Colorado GMU 147 Mule Deer Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 323 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 147 is like
Unit 147 is a 323-square-mile area in the southeastern corner of Colorado encompassing gentle and rolling terrain between 4,300 and 5,800 feet of elevation. The unit is 85 percent gentle by area, with moderate slopes covering 9 percent and steep or rugged ground comprising 6 percent combined. Mule deer hunting here spans four seasons across archery and rifle, with opportunities at different times of the fall and into early winter.
Public access is limited. Approximately 3.6 percent of the unit—about 12 square miles of National Forest and BLM ground—is generally open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises 26 percent of the unit, but hunting it depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program; hunters must verify current enrollment before planning to use any particular parcel. Private land covers 49 percent of the unit, and an additional 21 percent is unclassified in the ownership records. The combination of limited open ground and scattered private ownership means legal access is the primary constraint on where a hunter can actually hunt, regardless of terrain ease.
Mule deer are mapped across the full unit in overall range. Winter Range covers 42 percent of the unit, indicating that a substantial share of the year-round occupied ground concentrates during the winter months. As the season advances from early fall through late December, hunters should expect deer to shift gradually toward winter range, though the timing and extent of that movement vary with weather and snow. Early-season archery and muzzleloader hunting occur while deer are still dispersed, whereas the rifle seasons—particularly the late December hunt—encounter animals consolidating into winter range.
The unit offers four seasons: Archery from September 2 to September 30 (either-sex), Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 (doe or buck), Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3 (doe or buck), and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14 (doe or buck). Two of these are rifle seasons. Draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck hunts available to adult Colorado residents is easy, and overall hunter pressure on the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,300–5,800 ft, typically around 5,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 5.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 85% gentle · 9% moderate · 5% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~12 sq mi, plus ~83 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 4% of GMU 147 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest and BLM. A further 26% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest4%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land26%
- Unclassified ownership21%
- Private49%
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.
“Ownership unclassified” means the source dataset does not record an owner for that acreage. It is not known to be public or private.
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 147 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 Range42%used 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 147 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much ground can a hunter actually access and hunt here?
Only about 3.6 percent of the unit—roughly 12 square miles of National Forest and BLM—is generally open to public hunting. An additional 26 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access depends on whether individual parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; hunters must verify enrollment before planning to hunt any specific parcel. The remaining 75 percent is either private or unclassified in the ownership records, so legal access, not terrain ease, is the limiting factor.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
Yes. Draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck hunts is rated easy, often drawing at zero points for adult Colorado residents. However, this band describes only the easiest code available; other seasons, weapons and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
When are mule deer most concentrated and easiest to find?
Winter Range covers 42 percent of the unit, and hunters should expect deer to consolidate toward that ground as the season progresses into late fall and December. Early-season archery and muzzleloader hunting (September) occurs while deer are still dispersed across the unit, whereas the two rifle seasons—particularly the Plains Late Rifle hunt in December—encounter animals on or moving toward winter range.
Which season offers the best chance to hunt rutting bucks?
The Plains Late Rifle season from December 1 to December 14 overlaps the late rut and winter consolidation phase. The earlier hunts—archery and muzzleloader in September and Plains Early Rifle in October–November—occur during velvet shed and the early pre-rut phases, when buck behavior differs substantially from the rut.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. Eighty-five percent of the unit is gentle terrain, and elevations range only from 4,300 to 5,800 feet, so the country itself is manageable for most hunters. However, legal access to hunt that terrain remains the primary challenge; a hunter must verify open ground and State Trust Land enrollment before relying on any particular area.
What is the hunter pressure like on this unit?
Overall hunter pressure is low. However, draw difficulty and hunter pressure are separate things—an easy-to-draw unit can still see use by those who do draw. With so little open ground available, actual hunting pressure on that ground may be more concentrated than unit-wide averages suggest.
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.