Colorado GMU 92 Mule Deer Hunting
Logan and Sedgwick counties, northeast Colorado · 58 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 92 is like
Unit 92 occupies roughly 58 square miles across the northeastern plains of Logan and Sedgwick counties, covering terrain that is uniformly gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 3,400 feet to 3,700 feet and a mean slope of 1.4 degrees. The country is open and walkable, typical of the Colorado high plains.
The unit is predominantly private land, comprising about 89 percent of the total area. The publicly huntable ground consists of State Wildlife Areas and BLM parcels that together cover roughly 8.9 percent, or about 5 square miles. An additional 2.3 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, which may be hunted only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; access to these sections is enrollment-dependent and varies. Legal access, not terrain difficulty, is the limiting factor for public-land hunting here.
The unit's seasonal-range mapping shows that Winter Range covers 99 percent of the unit. The overall mapped range extends to 100 percent, but this describes the full extent of historical or potential range CPW recognizes, not year-round occupancy. Mule deer presence varies with season and conditions. Hunters should expect that where mule deer occupy the unit, they may be found across most of it, but the low share of accessible public ground means that location and access to open parcels will determine realistic hunting opportunity.
The unit offers five seasons across the fall and winter. Four are open to public applicants: Archery from September 2 to September 30 (either-sex), Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 (doe or buck), Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3 (doe or buck), and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14 (doe or buck). A fifth season, from October 1 to December 14, is private-land only. The two rifle seasons span the period when mule deer shift into early fall migration and rut phases. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide either-sex hunts available to adult Colorado residents is easy, often requiring zero preference points, though hunter pressure in the region is extreme.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,400–3,700 ft, typically around 3,600 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.4°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~5 sq mi, plus ~1 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 9% of GMU 92 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 2% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area9%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land2%
- Private89%
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 92 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 Range99%used in winter
Mule Deer seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Either-sex |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Doe, Buck |
| Plains Early Rifle | October 24 – November 3 | Doe, Buck |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 1 – December 14 | Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | October 1 – December 14 | 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.
GMU 92 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much of this unit can a public-land hunter actually access?
Roughly 8.9 percent of the unit—about 5 square miles—is State Wildlife Areas and BLM ground open to public hunting. An additional 2.3 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but it may be hunted only where CPW has enrolled it in the Public Access Program; many parcels are not enrolled and cannot be accessed. The remaining 89 percent is private. For practical purposes, a hunter should plan on roughly 5 square miles of dependably open ground.
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide either-sex hunts available to adult Colorado residents draw at zero preference points, making them accessible to applicants with no prior points. However, extreme hunter pressure means that even though tags are easy to draw, the ground will be crowded during active seasons.
When do mule deer rut on this unit, and which seasons fall in the rut?
Mule deer in Colorado rut from mid-to-late November. The Plains Late Rifle season (December 1–14) falls in the late rut and winter consolidation phase. The earlier Archery and Muzzleloader seasons occur in September during the velvet-shed transition, before the rut begins.
Is the terrain difficult to hunt on foot?
No. The unit's terrain is entirely gentle and rolling, with a mean slope of 1.4 degrees, making it easy to cover on foot. The limiting factor is legal access to public ground, not walking difficulty.
What should a hunter expect about mule deer distribution through the fall?
Winter Range covers 99 percent of the unit, and the overall mapped range extends to 100 percent. Where mule deer are present, they may be found across most of the unit. However, the actual distribution and movement depend on weather and snow, and hunters will be confined to the small share of accessible public ground.
How many rifle seasons does the unit offer, and when are they?
The unit offers two rifle seasons: Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3, and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14. Both are open to public applicants on a doe-or-buck basis.
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.