Colorado GMU 116 Mule Deer Hunting
Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties, northeast Colorado · 962 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 116 is like
Unit 116 sprawls across 962 square miles of northeastern Colorado in Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. The country is gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 4,100 feet to 4,900 feet and a mean slope of 1.3 degrees. This high plains landscape offers open terrain with relatively modest relief, though the remoteness and checkerboard land ownership are the dominant features of hunting here.
Public hunting ground is scarce. Only about 4.2% of the unit is publicly owned, and of that, just 0% is generally open to public hunting through standard agency access. An additional 4.2% is Colorado State Trust Land, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are huntable—the enrollment status of specific parcels is not known. The remaining 96% of the unit is private land. Legal access is the limiting factor for any hunt here.
Mule deer range across the full 100% of the unit as mapped by CPW, but only 3% of the unit is designated Winter Range. The implication is that most of the unit provides seasonal range outside the winter period, with the bulk of the mapped range occupied during the warmer months and limited concentration when snow and cold weather compress the herd. Hunters should expect deer to be dispersed across much of the unit through fall and early winter, with some concentration on the mapped winter ground as the season advances and weather intensifies.
The unit offers four seasons: Archery from September 2–30 (Either-sex/Doe), Muzzleloader from September 12–20 (Either-sex/Doe/Buck), Plains Early Rifle from October 24–November 3 (Either-sex/Doe/Buck), and Plains Late Rifle from December 1–14 (Either-sex/Doe/Buck). The two rifle seasons fall during periods when buck behavior shifts toward nocturnal movement and pre-rut staging, then into the late rut and winter consolidation. Overall hunter pressure on the unit is high, but the draw for the easiest qualifying hunt (unit-wide buck or either-sex code for an adult Colorado resident) remains easy, often requiring zero preference points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,100–4,900 ft, typically around 4,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~41 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 0% of GMU 116 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Trust Land4%
- Private96%
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 116 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 Range3%used in winter
Mule Deer seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Either-sex, Doe |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Plains Early Rifle | October 24 – November 3 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 1 – December 14 | Either-sex, 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 116 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much ground can I actually hunt on public land in Unit 116?
Legal public-land access is extremely limited. Approximately 0% of the unit is generally open to public hunting, and an additional 4.2% is State Trust Land that is only huntable where CPW has enrolled specific parcels in the Public Access Program—enrollment status of individual parcels is unknown. The remaining 96% is private. Most hunting in this unit requires either private-land permission or successful application for a State Trust Land parcel with confirmed public access.
Is Unit 116 realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest qualifying hunt (unit-wide buck or either-sex code for an adult Colorado resident) draws at an easy level, often zero points. However, other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points. Access—not draw difficulty—is the primary barrier to hunting this unit.
When should I hunt if I draw—early or late season?
Archery and Muzzleloader occur in September when deer are in velvet-shed phase and actively moving between summer range and fall staging areas. The two rifle seasons bracket the pre-rut and rut periods: Plains Early Rifle (October 24–November 3) falls during early pre-rut and migration-corridor staging, while Plains Late Rifle (December 1–14) falls into the late rut and winter consolidation when bucks are more exposed and vulnerable. Late rifle offers the rut advantage but less predictable hunting on dispersed ground.
How does the terrain affect what a hunter can cover?
The unit is gentle and rolling with no steep or rugged ground—100% of it falls in the gentle terrain class. Walkability is not the limiting factor. Access to legally huntable ground is; most of the unit is private land with no public entry.
Where are mule deer through the fall?
The unit is mapped as Overall Range (100% of the unit), indicating deer use the full extent during the mapped season. However, only 3% is designated Winter Range. Expect deer to remain dispersed across much of the unit through fall and early season, with some shift toward winter-ground concentration as cold and snow increase later in the season—timing and extent vary with weather.
Is this unit crowded even though the draw is easy?
Yes. High overall hunter pressure and easy draw difficulty are separate things—many hunters can draw a license here, so competition on the ground can be significant. The gentle terrain and limited public land mean most pressure concentrates on any legally accessible parcels.
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.