Colorado GMU 96 Mule Deer Hunting
Logan, Washington and Morgan counties, northeast Colorado · 247 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 96 is like
Game Management Unit 96 spans Logan, Washington and Morgan counties in the northeast region of Colorado and covers 247 square miles of gently rolling terrain. Elevation ranges from 3,900 feet to a high of 4,600 feet, with a typical elevation around 4,300 feet. The terrain across the unit is uniformly gentle, with slopes averaging 1.1 degrees and no steep or rugged ground. This is plains and prairie country, though rolling and open rather than flat.
The unit is heavily private. Approximately 5.4 square miles of State Wildlife Areas and Bureau of Land Management ground are generally open to public hunting, while another 2.5 square miles of Colorado State Trust Land may be huntable where it is enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program—but access to those parcels is not guaranteed. The remaining 92 percent of the unit is privately owned. Legal access, not terrain walkability, is the controlling factor for most hunters here.
Mule deer occupy the unit across its full mapped range, though they concentrate on winter ground during the colder months. The Winter Range covers approximately 44 percent of the unit. As seasons progress through late fall and winter, a hunter should expect deer to consolidate on this winter habitat, though timing and the extent of any shift depend on snow depth and weather.
The unit offers four public-land mule deer seasons and one private-land-only season. The archery season runs September 2 to September 30 and is either-sex. Two rifle seasons follow: the Plains Early Rifle from October 24 to November 3, and the Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14; both take either-sex or doe and buck. The muzzleloader season runs September 12 to September 20 for doe or buck. A private-land-only season runs October 1 to December 14. Hunter pressure across the unit is extreme. The unit draws easily—often at zero preference points for the most accessible either-sex or buck hunts—meaning many tags are available, though the combination of easy access and high pressure means crowds on public ground are the norm.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,900–4,600 ft, typically around 4,300 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.1°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~13 sq mi, plus ~6 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 5% of GMU 96 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area5%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private92%
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 96 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 Range44%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 96 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw a tag here?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide either-sex mule deer hunts in the 2026 draw require zero preference points for adult Colorado residents. Other seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants require substantially more points.
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually hunt?
About 5.4 square miles of State Wildlife Area and BLM land are generally open to public hunting. An additional 2.5 square miles of Colorado State Trust Land may be available where parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, but access is not guaranteed on those parcels. The rest of the unit is private. Legal access, not terrain ease, is the constraint.
What is the terrain like for a hunter on foot?
The unit is gentle and rolling throughout, with no steep or rugged areas. Terrain walkability is not a limiting factor. The challenge is legal access to ground on which to walk.
Is the early rifle season better for finding bucks than archery?
The archery season (September 2–30) falls during velvet-shed and early fall transition, when bucks are shedding velvet and beginning movement. The Plains Early Rifle (October 24–November 3) falls during early fall migration and early pre-rut staging, when bucks are nocturnal and moving toward rut grounds. Both seasons present different hunting conditions; neither is inherently easier.
When do mule deer shift to winter ground?
Winter Range covers 44 percent of the unit. As the season progresses into late fall and winter, a hunter should expect mule deer to consolidate on this winter habitat, though the timing and extent of the shift depend on weather and snow depth.
Is this unit crowded even though tags are easy to draw?
Yes. The unit draws easily because many tags are available, but hunter pressure across the unit is extreme. Crowds on public ground are typical, especially near season openings and on weekends.
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.