Colorado GMU 102 Mule Deer Hunting
Washington and Yuma counties, northeast Colorado · 739 sq mi
Based on the EASIEST unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code available to adult Colorado residents in the 2026 primary draw — the lowest preference-point tier that drew reliably. Private-land-only and Ranching for Wildlife hunts are excluded because neither is a unit-wide public-land opportunity — NOT because the public cannot draw them. A private-land-only license requires the hunter's own permission to hunt private ground; a Ranching for Wildlife license is valid on the participating ranches enrolled in that program. They are separate systems. Other weapons, seasons and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points. The band is a floor, not a target: even the easiest qualifying hunt here sits in that range.
What hunting GMU 102 is like
GMU 102 spans 739 square miles across northeastern Colorado in Washington and Yuma counties. The unit is characterized by gentle and rolling terrain at low elevations, ranging from 3,300 feet to 4,400 feet, with typical elevations around 4,000 feet. The landscape is predominantly gentle, with 96 percent of the unit in gentle terrain and only 4 percent moderate; steep and rugged ground comprises none of the unit.
Private land dominates GMU 102, covering approximately 92 percent of the unit. State Wildlife Areas account for roughly 0.8 percent and are the only ground dependably open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises about 4.2 percent, though hunting rights depend on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program, which varies by parcel. An additional 3.0 percent of the unit is classified as ownership unclassified, meaning the source data does not record an owner. Together, publicly owned land totals roughly 5.0 percent of the unit—far less than is legally accessible to public hunters.
Mule deer range across the unit year to year, with CPW mapping showing Overall Range coverage at 100 percent and Winter Range at 36 percent. This distribution reflects seasonal movement; hunters should expect mule deer to concentrate on winter range as the season advances into December, though the timing and extent of this shift depend on weather and snow. The remaining three-quarters of the unit outside mapped winter range represents summer and migration corridor usage.
The unit offers five total seasons in 2026: Archery from September 2 to September 30 (either-sex), Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 (doe and buck), Plains Early Rifle from October 1 to November 3 (either-sex, doe, or buck), Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14 (doe and buck), and a private-land-only season from October 24 to December 14 (doe and buck). Of these, two are rifle seasons. Draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide buck or either-sex code available to adult Colorado residents is easy, often at zero points. Overall hunter pressure remains moderate.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,300–4,400 ft, typically around 4,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.7°
- Slope breakdown
- 96% gentle · 4% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~6 sq mi, plus ~31 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 102 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership3%
- Private92%
Colorado State Trust Land is open to public hunting only where it is enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program. Check current enrollment before planning around it.
“Ownership unclassified” means the source dataset does not record an owner for that acreage. It is not known to be public or private.
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 102 each range covers — the single best clue to whether mule deer are here in September, in November, or only passing through. The layers overlap, so they do not add to 100%.
- Overall Range100%the full extent of range CPW maps for mule deer — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when mule deer are present
- Winter Range36%used in winter
Mule Deer seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Either-sex |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Doe, Buck |
| Plains Early Rifle | October 1 – November 3 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 1 – December 14 | Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | October 24 – December 14 | Doe, Buck |
Dates span every hunt code of that type in this unit and can differ by code. Confirm the current brochure with Colorado Parks & Wildlife before applying.
GMU 102 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public land can a hunter actually access here?
Roughly 0.8 percent of the unit—about 6 square miles—is State Wildlife Area and dependably open to public hunting. An additional 4.2 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access there depends on whether individual parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; hunters must check current enrollments before planning. The remaining 92 percent is private land.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
The unit is gentle and rolling, with 96 percent of the area in gentle terrain and a mean slope of 2.7 degrees, making it easily walkable. Legal access rather than terrain is the limiting factor here; the scarcity of public land means terrain walkability does not translate into ground a hunter can actually hunt.
When should a hunter be in the field for the rut?
The Plains Late Rifle season from December 1 to December 14 falls entirely within the late rut and winter consolidation phase. Archery and Muzzleloader both take place during velvet shed in early September, before the rut begins. Plains Early Rifle in October and early November covers the early fall migration phase and early pre-rut staging, neither of which is the primary rut.
What does an easy draw mean in terms of competition?
Easy draw describes the likelihood that an applicant without preference points will draw a tag on the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code; it often happens at zero points. This is an observation about tag availability, not about hunter density on the ground; an easy-to-draw unit can still receive moderate hunter pressure once tags are in the field.
How does mule deer presence shift through the hunting season?
Winter Range covers 36 percent of the unit, meaning hunters should expect mule deer to concentrate on that ground as fall advances and snow comes. Early-season archery and muzzleloader hunting will find mule deer across a broader distribution, but by late rifle season in December, animals will have shifted toward mapped winter range. The exact timing and extent of this move depends on weather and snow.
Can someone without preference points draw a tag here?
An adult Colorado resident can often draw the easiest qualifying unit-wide buck or either-sex code at zero preference points, making this unit accessible to new applicants. Doe-only codes, other weapons, later rifle seasons, and nonresident applicants may require additional points, and private-land hunts operate under separate systems.
Data sources & methodology
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife — Big Game hunting — seasons, weapons, hunt codes and license types
- CPW — Primary Draw rules — how preference points and the hybrid draw work
- CPW — Deer statistics, draw recap and Drawn Out At reports — the point levels behind the draw-difficulty bands
- CPW — Secondary Draw — licenses remaining after the primary draw
- CPW — Maps and GIS (Species Activity Mapping) — mule deer seasonal range
- CPW — State Trust Land Finder — which State Trust acreage is enrolled and open to public hunting
- Federal and state land-ownership datasets — land ownership and access
- NOAA climate normals — fall weather
Draw difficulty is a qualitative band, not published odds — the note under the summary above states exactly which hunt code it describes. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories: publicly owned is not the same as open to hunting, and State Trust Land is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Unit data last updated August 31, 2026.