Colorado GMU 67 Mule Deer Hunting
Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache counties, southwest Colorado · 674 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 67 is like
GMU 67 spans 674 square miles across the high country of southwestern Colorado, rolling from 7,500 feet at the low end to 14,000 feet at the high end, with typical elevations near 9,500 feet. The terrain is predominantly rolling, with some steeper breaks—55 percent of the unit is gentle, 39 percent moderate, and 6 percent steep. This country supports mule deer across a full spectrum of seasonal ranges and migration corridors.
About 82 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 18 percent is private land. This mix of public ownership means a substantial portion of ground is accessible to hunters, though the private holdings are interspersed throughout the unit.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full range through summer and fall. Summer Range covers the entire unit, and Overall Range does as well, reflecting the broad habitat available. As the season advances into autumn, deer concentrate on Winter Range covering 58 percent of the unit, with Winter Concentration mapping 29 percent where animals cluster. Migration Corridors covering 23 percent of the unit indicate movement as animals shift with seasonal changes. Hunters should expect deer to concentrate and shift toward lower ground as November progresses and snow accumulates.
The unit offers five mule deer seasons: Archery September 2–September 30 (buck only), Muzzleloader September 12–September 20 (buck only), 2nd Rifle October 24–November 1 (doe/buck), 3rd Rifle November 7–November 15 (doe/buck), and 4th Rifle November 18–November 22 (buck only). The three rifle seasons span the transition from early fall movement through the pre-rut and into the primary rut. Early-season hunts occur when daytime temperatures average in the mid-60s Fahrenheit, while the late November seasons run as temperatures drop to the low 40s and snow accumulates. Hunter pressure on the unit is low overall, and the draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex code is moderate, requiring one to two preference points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,500–14,000 ft, typically around 9,500 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 10.7°
- Slope breakdown
- 55% gentle · 39% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~549 sq mi
Land & access
About 82% of GMU 67 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Areas.
- BLM42%
- National Forest40%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Private18%
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 67 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
- Winter Range58%used in winter
- Winter Concentration29%where mule deer bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors23%movement between ranges, not residence
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 | Doe, Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Doe, Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | 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 55°F, lows around 26°F, about 1.6 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 16°F, about 7.8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 67 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw a tag here?
The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code for an adult Colorado resident requires one to two preference points. A zero-point applicant will not draw the most accessible public-land hunt, though private-land-only and Ranching for Wildlife hunts may have different point requirements. Premium buck seasons on the unit require substantially more points.
Is late season better than early season for finding deer?
Early-season hunters (September) will encounter deer in velvet-shed phase across the full extent of summer range, while late-season hunters (November) will find animals concentrating on winter range as temperatures drop and snow accumulates. The 3rd and 4th Rifle seasons overlap the primary rut in November, when buck activity peaks; the archery and muzzleloader seasons occur about six weeks earlier in the velvet-shed phase. Which approach suits a hunter depends on preference for season length, weather tolerance, and whether hunting the rut matters.
How much public ground can actually be hunted?
About 549 square miles of the unit's 674 square miles is generally open to public hunting on Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and State Wildlife Area lands. Access and actual huntability depend on specific road and trailhead conditions, private inholdings, and seasonal closures on the public ground itself, which a hunter should verify before the season.
Will I find deer spread out or concentrated?
Winter Concentration covers 29 percent of the unit where mule deer cluster, while broader Winter Range covers 58 percent. Hunters should expect significant clustering on winter ground, particularly as the season advances into November and snow depths increase. The concentration layers do not specify where that ground sits within the unit, only that it exists.
Is the terrain steep enough to be a problem for a foot hunter?
The unit is predominantly rolling with some moderate breaks—55 percent gentle and 39 percent moderate terrain. Only 6 percent is steep. A foot hunter should be able to access and hunt a large portion of the unit without extreme terrain challenges, though the upper elevations and specific drainages will vary in steepness.
What weather should I expect across the five seasons?
September hunts see daytime highs near 66°F and virtually no snow. October temperatures average 55°F with about 1.6 inches of monthly snowfall. By November, daytime highs average 42°F and snowfall averages 7.8 inches per month, creating conditions that drive deer movement and concentrate animals on lower winter range. The unit cools significantly from early to late season.
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.