Colorado GMU 114 Mule Deer Hunting
Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties, northeast Colorado · 558 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 114 is like
GMU 114 spans 558 square miles across Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties in the northeast region. The unit is characterized by gentle and rolling terrain, with elevations ranging from 4,500 feet to 5,600 feet, typical around 5,100 feet. The landscape is entirely low-angle country with no steep or rugged sections.
The unit is predominantly private land, representing approximately 95 percent of the total acreage. Only about 0.0 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting under public agency ownership. An additional 4.8 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting access depends on whether specific parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program. Legal access is the limiting factor for hunting in this unit, and a public-land hunter will find very little ground they can count on reaching.
Mule deer occupy the overall extent of the unit, with Winter Range and Winter Concentration layers covering 6 percent and 5 percent respectively. The Winter Concentration area marks ground where mule deer cluster during the post-rut recovery and winter months. The unit's geography and seasonal-range mapping suggest that deer use varies through the year, with concentrated presence on winter ground in the early calendar months.
The unit offers three mule deer seasons: Archery from September 2 to September 30 (either-sex), Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 (doe or buck), and Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3 (doe or buck). The archery and muzzleloader seasons fall during the velvet-shed and early-fall transition phase, while the rifle season spans the early-fall migration and nocturnal buck phase into the early pre-rut period. Overall hunter pressure remains low. The unit draws as easy, with the easiest qualifying hunts often available at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–5,600 ft, typically around 5,100 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.8°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~27 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Habitat & cover
What actually grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of GMU 114.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow71%
- Other cover25%
- Sagebrush4%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database, split into elevation bands. “Other cover” is the remainder of the classification — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land — and is left unnamed rather than guessed at.
Land & access
About 0% of GMU 114 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 5% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Trust Land5%
- 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 114 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 Range6%used in winter
- Winter Concentration5%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 114 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can someone with no preference points draw a mule deer tag in 114?
The easiest qualifying mule deer hunts in this unit draw reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents. An applicant below that tier can still draw on the reissue list, though that is not guaranteed. No preference points are required to be competitive for the most accessible seasons here.
How much public ground can a hunter actually access in 114?
Approximately 0.0 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting. An additional 4.8 percent is State Trust Land, but only enrolled parcels in CPW's Public Access Program may be hunted, and enrollment status varies. A hunter planning to access this unit should verify specific parcels before applying, as public-land opportunity is extremely limited.
Is the terrain walkable for someone hunting on foot?
The unit is entirely gentle and rolling with no steep terrain, making the country itself very walkable. However, the scarcity of public access overrides terrain ease — legal entry is the primary constraint, not the ground's slope.
Which season falls during the rut?
Neither the archery nor muzzleloader seasons overlap the rut. The plains early rifle season from October 24 to November 3 spans the early pre-rut period but does not fall during the primary rut itself, which occurs from November 11 to November 25.
How much of the unit has concentrated mule deer use?
Winter Concentration covers 5 percent of the unit, marking ground where mule deer cluster during the post-rut recovery and winter months from January through mid-March. This concentrated ground is distinct from the broader 6 percent Winter Range and indicates denser deer use in specific areas during that season.
Is this unit better suited for early or late season hunting?
The archery and muzzleloader seasons (September) fall during the velvet-shed and early-fall transition phase when mule deer shed velvet and adjust to cooler weather. The rifles season (late October through early November) occurs during early fall migration and early pre-rut staging, before the primary rut begins. Either timing may hold deer, depending on weather and movement patterns.
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
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- 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
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — 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 September 24, 2026.