Colorado GMU 93 Mule Deer Hunting
Logan, Segwick and Phillips counties, northeast Colorado · 946 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 93 is like
GMU 93 lies across Logan, Sedgwick and Phillips counties in northeastern Colorado. It spans 946 square miles of gentle and rolling terrain between 3,400 and 4,400 feet of elevation, with a mean slope of 1.4 degrees. The country is low-energy prairie and grassland offering straightforward walking but limited natural cover. Mule deer inhabit the unit across its full mapped extent, though the distribution shifts seasonally as conditions change.
Public hunting access here is extremely limited. Only about 0.8 percent of the unit—roughly 7 square miles—is reliably open to public hunting, held as State Wildlife Areas managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. An additional 10 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels CPW has enrolled in the Public Access Program; which sections are accessible varies and must be verified before the hunt. Private land comprises the remaining 89 percent of the unit, making legal access the controlling constraint on where a hunter can pursue mule deer.
Mule deer use the unit across its Overall Range year-round, though Winter Range—which covers 14 percent of the unit—reflects seasonal concentrations as fall and winter weather advances. A hunter should expect the core of deer activity to shift toward winter ground as the season progresses from early fall through December, though the timing and extent of this movement vary with snow and cold.
The unit offers four mule deer seasons for public applicants: Archery from September 2 through September 30, hunting either-sex; Muzzleloader from September 12 through September 20, hunting doe or buck; Plains Early Rifle from October 1 through November 3, hunting either-sex, doe or buck; and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 through December 14, hunting doe or buck. The draw for this unit is easy and often requires zero preference points for the most accessible hunts, though other seasons, weapons and nonresident applicants may require substantially more. Hunter pressure is moderate overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,400–4,400 ft, typically around 3,800 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.4°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~7 sq mi, plus ~94 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 93 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 10% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land10%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- 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 93 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 Range14%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 1 – November 3 | Either-sex, Doe, Buck |
| Plains Late Rifle | December 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 93 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually hunt here?
Only about 0.8 percent of the unit—roughly 7 square miles of State Wildlife Areas—is open to public hunting without checking access conditions. An additional 10 percent is State Trust Land, but not all of it is enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; a hunter must verify which parcels are accessible before applying. Legal access, not terrain, is the limiting factor.
Is this unit realistic for someone with zero preference points?
Yes, for the easiest buck or either-sex hunt codes available to adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. The unit draws at easy difficulty and often requires zero points for the most accessible opportunities. Other seasons, weapons and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points, so check the specific hunt code being considered.
When should a hunter plan to be in the field?
The unit offers hunts across four time windows: early September through late September (Archery and Muzzleloader, both in the velvet-shed phase); early October through early November (Plains Early Rifle, spanning the early migration and early pre-rut phases); and early December through mid-December (Plains Late Rifle, in the late rut and winter consolidation phase). Each season suits different hunt styles and deer behavior.
Does deer distribution shift as the season progresses?
Yes. Winter Range covers 14 percent of the unit, and mule deer should be expected to concentrate on that ground as fall advances into winter. This shift is driven by snow and cold, so timing and extent vary with weather conditions from year to year.
What is the terrain actually like on the ground?
The unit is gentle and rolling, with 100 percent of it falling into the gentle terrain class and a mean slope of 1.4 degrees. Walking the country is straightforward from a physical standpoint, but the open prairie offers limited natural cover and legal access remains the real constraint.
How does the draw difficulty compare to other units?
GMU 93 draws at easy difficulty for the most accessible buck or either-sex hunts, often requiring zero preference points for adult Colorado residents. This does not mean the unit is empty; moderate hunter pressure still applies, and other hunt codes, weapons and nonresidents face different draw barriers. Draw difficulty and actual crowding are separate factors.
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.