Colorado GMU 132 Mule Deer Hunting
Prowers County, southeast Colorado · 815 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 132 is like
GMU 132 is a 815-square-mile unit in Prowers County in Colorado's southeast region, characterized by gentle and rolling terrain at low elevations. The unit spans from 3,300 feet at its low point to 4,400 feet at its high point, with typical elevations around 3,800 feet. The terrain is uniformly gentle across the entire unit, with no steep or rugged ground, making it readily walkable from a topographic standpoint.
Public hunting access is severely limited here. Approximately 0.9 percent of the unit (about 8 square miles) is generally open to public hunting, consisting of State Wildlife Areas and BLM land. An additional 3.5 percent (about 28 square miles) is Colorado State Trust Land, but access to it depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program and cannot be assumed. The remaining 96 percent of the unit is private land. Despite the unit's gentle topography, legal access rather than terrain difficulty is the primary constraint for hunters.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range, though they concentrate on a small portion of it. Winter Range covers 36 percent of the unit, with a Winter Concentration layer marking 2 percent where mule deer cluster during the late-season and early-spring months. The seasonal distribution suggests mule deer are present across much of the unit in fall and early winter but concentrate on specific ground as the season progresses.
The unit offers four mule deer seasons. Archery runs September 2 to September 30 for either-sex hunting, falling during the velvet-shed period when bucks are shedding antler velvet. Muzzleloader season runs September 12 to September 20, also during velvet shed. Two rifle seasons are available: Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3, covering the early fall migration phase, and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14, occurring during late rut and winter consolidation. The draw for unit-wide either-sex hunts is easy, with the easiest qualifying code often drawing at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents. However, hunter pressure on the unit remains high, meaning access to the limited public ground can be crowded despite the relaxed draw difficulty.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,300–4,400 ft, typically around 3,800 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~8 sq mi, plus ~28 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 132 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- 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 132 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 Range36%used in winter
- Winter Concentration2%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 |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 1 – December 14 | 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 132 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually hunt in this unit?
Approximately 0.9 percent of the unit, or about 8 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through State Wildlife Areas and BLM land. An additional 3.5 percent may be accessible on enrolled State Trust Land, but that access depends on enrollment and cannot be guaranteed. Legal access, not terrain, is the limiting factor here.
Is this an easy unit to draw with no preference points?
The unit-wide either-sex hunts in the primary draw often require zero preference points for adult Colorado residents, making them easy to draw. However, specific seasons, weapons, or nonresident applicants may require substantially more points. The easy-draw rating applies to the most accessible qualifying code available.
Is the terrain manageable for a hunter on foot?
The terrain is gentle and rolling across the entire unit, with no steep or rugged ground, making it naturally walkable. However, the severe limitation on public access means terrain walkability is secondary to the challenge of legally reaching and hunting the limited open ground available.
When do mule deer concentrate in this unit?
A 2-percent portion of the unit is mapped as Winter Concentration ground where mule deer cluster, occurring during the late-rut and winter consolidation phase from late November through early spring. The remainder of the unit's winter range sees broader distribution but is not characterized as concentrated-use ground.
Which season should a hunter prioritize for mule deer here?
The Plains Late Rifle season from December 1 to December 14 occurs during late rut and winter consolidation when mule deer are concentrated on specific ground, potentially offering better opportunity. The earlier archery and muzzleloader seasons fall during velvet shed when bucks are still in bachelor groups and less predictably distributed.
How does high hunter pressure affect opportunity on this unit?
Though the unit draws easily, overall hunter pressure remains high, meaning that the limited public hunting ground—less than 1 percent of the unit—likely sees significant use. Easy draw does not translate to solitude or reduced competition for the accessible acreage.
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.