Colorado GMU 49 Mule Deer Hunting
Lake, Park and Chaffee counties, central Colorado · 538 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 49 is like
Unit 49 spans Lake, Park, and Chaffee counties across 538 square miles of rolling to moderately steep terrain in the central region. Elevation ranges from 7,800 feet to 14,300 feet, with terrain composed of 42 percent gentle slopes, 46 percent moderate slopes, 10 percent steep slopes, and 1 percent rugged terrain by area. The country opens across a broad span of elevations and aspects, holding summer range across the entire unit and winter range covering 44 percent of it.
The unit is roughly 69 percent publicly open to hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area land. An additional 3.3 percent is Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment in the Public Access Program; only those enrolled parcels may be hunted. The remaining 28 percent is private land. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry—roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all govern how much of the open ground a hunter can actually reach.
Mule deer occupy summer range throughout the unit. Winter range covers the lower and middle elevations, with 19 percent of the unit mapped as winter concentration area where deer cluster seasonally. Migration corridors span 54 percent of the unit, reflecting the movement between seasonal ranges as conditions shift. A hunter working fall ground should expect deer distributed across elevations and seasonal ranges, with increasing concentration on winter ground and a general shift downslope as the season advances into November.
The unit offers four public-land seasons open to general applicants. Archery runs September 2–30 for either-sex hunting, falling in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase when bucks are shedding velvet and behavior is shifting. Muzzleloader runs September 12–20, also in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase. The 2nd Rifle season spans October 24 – November 1, crossing the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and into Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging. The 3rd Rifle season runs November 7–15, crossing into the Primary Rut that peaks November 11–25. September temperatures average highs near 59 degrees Fahrenheit and lows near 34 degrees, with negligible snow. October brings cooling to highs near 48 degrees and roughly 6 inches of monthly snowfall. November continues the cooling trend, with highs near 37 degrees and around 14 inches of monthly snowfall. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt available to adult Colorado residents is moderate, requiring 1–2 preference points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,800–14,300 ft, typically around 10,500 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 13.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 42% gentle · 46% moderate · 10% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~369 sq mi, plus ~18 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 69% of GMU 49 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest60%
- BLM9%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private28%
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 49 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 Corridors54%movement between ranges, not residence
- Winter Range44%used in winter
- Winter Concentration19%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 |
| Private-land only | October 24 – November 15 | Doe |
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 59°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 48°F, lows around 25°F, about 6 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 37°F, lows around 15°F, about 14.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 49 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can someone with zero preference points draw an elk tag here?
The easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt on this unit draws at 1–2 preference points for adult Colorado residents in the primary draw, so a zero-point applicant would not draw that hunt. Other seasons or nonresident applicants may have different point requirements, and private-land-only opportunities exist on the unit but fall outside the general unit-wide draw.
Is this a good fit for an archery hunter?
The archery season runs September 2–30 during the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, when bucks are shedding velvet and behavior is shifting. September weather is cool but dry, averaging highs near 59 degrees and lows near 34 degrees with minimal snow. The season offers either-sex hunting across the full unit, so success is not limited to mature bucks.
How much public land can a hunter actually access?
Roughly 69 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area land. Access depends on roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and the presence of private inholdings, which can prevent or limit entry to some open ground. An additional 3.3 percent is State Trust Land where hunting is possible only on parcels enrolled in the Public Access Program.
Does the unit offer rifle hunting during the rut?
The 3rd Rifle season runs November 7–15, which overlaps the Primary Rut peak of November 11–25. The earlier 2nd Rifle season (October 24 – November 1) crosses the Early Fall Migration phase and the start of Pre-Rut staging but does not occur during the primary rut. November brings increasing snow—around 14 inches monthly—and highs near 37 degrees Fahrenheit.
Where should a hunter focus effort as the season progresses?
Mule deer occupy summer range across the entire unit and winter range covering 44 percent of it, with 19 percent mapped as winter concentration ground. As temperatures drop and snow arrives in October and November, a hunter should expect deer to shift downslope toward winter range and concentrate on ground where winter concentrations are mapped. The specific location of that concentration ground varies across the unit and should be determined by mapping and local knowledge.
Is hunter pressure heavy on this unit?
Overall hunter pressure is moderate. The unit draws at 1–2 preference points for the easiest either-sex hunts, which reflects moderate draw difficulty. Draw difficulty and crowding are separate: an easy-to-draw unit can still see heavy foot traffic, and pressure varies by season, location, and elevation.
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.