Colorado GMU 140 Mule Deer Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 459 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 140 is like
GMU 140 is a 459-square-mile unit in Las Animas County in the southeast region, dominated by gentle and rolling terrain. Elevation spans from 5,400 feet to 9,600 feet, with a typical elevation around 6,000 feet. The terrain is 78 percent gentle, 18 percent moderate slope, and 3 percent steep, making the unit generally walkable for hunters on foot across most of its area. The country is dry pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine at lower elevations, transitioning to mixed conifer at higher elevations.
Land access is the binding constraint here. Only 4.6 percent of the unit, roughly 21 square miles, is State Wildlife Area open to public hunting. An additional 3.8 percent, roughly 18 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program—the specific acreage available to hunt varies year to year. The remaining 92 percent is private. With access limited to these small open tracts, a hunter's realistic opportunity depends entirely on which State Wildlife Areas are accessible and whether enrolled Trust Land parcels lie within practical reach.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range, with Winter Concentration covering 15 percent of the unit where deer cluster during the post-rut season. As fall progresses and temperatures cool from September highs near 79 degrees Fahrenheit to November highs near 56 degrees, deer shift in distribution toward winter grounds; the timing and extent of that movement varies with weather and snow conditions. Early-season hunts encounter deer in the velvet-shed phase, while October's rifle seasons overlap the transition into and staging for the rut. The third and fourth rifle seasons fall squarely in the primary rut, November 11 through November 25.
The unit offers five seasons: Archery from September 2 to September 30, Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20, 2nd Rifle from October 24 to November 1, 3rd Rifle from November 7 to November 15, and 4th Rifle from November 18 to November 22. All five are buck seasons. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck code available to adult Colorado residents is easy, often at zero preference points. Hunter pressure is extreme, reflecting the unit's accessible location and limited public acreage.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,400–9,600 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 6.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 78% gentle · 18% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~21 sq mi, plus ~18 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 5% of GMU 140 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area5%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Private92%
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 140 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 Range95%used in winter
- Summer Range43%used in summer
- Winter Concentration15%where mule deer bunch up in winter
Mule Deer seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Buck |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Buck |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | 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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 48°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 25°F, about 1.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 140 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually plan to hunt here?
Only approximately 21 square miles of State Wildlife Area is dependably open to public hunting—roughly 4.6 percent of the unit. An additional 18 square miles of State Trust Land may be available on enrolled parcels, but which parcels are accessible varies annually. With 92 percent private land, legal access is the limiting factor, not terrain difficulty.
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck code for adult Colorado residents draws at zero preference points, making this an entry-level unit for the draw. Other seasons and weapon types may require more points, and nonresidents face different qualification levels.
How does the season progression match deer behavior through the fall?
September hunts encounter deer in velvet-shed and early fall transition. October's 2nd Rifle season overlaps early migration and nocturnal behavior as bucks begin shifting activity. The 3rd Rifle season straddles the pre-rut staging period and the primary rut itself, November 11–25. The 4th Rifle season sits entirely in the primary rut, offering peak bugling activity but also peak hunter crowding.
What winter ground exists, and when do deer concentrate there?
Winter Concentration mapping covers 15 percent of the unit where mule deer cluster during the post-rut season beginning in late November. The exact location of this concentrated ground is not specified in the mapping, so hunters must scout or consult local sources to identify where that concentration occurs within the unit's open-access areas.
Does the gentle terrain mean a solo hunter can cover much of the unit?
Walkability and legal access are separate problems. While 78 percent of the unit is gentle slope, only 4.6 percent is open to public hunting, and much of that may be landlocked or difficult to reach. A hunter must verify both terrain and land ownership before planning a route.
What weather should a hunter expect from September through November?
September starts cool to mild with highs near 79 degrees Fahrenheit and minimal precipitation. October cools to highs near 68 degrees with roughly 0.7 inches of snowfall on average. November sees a sharp drop to highs near 56 degrees and 1.1 inches of snowfall, making late-season hunts significantly colder and potentially snowier than early season.
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.