Colorado GMU 123 Mule Deer Hunting
El Paso and Pueblo counties, central Colorado · 524 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 123 is like
Unit 123 spans 524 square miles across El Paso and Pueblo counties at the lower end of Colorado's elevation range. The unit sits between 4,500 and 5,600 feet, with terrain that is gentle and rolling throughout—entirely composed of slopes below 10 percent. The country is low-elevation foothill and plains ground with minimal vertical relief, making it walkable for hunters on foot.
Public land here is sparse. Only about 2.2 percent of the unit (roughly 11 square miles) is managed by the BLM and open to public hunting. An additional 46 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access to that ground depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program—hunters must verify which parcels are currently available. The remaining 51 percent is private land. Despite the gentle terrain, legal access is the binding constraint on where a public-land hunter can actually hunt.
Mule deer are mapped across the unit's full overall range, but the seasonal-range data shows minimal resident occupation. Winter Range covers only 2 percent and Summer Range only 1 percent of the unit, indicating that mule deer presence is sparse and concentrated rather than dispersed. Hunters should expect scattered deer with animals concentrated on small portions of the unit depending on season and conditions.
The unit offers three seasons. Archery runs September 2 through September 30 and is an either-sex hunt. Muzzleloader is September 12 through September 20 and takes either sex. Plains Early Rifle is the only rifle season, running October 24 through November 3 and also open to either sex. Draw difficulty is easy—often zero points for the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex code available to adult Colorado residents. Overall hunter pressure is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–5,600 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~11 sq mi, plus ~242 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 2% of GMU 123 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. A further 46% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM2%
- State Trust Land46%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private51%
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 123 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 Range2%used in winter
- Summer Range<1%used in summer
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 123 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public land can actually be hunted here?
Only about 2.2 percent of the unit is dependably open BLM ground. An additional 46 percent is State Trust Land with access-dependent to enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program, which means a hunter must check current status before planning a trip. The rest is private. Legal access, not terrain walkability, is the limiting factor on this unit.
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. Draw difficulty is easy, with the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex code often drawing at zero points for adult Colorado residents. Other weapons, seasons and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points, but residents entering the primary draw have a reasonable shot at the buck or either-sex hunts in the preference-point tier listed as easy.
Where are the mule deer concentrated in this unit?
The seasonal-range data shows that only 2 percent of the unit is mapped as Winter Range and 1 percent as Summer Range, indicating that deer are sparse and highly concentrated rather than dispersed across the landscape. Which specific areas hold deer depends on season, weather and snow; a hunter should contact CPW or scout before committing to a trip.
What is the terrain like for a hunter on foot?
The unit is gentle and rolling throughout, with zero percent of the terrain in steep or rugged categories. Elevation ranges from 4,500 to 5,600 feet and the mean slope is 1.6 degrees, so walking and navigation are not difficult. However, the challenge here is legal access to public ground, not the difficulty of the country itself.
Which seasons fall during the mule deer rut?
The Archery and Muzzleloader seasons run during the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, before the rut begins. The Plains Early Rifle season spans the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phases, ending just as the Primary Rut begins on November 11. Only the final days of the rifle season overlap with the beginning of the rut.
How does this unit's draw difficulty compare to its hunter pressure?
Draw difficulty and hunter pressure are separate things. This unit draws easily—often at zero points for the easiest qualifying code—but that does not mean it is crowded. Overall hunter pressure here is low, so a hunter who draws can expect to encounter relatively few other people on the ground despite the accessible terrain and low barrier to entry.
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.