Colorado GMU 141 Mule Deer Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 239 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 141 is like
Unit 141 is a 239-square-mile mule deer unit in southeastern Colorado's lower reaches, ranging from 4,800 feet to 5,900 feet in elevation. The terrain is gentle and rolling throughout, with a mean slope of 2 degrees—98 percent of the unit falls into the gentle category, making it easy to walk on foot. The landscape is characteristic of lower-elevation mule deer country with open grasslands and rolling terrain that does not demand steep climbing.
Public hunting access is severely limited. BLM lands compose only about 0.2 percent of the unit (roughly 1 square mile) and are dependably open to public hunting. An additional 7.5 percent (roughly 18 square miles) is Colorado State Trust Land, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program may be hunted—which ones are enrolled is not specified here and hunters must verify access case by case. The remaining 92 percent is private. Although the terrain itself is walkable, legal access to the vast majority of the unit is the fundamental constraint for any public-land hunter.
CPW maps the entire unit as Winter Range, indicating broad cold-season use, and a Winter Concentration layer identifies 8 percent where deer are especially likely to cluster in winter. Winter Range covers 100 percent of the unit, and Overall Range also covers 100 percent. A Winter Concentration layer marks 8 percent of the unit where deer cluster during the winter months. The combination of full-range coverage and winter concentration indicates that mule deer are present across the unit through fall and winter, though they concentrate in specific portions when snow and cold drive consolidation.
The unit offers four seasons across the fall and winter calendar. Archery runs September 2 to September 30 for either-sex hunters and falls in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition period. Muzzleloader runs September 12 to September 20 for doe and buck hunters, also in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition. Two rifle seasons follow: Plains Early Rifle runs October 24 to November 3 for doe and buck and spans the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging periods; Plains Late Rifle runs December 1 to December 14 for doe and buck and covers the Late Rut / Winter Consolidation period. Draw difficulty is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest unit-wide either-sex or buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents. Hunter pressure on the unit is high.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–5,900 ft, typically around 5,500 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2°
- Slope breakdown
- 98% gentle · 2% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1 sq mi, plus ~18 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 141 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. A further 8% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land8%
- 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 141 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%.
- Winter Range100%used in winter
- 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 Concentration8%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 141 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public land can I actually hunt here?
Only about 0.2 percent of the unit (roughly 1 square mile) is dependably open BLM land. An additional 7.5 percent is State Trust Land, but access depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program, which must be verified before the hunt. The remaining 92 percent is private.
Is the terrain manageable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. The unit is gentle and rolling with a mean slope of 2 degrees; 98 percent falls into the gentle terrain category. Walking is not the limiting factor. Legal access to huntable ground is.
Can I draw this unit with zero preference points?
The easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck hunt for an adult Colorado resident draws at zero points. Other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
When are mule deer present through the fall?
CPW maps the entire unit as Winter Range, which indicates broad cold-season use rather than year-round occupancy. A Winter Concentration layer marks 8 percent of the unit where deer cluster during winter months, so concentrations develop as the season progresses, though deer remain distributed across the broader range throughout fall.
Which season fits my weapon choice?
Archery runs September 2–30 (either-sex). Muzzleloader runs September 12–20 (doe/buck). Plains Early Rifle runs October 24–November 3 (doe/buck). Plains Late Rifle runs December 1–14 (doe/buck). Two rifle seasons are offered.
How much of this unit is concentrated with mule deer?
A Winter Concentration layer covers 8 percent of the unit, marking where mule deer cluster during winter months. This layer does not indicate where that ground sits within the unit, only that roughly 8 percent of the area experiences concentrated use during the winter 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.