Colorado GMU 144 Mule Deer Hunting
Baca County, southeast Colorado · 644 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 144 is like
GMU 144 is a 644-square-mile mule deer unit in Baca County in southeastern Colorado. The country is gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to 5,300 feet and typical elevations around 4,600 feet. Ninety-five percent of the unit's area is gentle terrain; moderate slopes cover 4 percent and steep slopes 1 percent. This is open prairie and grassland country at relatively low elevation, where walking is easy but weather and vegetation determine how much ground a hunter can actually work.
About 33 percent of the unit, roughly 211 square miles, is National Forest land and generally open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land covers an additional 3.2 percent, though access there depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program and cannot be assumed. The remainder is private ground, which comprises about 64 percent of the unit. This means legal access is the primary constraint on where a hunter can roam; terrain difficulty is not.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range, though overall coverage does not indicate uniform distribution. A winter concentration zone covering 1 percent of the unit marks where mule deer cluster during the late-rut and winter-consolidation period. No migration corridors are mapped for this unit. The elevation span and the absence of a large winter range layer suggest that mule deer movement through the fall is modest compared to units with steeper terrain and greater seasonal range separation.
The unit offers four publicly available seasons for mule deer. Archery runs September 2–September 30 on either-sex basis and falls during velvet shed and early fall transition. Muzzleloader runs September 12–September 20 on a doe/buck basis in the same phenological window. Two rifle seasons follow: Plains Early Rifle, October 24–November 3, covering early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase plus early pre-rut staging, on a doe/buck basis; and Plains Late Rifle, December 1–December 14, during late rut and winter consolidation, also on a doe/buck basis. A fifth season, October 24–November 3 on a doe/buck basis, is private-land only and requires the hunter's own permission to hunt private ground. Hunter pressure is low, and the draw is easy, with the easiest qualifying hunt drawing reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,000–5,300 ft, typically around 4,600 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.4°
- Slope breakdown
- 95% gentle · 4% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~211 sq mi, plus ~21 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 144.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow59%
- Sagebrush24%
- Other cover16%
- Conifer1%
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 33% of GMU 144 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest33%
- State Trust Land3%
- Private64%
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 144 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 Range4%used in winter
- Winter Concentration1%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 |
| 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 144 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much ground can a hunter actually hunt on public land here?
About 33 percent of the unit is National Forest land and open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land covers another 3.2 percent but access depends on CPW enrollment, which is not guaranteed. The remaining 64 percent is private. A hunter planning to hunt here should confirm access to any trust land beforehand and recognize that the unit's easy terrain does not offset the scarcity of open ground.
Does this unit suit someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest qualifying hunt draws reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents, making this an accessible unit even for a first-time applicant. Other seasons and weapons may require more points, and availability changes yearly, so checking the draw results for the specific season desired is important.
Which season should a hunter apply for—early or late?
Archery and muzzleloader hunt during velvet shed and early fall transition, when bucks are shedding antlers and behavior patterns are beginning to change. The two rifle seasons offer different rut phases: Plains Early Rifle covers early migration and pre-rut staging, while Plains Late Rifle hunts the late rut and winter consolidation period. The choice depends on whether a hunter prefers velvet-phase hunting or rut hunting, and on season dates that fit the calendar.
Does mule deer distribution shift toward private ground later in the fall?
A winter concentration zone covers 1 percent of the unit, marking where mule deer cluster during late-rut and winter-consolidation phases. No migration corridors are mapped, and the low-elevation, gentle terrain suggests that seasonal movement is modest. Hunters should expect deer to shift toward concentrated areas as winter approaches, but the unit's broad overall range coverage and lack of a large seasonal range shift indicate the unit is not a classic migration system.
Is this unit realistic for someone who cannot get permission on private land?
Hunting here on public land alone is possible but constrained. Only 33 percent of the unit is National Forest and reliably open to public hunting. The difficulty is not terrain or distance but legal access—the prairie is easy to walk, but most of it is private. An applicant without private-land options should verify that the public ground available suits their hunting style before applying.
What does the 'easy draw' rating mean for this unit?
Easy draw means the lowest preference-point tier that drew reliably for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt was zero points. An applicant with zero points can reasonably expect to draw that hunt, though draw results vary yearly and include factors like leftover licenses. Other seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants may require more points. The rating covers the single easiest opportunity and does not extend to all hunts in the unit.
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.