Colorado GMU 86 Mule Deer Hunting
Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties, southwest Colorado · 496 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 86 is like
GMU 86 spans 496 square miles across Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties in southwest Colorado. Elevation ranges from 6,200 feet to 14,300 feet, with typical country sitting around 8,500 feet. The terrain is rolling to moderately steep, with 45 percent of the unit in gentle terrain, 32 percent moderate, 22 percent steep and 2 percent rugged by area. The unit combines high peaks and broad middle-elevation valleys, making for variable hunting conditions across its expanse.
About 55 percent of the unit—roughly 271 square miles—is open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas land. Another 1.2 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting access depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program; not all parcels are open and a hunter should verify before planning to hunt that ground. Private land makes up 44 percent of the unit. The large open share offers substantial room to hunt, though roads, trailheads and private inholdings remain governing factors for actual access.
Mule deer range covers the full extent of the unit (100 percent) as summer range and overall mapped range. Winter range covers 45 percent, with winter concentration (clustering on preferred ground) marking 16 percent of the unit. This pattern indicates that as the season advances and temperatures drop, mule deer shift toward winter ground, with that consolidation concentrated through the late fall. Migration corridors cover 3 percent of the unit. A hunter planning an early season should expect deer distributed across broader summer range; those hunting later should anticipate tighter clustering on winter concentration areas.
The unit offers seven seasons total: Archery (September 2–30, either-sex), Muzzleloader (September 12–20, doe or buck), Early Rifle (September 12–20, buck), 2nd Rifle (October 24–November 1, buck), 3rd Rifle (November 7–15, buck), 4th Rifle (November 18–22, buck) and a private-land-only hunt (August 15–November 15, doe or buck). Four of these are rifle seasons. Archery and muzzleloader both fall during the velvet-shed and early fall transition phase. Early Rifle also falls during velvet shed. The 2nd Rifle season straddles early fall migration and early pre-rut phases. The 3rd Rifle runs through early pre-rut and into primary rut. The 4th Rifle falls squarely in primary rut. Weather cools from September highs near 69°F to November highs around 46°F; October brings roughly 4 inches of snow on average and November around 6 inches. Draw difficulty for the easiest public-land buck or either-sex option is moderate, typically requiring one to two preference points for an adult Colorado resident. Hunter pressure on the unit is high overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,200–14,300 ft, typically around 8,500 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 15°
- Slope breakdown
- 45% gentle · 32% moderate · 22% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~271 sq mi, plus ~6 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 55% of GMU 86 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 1% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest43%
- BLM12%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private44%
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 86 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 Range45%used in winter
- Winter Concentration16%where mule deer bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors3%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 |
| Early Rifle | September 12 – September 20 | Buck |
| Private-land only | August 15 – November 15 | 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 69°F, lows around 41°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 31°F, about 4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 22°F, about 6.4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 86 mule deer hunting FAQ
Is GMU 86 realistic to draw with zero or minimal preference points?
The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt for an adult Colorado resident draws at moderate difficulty, typically one to two points. That band describes the lowest tier that drew reliably, so a hunter with zero points faces longer odds, though moderate difficulty is not in the competitive range of premium hunts. Other weapons, seasons and nonresident applicants require substantially more.
Which seasons make sense for a hunter who wants to avoid crowds?
The unit sees high overall hunter pressure, so no season offers a crowd-free option. Early Rifle and Archery fall before the peak rifle period, but neither escapes the pressure. A hunter's best strategy to find quieter ground would be thorough scouting on the extensive public-land base to locate areas away from main access corridors, rather than choosing by season.
Does the draw difficulty mean there is fierce competition for all tags?
Draw difficulty and hunter pressure are separate measures. Moderate draw difficulty describes the easiest qualifying hunt here and reflects the preference-point threshold; it does not directly measure how crowded the unit becomes once a hunter is there. High pressure reflects the actual number of hunters on the ground during the season, which is a different factor than how hard tags are to draw.
How much of the unit can a public-land hunter realistically hunt?
About 55 percent of the unit (roughly 271 square miles) is generally open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 1.2 percent is State Trust Land where access depends on CPW enrollment—a hunter must verify which parcels are open. The remaining 44 percent is private. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all affect which ground a hunter can actually reach.
Is this unit better for an early season or late season hunt?
Early seasons (Archery and Muzzleloader in early September, Early Rifle September 12–20) fall during velvet shed when deer are still distributed across broader summer range. Late seasons (3rd and 4th Rifle in November) coincide with primary rut and occur as mule deer consolidate on winter ground, which concentrates 16 percent of the unit. A late-season hunter should expect tighter buck movement and potentially more predictable locations, while early-season hunters face more scattered deer but can cover more ground without snow depth.
Will I face steep terrain on foot throughout this unit?
No. About 45 percent of the unit is gentle terrain and another 32 percent is moderate, meaning more than three-quarters of the area is not steep. The steeper and rugged sections (24 percent combined) are present but do not dominate. A hunter willing to leave main trails can find rolling to moderately rolling country across much of the unit, though elevation from 6,200 to 14,300 feet means terrain exposure varies.
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.