Colorado GMU 72 Mule Deer Hunting
Montezuma County, southwest Colorado · 977 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 72 is like
GMU 72 spans 977 square miles of southwestern Colorado in Montezuma County, ranging from 4,600 feet at its low points to 10,000 feet at its high. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 74 percent of the unit classed as gentle terrain, 20 percent moderate, and 6 percent steep. Mule deer hunting here is shaped by the substantial private-land share and the seasonal distribution of deer across elevations and seasonal ranges.
Approximately 29 percent of the unit—roughly 279 square miles—is publicly open to hunting on BLM lands and Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 71 percent is private. Access to the open ground depends on road and trailhead conditions maintained by the managing agencies; public ownership does not guarantee straightforward entry. State Wildlife Areas are subject to seasonal closures and specific use regulations.
Mule deer in this unit spread across multiple seasonal ranges. Winter Range covers 59 percent of the total area, with Winter Concentration marking 28 percent—the ground where deer cluster during the winter period. Summer Range covers only 14 percent. This distribution supports the expectation that as the fall hunting season advances and temperatures decline, deer shift toward the lower and more concentrated winter grounds, though timing and degree of movement vary with snow and weather. The unit's Overall Range mapping encompasses the full extent of potential mule deer habitat but does not indicate uniform occupation across it.
GMU 72 offers five public-land hunting seasons: Archery from September 2 to September 30 for bucks; Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 for bucks; and three rifle seasons—2nd Rifle from October 24 to November 1, 3rd Rifle from November 7 to November 15, and 4th Rifle from November 18 to November 22, all for bucks. The draw difficulty for this unit is easy, often at zero preference points for the easiest unit-wide buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents. Hunter pressure is moderate overall. Early seasons occur during the velvet-shed phase when bucks are shedding velvet and still in bachelor groups; the three rifle seasons progress from the nocturnal buck phase through the early pre-rut and into the primary rut itself. September temperatures average highs near 78 degrees Fahrenheit, cooling to November highs around 51 degrees; light snowfall begins in October and increases through November.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–10,000 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 7.7°
- Slope breakdown
- 74% gentle · 20% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~279 sq mi
Land & access
About 29% of GMU 72 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM and State Wildlife Areas.
- BLM28%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- National Park Service<1%
- Private71%
Where mule deer live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps mule deer seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 72 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
- Winter Range59%used in winter
- Winter Concentration28%where mule deer bunch up in winter
- Summer Range14%used in summer
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 | September 1 – November 22 | 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 78°F, lows around 47°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 51°F, lows around 26°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 72 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually hunt here?
Approximately 29 percent of the unit—roughly 279 square miles—is publicly open on BLM and Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 71 percent is private. Access to public ground still depends on road and trailhead conditions; public ownership does not guarantee entry.
Is this an easy unit to draw?
Yes. The unit draws at easy difficulty, often at zero preference points for the easiest unit-wide buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents. This describes only the simplest qualifying hunt; other seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points.
Do mule deer concentrate in one area, or are they spread throughout?
Winter Concentration marks 28 percent of the unit where deer cluster, particularly important from January through mid-March. Summer Range covers only 14 percent, while Winter Range extends across 59 percent. Hunters should expect deer to concentrate as the fall season progresses and temperatures drop, though timing varies with weather.
Which season offers the best hunting—early or late?
Early seasons (Archery and Muzzleloader in September) occur when bucks are still in bachelor groups and in velvet-shed phase. The three rifle seasons progress from October through November, with the latest season (November 18–22) falling in the primary rut when buck behavior shifts. Season choice depends on whether a hunter prefers bachelor-phase hunting or seeking more active bucks during rut.
What is the terrain like for a hunter on foot?
The terrain is predominantly gentle and rolling, with 74 percent of the unit classed as gentle, 20 percent moderate, and only 6 percent steep. Walking the open public ground is manageable, though legal access to that ground remains the primary constraint given the 71-percent private ownership.
When do deer move to winter ground in this unit?
As fall progresses and temperatures cool from September highs near 78 degrees Fahrenheit to November highs around 51 degrees, mule deer are expected to shift toward the lower Winter Range and the concentrated Winter Range areas. Snowfall increases from near zero in September to about 0.7 inches per month by November, further encouraging this shift, though timing and extent depend on actual weather each year.
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.