Colorado GMU 137 Mule Deer Hunting
Las Animas and Baca counties, southeast Colorado · 578 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 137 is like
Unit 137 spans 578 square miles of low-elevation country in the southeastern region, with elevations between 4,400 and 5,700 feet. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 93 percent of the unit classified as gentle slopes and only 1 percent steep or rugged. The landscape consists largely of plains and rolling grassland broken by sparse timber, typical of the lower elevations of the region.
Public land is limited here. National Forest comprises approximately 9.1 percent of the unit and is open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land covers an additional 4.1 percent, but access to this acreage depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program and is not assured. The remaining 86 percent is private land. Legal access to public ground is the primary constraint on hunting this unit, regardless of how walkable the terrain may be.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range. A small Winter Concentration layer covers 1 percent of the unit, indicating a zone where animals cluster during the winter phase. This mapping does not indicate that mule deer are uniformly distributed across the unit; rather, it shows where animals concentrate when present. Outside the marked concentration ground, mule deer presence is more dispersed throughout the mapped range, particularly during periods of broader seasonal occupancy.
The unit offers five seasons total, four open to public applicants. Archery runs September 2 through September 30 as an either-sex hunt during the velvet-shed phase. Muzzleloader season runs September 12 through September 20 for doe or buck during the same velvet-shed phase. Two rifle seasons follow: Plains Early Rifle runs October 24 through November 3 for either-sex or doe/buck during the early pre-rut staging phase, and Plains Late Rifle runs December 1 through December 14 for either-sex or doe/buck during late-rut winter consolidation. A private-land-only rifle season also runs October 24 through November 3. The draw for public-land seasons is easy, with the simplest unit-wide hunt drawing reliably at zero points. Moderate hunter pressure is typical for the unit.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–5,700 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 3.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 93% gentle · 6% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~53 sq mi, plus ~24 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 137.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow74%
- Sagebrush21%
- Other cover4%
- Conifer2%
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 9% of GMU 137 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest9%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private86%
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 137 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 Range<1%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 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 1 – December 14 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | 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 137 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public land can a hunter actually hunt in Unit 137?
Approximately 53 square miles of National Forest land is open to public hunting, constituting about 9.1 percent of the unit. An additional 24 square miles of State Trust Land exists, but hunting access depends on CPW enrollment of individual parcels in the Public Access Program and is not guaranteed. Legal access, not terrain, is the limiting factor here.
Is Unit 137 realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt draws reliably at zero points. Applicants with no preference points have a realistic chance at one of the public-land seasons, though the available codes and specific hunts vary by weapon and season.
Which season would a mule deer hunter target, and why?
The Late Rifle season in December focuses on the late-rut consolidation phase when animals cluster tighter, but it runs on very limited accessible ground. The Early Rifle season in late October and early November spans the transition into pre-rut staging and offers either-sex or buck-only options. Archery and Muzzleloader occur during velvet shed in September when bucks are still shedding antler velvet, a less predictable hunting window.
Does terrain make this unit easy to hunt on foot?
The unit's rolling, gentle slopes are straightforward to walk, but terrain is not the problem here. Private ownership of 86 percent of the unit means legal access to public ground is what determines whether a hunter can actually reach and cover hunting country.
What does the Winter Concentration layer mean for hunting strategy?
The Winter Concentration zone covering 1 percent of the unit marks where mule deer cluster during winter months. This ground becomes more valuable during late-season hunts like the December Late Rifle when animals consolidate. Outside this zone, mule deer presence is more dispersed across the broader mapped range.
Is this unit worth applying for with limited points?
The easy draw and low point requirement make it accessible without points, but the scarcity of public land (9.1 percent open) means success depends heavily on knowing where that ground is and getting permission to access it legally. The moderate overall hunter pressure on a small public acreage suggests realistic hunting opportunity if a hunter can locate and reach the available National Forest.
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.