Colorado GMU 85 Mule Deer Hunting
Huerfano and Las Animas counties, southeast Colorado · 1,175 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 85 is like
Unit 85 spans 1,175 square miles across Huerfano and Las Animas counties in the southeastern mountains, rising from 6,000 feet to 13,600 feet with a terrain character of rolling country interspersed with steeper breaks. The unit is 54 percent gentle terrain, 36 percent moderate, and 10 percent steep by area, making it manageable on foot in many places, though legal access rather than walkability is the limiting factor here. Mule deer hunting across the unit's elevation span and seasonal ranges supports five distinct seasons in the fall.
Approximately 14 percent of the unit, some 163 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. Colorado State Trust Land comprises about 4 percent of the unit, and access there depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program; those parcels are not reliably available and should not be counted on. Private land covers roughly 82 percent of the unit, severely constraining where a hunter can legally roam despite the moderate terrain. The public ownership split means that finding and accessing huntable ground requires careful preparation.
Mule deer occupy both summer and winter range across the unit. Winter Range covers 86 percent of the unit, while Summer Range spans 100 percent, indicating that some areas see year-round use but that significant populations concentrate during winter. Winter Concentration layers mark 18 percent of the unit where mule deer cluster in the colder months, meaning that as the fall progresses and season advances into November, the deer distribution tightens from the broader seasonal ranges toward those concentrated areas. The unit does not experience substantial snow through the fall, with September averaging near zero inches, October around 2 inches, and November about 3 inches at mid elevation.
Unit 85 offers five seasons open to public applicants: Archery from September 2 to September 30, Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20, and three rifle seasons spanning October 24 to November 22. Archery and Muzzleloader fall during the Velvet Shed phase when bucks are transitioning into fall activity. The 2nd Rifle season, October 24 to November 1, bridges the Early Fall Migration phase into Early Pre-Rut staging. The 3rd Rifle season, November 7 to November 15, straddles Early Pre-Rut and Primary Rut. The 4th Rifle season, November 18 to November 22, occurs during Primary Rut when buck activity peaks. The unit draws at Moderate difficulty with 1 to 2 preference points for the easiest qualifying unit-wide buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents, though other weapons, seasons and nonresident applicants require substantially more points. Hunter pressure is extreme.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,000–13,600 ft, typically around 7,300 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 54% gentle · 36% moderate · 10% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~163 sq mi, plus ~47 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 14% of GMU 85 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest9%
- BLM4%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private82%
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 85 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 Range100%used in summer
- Winter Range86%used in winter
- Winter Concentration18%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 | September 1 – December 31 | Doe |
| Ranching for Wildlife | Dates vary by hunt code | 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 75°F, lows around 46°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 35°F, about 2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 85 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much of this unit is actually huntable for a public-land hunter with no private permission?
About 14 percent of Unit 85, roughly 163 square miles, is generally open across National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. Colorado State Trust Land comprises another 4 percent, but access there is enrollment-dependent and cannot be counted on. The remaining 82 percent is private, making legal access the primary constraint even in rolling terrain that is easy to walk.
Which season is best for someone trying to avoid the rut?
Archery (September 2–30) and Muzzleloader (September 12–20) both occur during Velvet Shed and Early Fall Transition, before buck activity intensifies. By the 2nd Rifle season in late October, bucks are entering migration and pre-rut staging; the 3rd and 4th Rifle seasons bracket the Primary Rut itself, when competition is fiercest.
Does the terrain get easier to hunt at lower elevations in this unit?
The unit's terrain overall is rolling with some steeper breaks—54 percent gentle, 36 percent moderate, 10 percent steep—so walkability is reasonably consistent across the elevation span. The real challenge is not terrain but legal access: private land covers 82 percent of the unit regardless of elevation.
Will I need preference points to draw a hunt here?
The easiest qualifying unit-wide buck hunt for an adult Colorado resident draws at Moderate difficulty, requiring 1 to 2 preference points. Other weapon types, specific seasons, and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points, and the draw difficulty describes only the lowest-point tier that drew reliably in that category.
Where do the deer concentrate during the hunting season?
Winter Concentration layers mark 18 percent of the unit where mule deer cluster, particularly relevant as the season moves into November when hunters should expect tighter distribution. However, the mapping does not specify WHERE those concentration areas sit—only that 18 percent of the unit contains them. Summer and Winter Range layers are broadly distributed across the unit.
Will snow be a factor in the fall?
September sees virtually no snow at mid elevation, while October averages around 2 inches and November about 3 inches of monthly snowfall. That light accumulation may help hunters track deer but is unlikely to severely impact hiking or visibility through most of the 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.