Colorado GMU 16 Mule Deer Hunting
Jackson County, northwest Colorado · 320 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 16 is like
GMU 16 is a 320-square-mile unit in Jackson County at the northwestern edge of Colorado, spanning from 8,000 feet to 11,900 feet elevation. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 72% of the unit classified as gentle slope, 23% moderate, and only 6% steep or rugged combined. The unit receives moderate to heavy snow in late fall, with November averaging 14.6 inches of snowfall at mid elevations and October averaging 3.8 inches. September stays dry and mild, with highs near 66°F, while the season cools through October and November as highs drop to around 40°F by late fall.
Roughly 47% of GMU 16 is open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area lands. An additional 4.4% is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; access to these tracts depends on enrollment status. The remaining 48% is private land. Public hunters must verify access and entry points before the season, as ownership does not guarantee straightforward entry.
Mule deer use the unit across its full elevation span during summer and occupy the mapped overall range. As fall progresses, mule deer begin shifting toward winter ground, with migration corridors covering 23% of the unit and winter range covering only 4%. This pattern suggests that over the course of the fall hunting season, deer distribution becomes concentrated on a smaller portion of the unit, particularly as snow accumulates in November.
GMU 16 offers seven seasons open to public applicants: Archery (September 2–30, either-sex), Muzzleloader (September 12–20, doe/buck), Early Rifle (September 5–October 7, doe/buck), and four numbered rifle seasons running consecutively from October 14 through November 22 (1st Rifle October 14–18, 2nd Rifle October 24–November 1, 3rd Rifle November 7–15, 4th Rifle November 18–22). Archery and Muzzleloader occur during the velvet-shed phase before most bucks are in the pre-rut or rut. Early Rifle straddles the velvet-shed and early fall migration phases. The four numbered rifle seasons progress through early fall migration, pre-rut staging, and into the primary rut and late rut phases. The unit draws at the easier end of the spectrum, with the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunts drawing reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents, though premium buck seasons within the unit require substantially more points. Despite easy draw odds on the easiest seasons, the unit sees high overall hunter pressure.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 8,000–11,900 ft, typically around 8,500 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 8.1°
- Slope breakdown
- 72% gentle · 23% moderate · 5% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~152 sq mi, plus ~14 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 47% of GMU 16 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest34%
- BLM12%
- State Wildlife Area1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private48%
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 16 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%.
- Summer Range100%used in summer
- 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
- Migration Corridors23%movement between ranges, not residence
- Winter Range4%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 |
| 1st Rifle | October 14 – October 18 | Buck |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Buck |
| Early Rifle | September 5 – October 7 | 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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 66°F, lows around 36°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 53°F, lows around 27°F, about 3.8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 40°F, lows around 17°F, about 14.6 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 16 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually hunt in this unit?
Roughly 47% of the unit—about 152 square miles—is open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area land. An additional 4.4% is Colorado State Trust Land, but access there depends on whether specific parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, which the facts block does not detail. Verification of current access and legal entry points is necessary before hunting.
Does this unit draw easily at zero points?
The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex season for an adult Colorado resident draws reliably at zero preference points. However, the unit holds at least one premium buck season that requires substantially more points. Early-season applicants with no points should confirm which specific hunts fall into the zero-point tier, as other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants face steeper point requirements.
Is the terrain manageable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. Roughly 72% of the unit is gentle slope and 23% moderate slope, making the unit's overall terrain accessible to foot hunters. Only 6% is steep or rugged, so a hunter prepared for rolling, forested country at 8,000 to 11,900 feet should find the ground negotiable, though elevation gain and distance still apply.
When are conditions hardest—early or late season?
Early season (September) stays mild and dry with highs around 66°F, but November brings significant snow—averaging 14.6 inches—and cold, with highs around 40°F and lows near 17°F. Late-season hunters face snow travel and deeper cold, while early-season hunters contend with dry ground, longer days, and higher temperatures that can slow mule deer activity.
Where do mule deer go as the season progresses?
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped summer range early in the fall. As the season advances into October and November, they shift toward winter ground; migration corridors cover 23% of the unit and winter range covers only 4%, suggesting that by late fall, deer concentrate on a smaller portion of the unit. Timing and extent of this shift depend on weather and snow accumulation.
Is early rifle (September) the same hunt phase as the archery season?
Both Archery (September 2–30) and Early Rifle (September 5–October 7) begin in the velvet-shed phase when bucks are shedding velvet and before the pre-rut build. Early Rifle extends into early October and enters the early fall migration phase partway through, so Early Rifle hunters may encounter bucks in either velvet-shed or early migration behavior depending on the hunt date.
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.