Colorado GMU 741 Mule Deer Hunting
La Plata County, southwest Colorado · 484 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 741 is like
Game Management Unit 741 lies in the southwest corner of Colorado in La Plata County and spans 484 square miles. The terrain is rolling, with some steeper breaks, covering a vertical band from 5,900 feet to 9,100 feet with a typical elevation around 6,900 feet. The unit is 69% gentle by area, 24% moderate, and 7% steep, making it relatively walkable across most of the country. Mule deer inhabit this ground through the fall and into winter, with the seasonal ranges and rut timing shaped by elevation and weather patterns that cool substantially from September through November.
Public hunting access is the primary constraint. Approximately 3.1% of the unit—roughly 15 square miles of BLM and State Wildlife Area ground—is generally open to public hunting. An additional 2.9% of the unit consists of Colorado State Trust Land, which is huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; the open parcels vary year to year and hunter check is necessary. The remaining 94% of the unit is private land. For a hunter committed to public ground, the huntable acreage is limited to the BLM and State Wildlife Area parcels unless enrolled State Trust Land is accessible.
Mule deer occupy summer and overall range across the entire unit and winter range on 97% of it. A Winter Concentration layer covers 44% of the unit, indicating that while deer are distributed broadly through fall and winter, they cluster significantly on winter ground as the season progresses. Migration corridors account for 4% of the unit. As the season advances from September through November, mule deer move toward and concentrate on winter range, with the shift accelerating as cold weather and snow increase the pressure to relocate. Summer Range covers 100% of the unit, indicating deer presence through August and early September as well.
The unit offers six seasons, five of which are open to public hunters: archery from September 2 to September 30 (either-sex), muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 (doe or buck), and three rifle seasons—second rifle from October 24 to November 1 (buck), third rifle from November 7 to November 15 (buck), and fourth rifle from November 18 to November 22 (buck)—plus a private-land-only season from October 24 to November 22. The archery and muzzleloader hunts fall during the velvet-shed phase when bucks are transitioning from summer to fall behavior. The second rifle hunt straddles the early fall migration and early pre-rut phases as bucks become more active. The third and fourth rifle seasons overlap the early pre-rut and primary rut, with the fourth rifle hunt solidly in the primary rut when buck activity peaks. Draw difficulty is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck code available to adult Colorado residents, though other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants can require more.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,900–9,100 ft, typically around 6,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 8.7°
- Slope breakdown
- 69% gentle · 24% moderate · 7% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~15 sq mi, plus ~14 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 3% of GMU 741 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM2%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private94%
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 741 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 Range97%used in winter
- Winter Concentration44%where mule deer bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors4%movement between ranges, not residence
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 | Buck |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Buck |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Buck |
| Private-land only | October 24 – 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 76°F, lows around 49°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 37°F, about 0.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 50°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.9 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 741 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter realistically hunt this unit on public land?
Only 3.1% of the unit—about 15 square miles of BLM and State Wildlife Area—is reliably open to public hunting. The remaining 94% is private. A hunter must be prepared to focus effort on that small open acreage or confirm that State Trust Land parcels near their intended area are enrolled in the Public Access Program before applying.
Which season offers the best chance to find active bucks?
The fourth rifle hunt from November 18 to November 22 falls squarely in the primary rut, when buck activity is highest. The third rifle hunt (November 7–15) also overlaps the rut but earlier in the phase. Archery and muzzleloader hunts occur in September during the velvet-shed transition, when bucks are less predictably mobile.
Does the terrain make this unit manageable to hunt on foot?
Yes, the terrain is walkable—69% of the unit is gentle by area and only 7% is steep. However, legal access is the limiting factor, not terrain. Only about 3% of the unit is open to public hunting, so a hunter's challenge is reaching huntable ground rather than covering it once there.
Is this unit realistic for an applicant with zero preference points?
Yes. The easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck code for adult Colorado residents draws at zero points in the primary draw, making this unit accessible to first-time applicants. However, other seasons and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points.
Should a hunter expect to encounter concentrated mule deer?
Yes. A Winter Concentration layer covers 44% of the unit, meaning mule deer cluster significantly on winter ground as the season progresses, particularly in November and December. Bucks are not evenly spread across the range even though deer occupy most of the unit in fall.
How does weather shape the hunting window?
September is warm with highs near 76°F and virtually no snow, making early-season hunts pleasant but bucks less mobile. By November, highs drop to 50°F and snowfall averages about 0.9 inches per month. Cooler temperatures and accumulating snow push mule deer toward winter ground and make them more active during daylight, favoring late-season rifle hunts.
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.