are 4 SWAs and 2 trust land parcels. Closed to hunting nearby: Frank State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting).
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial Valley SWA | SWA | 1,195 | Weld | 3 miles | southeast |
| Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA | SWA | 68 | Weld | 6 miles | west |
| Brower SWA | SWA | 65 | Weld | 9 miles | west |
| Point Of Rocks STL | State trust land | 640 | Weld | 11 miles | northeast |
| Webster SWA | SWA | 158 | Weld | 13 miles | west |
| Dearfield STL | State trust land | 1,480 | Weld | 14 miles | southeast |
Point: CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
A look at the country near Nakagawa SWA
Shooting-light table for Nakagawa SWA
In Nakagawa SWA, the light goose conservation order and furbearer hunting both run to half an hour after sunset.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Pronghorn bow opener | 6:07 a.m. | 7:57 p.m. | 5:37 a.m. to 8:27 p.m. | 5:37 a.m. to 7:57 p.m. |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:25 a.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 5:55 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. | 5:55 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:34 a.m. | 7:14 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 7:44 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:09 a.m. | 6:16 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 6:16 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:53 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:36 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:17 a.m. | 4:33 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 4:33 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure and the Small Game and Waterfowl brochure; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); checked November 5, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Nakagawa State Wildlife Area hunters: public range plus clubs
For a no-dues line, Nakagawa State Wildlife Area hunters head 33 miles to Colorado Clays Shooting Range. After the public range come the nearest clubs within 30 miles.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Nakagawa SWA in brief, question by question
What license or pass gets me onto Nakagawa SWA?
Anyone 16 or older needs a Colorado hunting or fishing license or a State Wildlife Area Pass, plus the license for the game you hunt.
Where do I confirm the rules for Nakagawa SWA?
Check the agency page run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
What counties does Nakagawa SWA reach into?
Inside Weld County.
How much room is there to roam on Nakagawa SWA?
Listed size: 159 acres.
Which game does Nakagawa SWA hold?
Deer, waterfowl, doves, pheasant, rabbits and squirrels, by the agency list.
Which GMUs does Nakagawa SWA overlap?
Units on the CPW layer: GMU 951.
Which town makes the best base for Nakagawa SWA?
Greeley, about 15 miles away in a straight line.
CWD and antler rules for Nakagawa SWA?
No elk antler point restriction in these units. No mandatory CWD testing GMU here; deer testing is not mandatory in 2026.
What blaze orange rule applies on Nakagawa SWA?
With any firearm license for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose or bear: 500 square inches of solid orange or pink above the waist plus an orange or pink hat.
Who can answer a question about conditions on Nakagawa SWA?
Phone Area CPW Office in Fort Collins, 970-472-4300.
What clock times bound legal hunting on Nakagawa SWA?
Half an hour either side of the sun for big game, which on November 7, 2026 means 6:04 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. in Weld County.
May I use food lures for bear on Nakagawa SWA?
No. Food-scented sticks are illegal for bear, and knowingly luring bears with food breaks C.R.S. 33-6-131.
Does the CPW page show camping for Nakagawa SWA?
Camping is not offered here.
Nakagawa SWA: double-check list
Use this page to plan, then reread the agency page for Nakagawa SWA the week before the trip.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Checked November 5, 2026.
Other photos on this page: PierreSelim (CC BY 3.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0).