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 occupies the southeastern corner of Colorado in Baca County, spanning 644 square miles of gentle and rolling terrain with elevations ranging from 4,000 to 5,300 feet, typically around 4,600 feet. The landscape is 95 percent gentle by area, with only 1 percent steep terrain and no rugged country, making it walkable throughout. The unit lies on the High Plains, and the relatively low elevation and modest topography create a place where a hunter on foot can cover ground without technical difficulty.
Public hunting access is constrained by ownership: approximately 33 percent of the unit—about 211 square miles—is National Forest land that is generally open to public hunting. An additional 3.2 percent is Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on whether specific parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; the enrollment status of individual tracts is not specified here. The remaining 64 percent is private land, which dominates the unit. Legal access to private-held ground is the central planning issue for hunters considering this unit, regardless of the ease of walking the country itself.
Mule deer in GMU 144 are mapped across overall range covering the entire unit, but this does not indicate year-round occupancy. Winter Concentration accounts for only 1 percent of the unit, suggesting that mule deer cluster on a small portion of the ground during winter months. The small Winter Range share of 4 percent indicates limited mapped seasonal use outside the concentrated areas. Hunters should expect mule deer to be present and concentrated on winter ground as the season advances into late fall and winter, though the precise timing and extent of that shift varies with weather and snow patterns.
GMU 144 offers four public-land seasons and one private-land-only hunt. Archery runs September 2 to September 30 on either-sex basis. Muzzleloader is September 12 to September 20, also either-sex. Two rifle seasons follow: Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3, and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14; both are doe or buck. A private-land-only hunt is also offered October 24 to November 3. The draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide hunt is easy, often requiring zero preference points for adult Colorado residents, and overall hunter pressure on the unit is low.
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
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
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt is easy, often drawing at zero points for adult Colorado residents. Other seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants may require more points, but the baseline public hunts are accessible from the start.
How much public ground can a hunter actually hunt here?
Approximately 33 percent of the unit—about 211 square miles—is National Forest land open to public hunting. An additional 3.2 percent is State Trust Land where hunting access depends on individual parcel enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program. The remaining 64 percent is private, so legal access is more constraining than terrain difficulty.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. The unit is 95 percent gentle by area with only 1 percent steep terrain, making the country easy to traverse without technical climbing. The rolling High Plains landscape allows a hunter to cover ground efficiently once legal access is secured.
When during the season are mule deer most concentrated?
Winter Concentration covers 1 percent of the unit, indicating that mule deer cluster on a small portion of ground during the late-fall and winter months. As the season advances into December and beyond, expect mule deer to shift toward these concentrated winter areas, though timing depends on weather and snow conditions.
Which seasons coincide with the mule deer rut?
The muzzleloader and archery seasons overlap the velvet-shed phase in early September; rut activity is minimal then. The Plains Early Rifle season (October 24–November 3) spans the early pre-rut staging period. The Plains Late Rifle season (December 1–December 14) falls in the late rut and winter consolidation phase, when bucks are actively moving and responding to does.
What draw pressure should a hunter expect?
Overall hunter pressure on the unit is low, and the draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying public-land hunt is easy. This combination means tags are generally available, though the private-land-only season and some alternative weapon or nonresident hunts may see different competition.
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.