Colorado GMU 98 Mule Deer Hunting
Logan, Phillips, Yuma and Washington counties, northeast Colorado · 1,791 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 98 is like
GMU 98 covers 1,791 square miles across Logan, Phillips, Yuma and Washington counties in northeastern Colorado. The unit is characterized by gentle and rolling terrain, with elevations ranging from 3,300 feet to 4,600 feet and a mean slope of 1.8 degrees. Almost all of the unit (99 percent by area) is gentle, with only 1 percent moderate slopes. This is plains country, open and walkable, without the steep or rugged terrain found in mountain units.
The unit is almost entirely private land, which is the dominant feature of hunting here. State Wildlife Areas cover approximately 0.3 percent (about 5 square miles) and are open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises approximately 4.8 percent (about 85 square miles), but access depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program and is not dependably open. All other ground is private. Legal access, not terrain difficulty, is the limiting constraint for a hunter on public land in this unit.
Mule deer occupy the full extent of the unit's mapped range, but seasonal distribution is not uniform. Winter Range covers 38 percent of the unit, meaning that as the fall progresses and winter approaches, deer are not uniformly distributed but concentrate in particular areas where winter conditions are most favorable. Through the archery and early muzzleloader seasons in early September, bucks are in the velvet-shed phase and typically dispersed across summer range. The Plains Early Rifle season (October 1 – November 3) spans the early fall migration and early pre-rut phases, when deer begin shifting toward winter ground. The Plains Late Rifle season (December 1 – December 14) falls in the late rut and winter consolidation phase, when the rut is finishing and deer are settling into winter range and consolidating.
The unit offers four seasons: Archery (September 2 – September 30, either-sex), Muzzleloader (September 12 – September 20, doe or buck), Plains Early Rifle (October 1 – November 3, either-sex or doe/buck), and Plains Late Rifle (December 1 – December 14, doe/buck). Two of these are rifle seasons. The draw for this unit is easy, with the easiest qualifying unit-wide either-sex or buck code for adult Colorado residents typically drawing at zero preference points. Hunter pressure on the unit is moderate overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,300–4,600 ft, typically around 3,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.8°
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~5 sq mi, plus ~85 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 98 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 5% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land5%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private95%
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 98 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 Range38%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 98 mule deer hunting FAQ
Is there enough public ground here for someone to actually hunt?
No. Only approximately 0.3 percent of the unit (about 5 square miles) is State Wildlife Area open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land covers another 4.8 percent but is access-dependent on CPW enrollment, making legal public-land access extremely limited. For practical purposes, a hunter without private-land permission will find almost no huntable ground in this unit.
Is this unit good for someone with zero preference points?
The draw is easy and the easiest unit-wide either-sex or buck code for an adult Colorado resident has historically drawn at zero points. However, draw ease does not overcome the reality that nearly all the ground is private. Zero points is enough to get a license, but a license is useless without access to land.
Does this terrain require much fitness to hunt?
No. The unit is 99 percent gentle slopes with a mean slope of 1.8 degrees—this is open plains country, not steep or rugged terrain. The walking is easy on the few public acres that exist, but terrain walkability is not the limiting factor here; legal access is.
When during the fall should a hunter expect to find deer?
Mule deer are scattered across the unit's mapped range early in the season, but as the fall progresses from October through December, they concentrate toward winter range, which covers 38 percent of the unit. The Plains Late Rifle season (December 1–14) coincides with the late rut and winter consolidation, when deer have moved to and are settling into their winter grounds.
Is the muzzleloader season a better alternative to archery?
Both the Archery (September 2–30) and Muzzleloader (September 12–20) seasons fall in the velvet-shed and early fall transition phase, so timing and deer behavior are similar. The muzzleloader season is shorter and offers doe or buck codes, while archery is either-sex. Neither season advantage overcomes the fundamental access problem on this unit.
Which seasons see the rut?
The rut does not occur during any of the early seasons. The Plains Early Rifle season (October 1–November 3) spans early fall migration and early pre-rut phases. The rut itself (primary and late rut phases) occurs in November and December, during the Plains Late Rifle season (December 1–14), when does are bred and bucks are exhausted from breeding activity.
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.