Colorado GMU 411 Mule Deer Hunting
Mesa and Delta counties, southwest Colorado · 230 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 411 is like
Unit 411 occupies 230 square miles across Mesa and Delta counties in the southwestern corner of Colorado, spanning elevations from 4,900 feet to 10,900 feet with a typical mid-elevation around 6,100 feet. The terrain rolls gently across most of the unit, with moderate breaks comprising 35 percent of the area and steeper slopes making up 7 percent, creating country that is rolling, with some steeper breaks rather than rugged or uniformly steep.
The unit is approximately 62 percent publicly open to hunting on BLM and U.S. Forest Service ground, amounting to roughly 142 square miles. The remaining 38 percent is privately owned. The two agencies hold these public lands in roughly equal measure—BLM manages about 42 percent of the total unit, while the Forest Service manages 20 percent. This ownership pattern means that a hunter can count on roughly three-fifths of the unit as accessible public ground, though roads, trailheads, and private inholdings will determine practical entry points.
Mule deer occupy the unit across a broad seasonal range, with 100 percent of the unit mapped as overall range and 50 percent as summer range. Winter range covers 39 percent of the unit, and mule deer concentrate on 11 percent of the total area during the winter months. The seasonal range pattern indicates that deer move through the unit across the fall, with concentrations developing on specific winter grounds as the season advances into November and December. Summer occupancy is more dispersed, reflecting the bachelor pattern of bucks after velvet shed and the broader use of the unit in warmer months.
Six seasons are offered, five of them open to public applicants. Archery runs September 2–30, followed by muzzleloader season September 12–20, both hunting bucks in the velvet-shed phase of early fall. Three rifle seasons follow: the second season October 24 – November 1 (buck), the third November 7–15 (buck), and the fourth November 18–22 (buck). The third and fourth rifle seasons coincide with the primary rut period in November. Overall hunter pressure is high. Draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying unit-wide buck hunts is easy, typically drawing at zero preference points for an adult Colorado resident, though other weapons, codes, and non-resident applicants may require substantially more points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,900–10,900 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 10.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 58% gentle · 35% moderate · 7% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~142 sq mi
Land & access
About 62% of GMU 411 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM and National Forest.
- BLM42%
- National Forest20%
- Private38%
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 411 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 Range50%used in summer
- Winter Range39%used in winter
- Winter Concentration11%where mule deer bunch up in winter
Mule Deer seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Buck |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Buck |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Buck |
| Private-land only | August 15 – November 15 | Either-sex, 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 77°F, lows around 48°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 37°F, about 0.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 50°F, lows around 26°F, about 0.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 411 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter with no preference points draw this unit?
Yes. The easiest qualifying unit-wide buck hunts in this unit draw at zero preference points for an adult Colorado resident, making it an accessible option for new applicants. Other weapons, season codes, and non-resident applicants may require additional points.
Which season falls during the mule deer rut?
The third and fourth rifle seasons overlap with the primary rut in mid-to-late November. The third rifle season runs November 7–15, straddling the onset of the rut, while the fourth season November 18–22 sits squarely within the primary rut. Archery and muzzleloader seasons occur earlier in September, during the velvet-shed and early fall transition when bucks are still transitioning into fall behavior.
How much public ground can a hunter actually count on in this unit?
Roughly 142 square miles, or 62 percent of the unit, is open to public hunting on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land. The remaining 38 percent is privately owned, but practical access to public ground still depends on roads, trailheads, and the configuration of private inholdings around entry points.
Is this unit realistic for a public-land hunter starting early in the season?
Yes. Archery and muzzleloader seasons in September offer early-season opportunities when deer are widely dispersed across summer range covering 50 percent of the unit. These seasons hunt the velvet-shed and early fall transition phases before concentrations develop on winter grounds later in the year.
Does terrain in this unit require backcountry fitness?
Most of the unit is gently rolling with moderate breaks, making it accessible to hunters of varying fitness levels. Steep slopes comprise only 7 percent of the total area, and the mean slope of 10.2 degrees indicates that much of the ground is navigable without extreme scrambling or climbing.
Where do mule deer concentrate as fall progresses?
Winter concentration grounds make up 11 percent of the unit where mule deer cluster during the winter months. These concentrations develop as deer respond to seasonal range constraints and weather, particularly into November and December, though the specific locations are not fixed to elevation or aspect—a hunter needs to scout and understand the unit's layout to locate them.
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.