Colorado GMU 38 Mule Deer Hunting
Gilpin, Boulder, Clear Creek and Jefferson counties, northeast Colorado · 456 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 38 is like
GMU 38 spans Gilpin, Boulder, Clear Creek and Jefferson counties in the northeast region and covers 456 square miles of rolling to moderately steep terrain. The unit rises from 5,100 feet to 13,400 feet, with typical elevations around 7,900 feet. Slopes are predominantly gentle to moderate: 45% of the unit is gentle, 40% moderate and 15% steep, with 1% rugged terrain. Mule deer occupy the unit across a broad seasonal range, with Summer Range covering 78% and Winter Range 58% of the total area. An 18% Winter Concentration layer marks ground where mule deer cluster during the winter months.
Roughly 23% of the unit—about 104 square miles—is generally open to public hunting on National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and BLM land. Private land accounts for 54% of the unit and unclassified ownership 23%, substantially limiting public access. The remaining acreage consists of State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Although terrain in open areas tends toward walkable slopes, legal access is the primary constraint for hunters here, since the majority of the unit is private or unclassified ground.
Summer Range coverage at 78% contrasts with Winter Range at 58%, suggesting that mule deer move to lower and more concentrated areas as fall progresses. Hunters should expect deer distribution to shift toward winter ground through the season, with timing and extent varying by weather and snow. The Winter Concentration layer at 18% indicates that by winter, deer cluster on specific ground within the broader winter-range polygon rather than spreading evenly across it.
Seven mule deer seasons are offered, six open to public land hunters. Archery runs September 2 to September 30 on either-sex basis. Muzzleloader is September 12 to September 20 for doe or buck. Four rifle seasons follow: 2nd Rifle October 24 to November 1, 3rd Rifle November 7 to November 15, and 4th Rifle November 18 to November 22 (these three form a continuous block ending in mid-November), then Late Rifle December 1 to January 31 for either-sex or doe. A seventh season is private-land only, September 1 to November 30, for doe or buck. Draw difficulty for the unit's easiest qualifying public-land hunt is easy, often requiring zero preference points. Hunter pressure on the unit is extreme.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–13,400 ft, typically around 7,900 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 13.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 45% gentle · 40% moderate · 15% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~104 sq mi, plus ~2 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 38.
Lower elevations
- Other cover66%
- Grass and meadow23%
- Sagebrush9%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Conifer54%
- Sagebrush34%
- Other cover6%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Aspen1%
- Riparian1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer70%
- Sagebrush15%
- Other cover7%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Aspen3%
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 23% of GMU 38 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and BLM.
- National Forest22%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Unclassified ownership23%
- Private54%
“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 38 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
- Summer Range78%used in summer
- Winter Range58%used in winter
- Winter Concentration18%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 |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Doe, Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Doe, Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Doe, Buck |
| Late Rifle | December 1 – January 31 | Either-sex, Doe |
| Private-land only | September 1 – November 30 | 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 70°F, lows around 43°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 32°F, about 2.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 47°F, lows around 24°F, about 4.4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 38 mule deer hunting FAQ
Is there enough public land here to hunt without knowing a rancher?
About 23% of the unit is generally open to public hunting on National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and BLM. The rest is private (54%) or unclassified ownership (23%), so a hunter is limited to roughly one-quarter of the area without private permission. The open land is scattered rather than consolidated, so access routes and legal entry points determine what ground is actually reachable.
When should a hunter plan to be in this unit—early season, peak rut, or late?
Archery and Muzzleloader both fall during the Velvet Shed phase (early September), when bucks are still in bachelor groups. The 2nd Rifle season spans the Early Fall Migration phase into early Pre-Rut staging. The 3rd Rifle and 4th Rifle seasons (mid-November) coincide with Primary Rut and Late Rut, when buck behavior changes dramatically. Late Rifle runs through winter consolidation into January. Each has distinct conditions: early seasons mean scattered bucks and warm weather; rifle seasons from mid-November onward align with the rut and colder conditions.
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw here?
An adult Colorado resident can draw the easiest qualifying public-land buck or either-sex hunt on this unit at zero points, since draw difficulty is rated easy. Other seasons, weapons and codes may require more points; the zero-point band is a floor, not a ceiling for the unit. Applicants below that tier sometimes draw anyway, and the Secondary Draw (June, random, open to anyone) and Leftover List (first-come, first-served) offer separate paths to a tag.
How much does the temperature drop through the fall hunting season?
September highs average around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 43. By November, highs drop to around 47 and lows to around 24. October sits in between with highs near 58 and lows near 32. Snowfall is minimal in September, around 2.5 inches in October, and increases to 4.4 inches by November.
What does the winter concentration layer tell a hunter about where deer actually are?
The Winter Concentration layer at 18% means mule deer cluster on specific ground during winter rather than spread across the full Winter Range. However, the concentration layer shows only what portion of the unit is concentrated-use ground, not where that ground is located—hunters must study the mapped polygons themselves to identify specific areas. Outside the concentration zone, winter range at 58% coverage indicates that deer occupy much broader country as well.
Does the extreme hunter pressure mean this unit will be crowded during peak season?
Extreme hunter pressure and easy draw difficulty describe very different things. Extreme pressure means many hunters apply and draw tags here, particularly during the rut rifle seasons and late season. An easy draw means an individual applicant is likely to get a tag if he or she applies, not that fewer hunters will be afield once the season opens. This unit's combination—easy to draw but crowded in the field—is typical of areas near population centers.
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.