Colorado GMU 95 Mule Deer Hunting
Weld, Logan, Morgan and Washington counties, northeast Colorado · 746 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 95 is like
Unit 95 occupies 746 square miles across Weld, Logan, Morgan and Washington counties in the northeast. The country is gentle and rolling, with elevations spanning from 3,900 feet to 5,100 feet and a mean slope of 1.9 degrees. Ninety-nine percent of the unit's terrain is gentle by area, making it walkable for hunters on foot. The landscape is dominated by private land, with minimal public-land access concentrated in scattered holdings.
Public hunting ground totals roughly 0.3 percent of the unit—about 2 square miles—through State Wildlife Areas and BLM holdings. An additional 6.4 percent, roughly 48 square miles, consists of Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment; only parcels enrolled in that program are huntable. The remaining 93 percent is private. This extremely limited public acreage means legal access, rather than terrain difficulty, is the primary constraint on hunting here.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full seasonal range. Winter Range covers 90 percent of the unit, and Winter Concentration grounds—where deer cluster during the coldest months—make up 17 percent. A hunter should expect mule deer to be present from early winter through spring green-up across most of the unit. As fall progresses and temperatures drop, deer shift toward winter range, though the timing and extent depend on weather and snow patterns.
The unit offers four seasons. Archery runs September 2–30 and targets either-sex deer during the Velvet Shed phase. Muzzleloader follows September 12–20 in the same phase, offering doe or buck options. Plains Early Rifle spans October 1–November 3, covering the Early Fall Migration through Early Pre-Rut phases and allowing either-sex or doe/buck hunts. Plains Late Rifle runs December 1–14 during the Late Rut phase, with doe or buck tags. Draw difficulty is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying either-sex or buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents. Overall hunter pressure on the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,900–5,100 ft, typically around 4,600 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.9°
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~2 sq mi, plus ~48 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 95 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 6% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land6%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private93%
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 95 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 Range90%used in winter
- Winter Concentration17%where mule deer bunch up 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 95 mule deer hunting FAQ
Is there realistic public land to hunt on Unit 95?
No. Approximately 0.3 percent of the unit—roughly 2 square miles—consists of State Wildlife Areas and BLM open to public hunting. An additional 6.4 percent is Colorado State Trust Land where hunting is possible only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; enrollment status varies. Nearly 93 percent of the unit is private land. Legal access is the primary limiting factor here, not terrain.
When do mule deer concentrate on winter range?
Winter Concentration grounds, where mule deer cluster most heavily, cover 17 percent of the unit and are relevant during the late-rut and winter consolidation period spanning late November through December. As cold season progresses, deer shift toward these concentrated areas, though the timing and degree of concentration depend on weather and snow.
Which rifle seasons work for this unit?
Two rifle seasons are offered: Plains Early Rifle from October 1–November 3, which spans the early fall migration and early pre-rut phases, and Plains Late Rifle from December 1–14, falling during late rut and winter consolidation. The early season runs nearly two months and covers the transition into the primary rut, while the late season coincides with movement to winter ground.
How many preference points are typically needed to draw here?
Draw difficulty is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck hunt available to adult Colorado residents. Other seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points. The easy rating applies to the most accessible public-land opportunity, not all hunts on the unit.
Is the terrain manageable for foot hunting?
Yes—the unit is 99 percent gentle terrain by area, with a mean slope of 1.9 degrees, making it walkable for hunters without mountaineering experience. The constraint here is not steepness but legal access to hunting ground, which is extremely limited to roughly 0.3 percent of the unit's area.
When do bucks enter the rut on this unit?
Mule deer on Unit 95 enter the Primary Rut period from November 11–25, which falls during the Plains Late Rifle season (December 1–14). The earlier Plains Early Rifle season (October 1–November 3) covers the early pre-rut phase starting October 25, when bucks are beginning to shift behavior but have not yet entered full rut.
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.