Colorado GMU 119 Mule Deer Hunting
El Paso and Lincoln counties, southeast Colorado · 588 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 119 is like
Unit 119 spans 588 square miles across El Paso and Lincoln counties in the southeast region. Elevation ranges from 4,700 feet to 6,300 feet, with typical elevations around 5,400 feet. The terrain is entirely gentle and rolling; 100 percent of the unit falls within the gentle slope category, with a mean slope of 1.5 degrees. This is plains and foothill country, walkable throughout.
Public hunting access is extremely limited. Approximately 0.1 percent of the unit—roughly 1 square mile—is BLM land open to public hunting. An additional 15 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, which may be hunted only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; which parcels are enrolled is not specified here. The remaining 85 percent is private. Legal access, not terrain difficulty, is the controlling factor for hunting this unit.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range, which covers the entire unit. Winter Range covers 30 percent of the unit. The unit has no mapped Winter Concentration layer. As the fall progresses and weather shifts, mule deer should be expected to consolidate toward winter ground, though the timing and extent of any such movement varies with conditions and snowfall.
The unit offers three seasons to public applicants. Archery runs September 2 to September 30 as an either-sex hunt during the velvet-shed and early fall transition phase. Muzzleloader runs September 12 to September 20 for doe or buck, also during velvet shed and early fall transition. Plains Early Rifle, the unit's sole rifle season, runs October 24 to November 3 for doe or buck, spanning the early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase and early pre-rut staging period. The unit draws at easy difficulty, often with zero preference points required for the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunts available to adult Colorado residents. Overall hunter pressure is high.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,700–6,300 ft, typically around 5,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1 sq mi, plus ~89 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 119 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. A further 15% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land15%
- Private85%
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 119 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 Range30%used in winter
- Winter Concentration<1%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 119 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter realistically hunt public ground here with zero preference points?
Yes. The unit draws at easy difficulty, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunts available to adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. Other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually access on foot?
Only about 1 square mile of the 588-square-mile unit is dependably open to public hunting—the BLM land. An additional 89 square miles is State Trust Land, but access depends on which parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, and that enrollment is not specified. The remaining 500 square miles is private.
Is the terrain itself walkable if access were not a problem?
Yes. The unit is entirely gentle and rolling, with a mean slope of 1.5 degrees, making it easy to walk. Terrain is not the limiting factor; legal access to private land is.
When are mule deer actually on the ground in this unit?
Mule deer occupy the full extent of the unit's mapped range throughout the year. Winter Range covers 30 percent of the unit, and as fall progresses and conditions cool, mule deer should be expected to move toward winter ground, though timing and extent vary with weather and snow.
Are the early seasons during the rut, or before it?
Both archery and muzzleloader occur during velvet shed and early fall transition in early to mid-September, well before the November rut. Plains Early Rifle in late October and early November falls during early fall migration and pre-rut staging, as bucks become more active but before the primary rut begins.
Is high hunter pressure the same as a hard draw?
No. This unit is easy to draw but experiences high overall hunter pressure, meaning many hunters compete for the available ground once tags are issued. An easy draw near accessible ground can still be crowded.
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.