Colorado GMU 97 Mule Deer Hunting
Logan, Washington and Morgan counties, northeast Colorado · 592 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 97 is like
Unit 97 spans 592 square miles across Logan, Washington, and Morgan counties in the northeast region. Terrain is gentle and rolling throughout, with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to 4,800 feet and a mean slope of 2.1 degrees. This is low-country mule deer habitat, open and accessible on foot, but land ownership severely constrains hunting opportunity.
Approximately 86 percent of the unit is private land. Colorado State Trust Land comprises roughly 14 percent, though only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are huntable and enrollment status is not detailed here. No Bureau of Land Management ground is open to public hunting. The result is that fewer than 1 percent of the unit is dependably open to public hunting. Access depends almost entirely on private permission or enrollment status of State Trust parcels.
Mule deer occupy Overall Range across the unit's 100 percent. The unit holds no mapped seasonal-range concentrations and no migration-corridor layers, indicating that deer use is distributed rather than concentrated to particular drainages or elevations. This suggests deer remain relatively well-distributed across the unit's extent through the fall, though the absence of summer and winter range mapping leaves the precise timing and magnitude of any seasonal shift uncertain.
The unit offers four seasons in archery and rifle. Archery runs September 2–30 for either-sex hunting during the Velvet Shed phase. Muzzleloader follows September 12–20 for doe and buck during the same phase. Plains Early Rifle spans October 1–November 3, encompassing the Early Fall Migration phase and Early Pre-Rut staging, with either-sex and limited-sex options. Plains Late Rifle runs December 1–14 during Late Rut and Winter Consolidation, offering doe and buck tags. Draw difficulty is easy, with the easiest unit-wide either-sex or buck code for adult Colorado residents often drawing at zero preference points. Hunter pressure is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,000–4,800 ft, typically around 4,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.1°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~82 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 97 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 14% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land14%
- Private86%
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 97 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
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 97 mule deer hunting FAQ
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with zero preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide either-sex or buck code available to adult Colorado residents often draws at zero preference points, making it accessible to applicants entering the draw system for the first time.
How much public land can a hunter actually access here?
Fewer than 1 percent of the unit is dependably open to public hunting, creating a severe access constraint regardless of terrain walkability. The remainder is private land or State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in its Public Access Program. Permission or enrollment status determines where a hunter can legally set foot.
Does mule deer distribution shift substantially through the fall?
The unit holds no mapped seasonal-range concentrations or migration corridors, suggesting deer use remains relatively distributed rather than concentrating to specific locations as seasons progress. Timing and extent of any localized shifts remain uncertain without detailed range data.
What is the best season for hunting here?
Plains Early Rifle (October 1–November 3) bridges the Early Fall Migration phase into Early Pre-Rut staging, potentially concentrating buck movement and activity. Archery and Muzzleloader occur during the Velvet Shed phase when bucks are still in summer patterns and scattered. Plains Late Rifle (December 1–14) falls during Late Rut and Winter Consolidation, when animals may be more dispersed.
How steep is the terrain, and is it walkable for a foot hunter?
The unit is entirely gentle and rolling with a mean slope of 2.1 degrees, making it easily walkable on foot. Terrain is not the limiting factor here; legal access to private or enrolled State Trust land is.
How much hunter pressure should I expect?
Overall hunter pressure is low. However, with fewer than 1 percent of the unit open to public hunting, concentrated access points on State Trust parcels may see more crowding than the unit-wide pressure figure suggests.
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.