Colorado GMU 111 Mule Deer Hunting
Elbert, Lincoln and El Paso counties, northeast Colorado · 688 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 111 is like
GMU 111 spans 688 square miles across Elbert, Lincoln, and El Paso counties in northeastern Colorado. The unit's terrain is gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 5,200 feet to 6,900 feet and a mean slope of 1.9 degrees. The country is accessible for foot travel, though the terrain itself is not the limiting factor for hunting here.
Public land open to unrestricted hunting comprises approximately 0.0% of the unit. Colorado State Trust Land makes up approximately 4.3% (roughly 30 square miles) of the unit's area, but access to State Trust Land is contingent on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program — not all parcels are enrolled, and hunters must verify access before planning a hunt. Private land comprises approximately 95% of the unit, which fundamentally shapes hunting opportunity. Legal access to ground is the primary constraint for hunters in GMU 111.
Mule deer occupy portions of the unit throughout the fall and early winter. Winter Range covers 21% of the unit, and Winter Concentration ground — where mule deer cluster during the cold months — comprises 11% of the unit. Hunters planning a fall hunt should expect to locate deer on this winter-range ground as conditions cool and deer seek concentrated habitat. The precise timing and extent of movement onto that ground varies with weather and snow, and individual deer may shift in response to hunting pressure.
The unit offers three seasons for mule deer in the 2026 season: Archery (September 2–September 30, either-sex), Muzzleloader (September 12–September 20, doe/buck), and Plains Early Rifle (October 24–November 3, doe/buck). The archery and muzzleloader seasons fall during the velvet shed and early fall transition phase, when bucks are shedding velvet and transitioning to nocturnal patterns. The plains early rifle season spans the early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase through early pre-rut, a period when deer movement and visibility change significantly. Draw difficulty for this unit is easy, often available at zero preference points for the easiest qualifying unit-wide hunt code for adult Colorado residents.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,200–6,900 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.9°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~30 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 111 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private95%
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.
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 111 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 Range21%used in winter
- Winter Concentration11%where mule deer bunch up 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 24 – November 3 | 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 111 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a public-land hunter actually reach huntable ground in GMU 111?
Dependably open public land comprises 0.0% of the unit, making legal access the defining constraint. Approximately 4.3% of the unit is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only where enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, but enrollment varies by parcel and must be verified. The remaining 95% is private. Hunters need secured access before committing to this unit.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. The entire unit is gentle and rolling with a mean slope of 1.9 degrees, making it easy to cover ground on foot. The limiting factor here is not terrain difficulty or steepness but rather securing legal access to private land.
When should a hunter expect to find mule deer concentrated in GMU 111?
Winter Concentration ground—where mule deer cluster—comprises 11% of the unit. Hunters should expect deer to use this winter-concentration habitat as temperatures drop and snow falls in late fall and early winter. The exact timing of movement onto that ground depends on weather and snow accumulation, which vary year to year.
What is the rut timing for the hunts offered here?
The archery and muzzleloader seasons (September 2–30 and September 12–20) coincide with the velvet shed and early fall transition, before the rut begins. The plains early rifle season (October 24–November 3) spans the early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase through early pre-rut, putting hunters in the field as buck behavior shifts but before the primary rut in mid-to-late November.
How many rifle seasons does GMU 111 offer, and when are they?
The unit offers one rifle season: Plains Early Rifle, October 24–November 3, for doe or buck. Two additional seasons—archery and muzzleloader—are also available but use different weapons.
Does an easy draw here mean a quiet hunt, or should a hunter expect crowds?
Draw difficulty and hunter pressure are separate: this unit's tags draw easily (often at zero points), but the unit experiences extreme hunter pressure. An easy draw does not guarantee solitude or light pressure on the ground. Hunters should prepare for significant numbers of other hunters regardless of how readily they draw a tag.
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.