Colorado GMU 99 Mule Deer Hunting
Weld, Morgan and Adams counties, northeast Colorado · 1,654 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 99 is like
GMU 99 spans 1,654 square miles across Weld, Morgan and Adams counties in the northeastern plains, with elevations ranging from 4,200 feet to 5,600 feet and a typical elevation around 4,800 feet. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with a mean slope of 1.6 degrees and no steep or rugged ground. This is low-elevation mule deer country on the eastern slope's edge, dominated by private land and characterized by open terrain that is generally easy to walk.
Only about 0.3 percent of the unit, roughly 4 square miles, is reliably open to public hunting on State Wildlife Areas. An additional 5.1 percent, some 84 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land where hunting depends on current enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program; the remaining 95 percent is private. Legal access, not terrain walkability, is the primary constraint on hunting this unit.
Mule deer occupy Winter Range across 57 percent of the unit, with 14 percent of the unit mapped as Winter Concentration where deer cluster. Migration Corridors cover 3 percent. The CPW seasonal-activity mapping shows mule deer presence across the full extent of the unit, but the concentration of winter use indicates mule deer do not distribute evenly throughout the year. As the fall progresses and conditions shift toward winter, a hunter should expect deer to concentrate on the ground mapped for that purpose, particularly as the late-season hunts approach.
Four seasons are offered to public applicants: Archery from September 2 to September 30 for either-sex; Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 for doe or buck; Plains Early Rifle from October 1 to November 3 for either-sex, doe, or buck; and Plains Late Rifle from December 1 to December 14 for doe or buck. Two rifle seasons are available. The draw for this unit is easy, often available at zero preference points for the most accessible either-sex and buck hunts, though other seasons and nonresident applicants may require more. Overall hunter pressure is moderate.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–5,600 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~4 sq mi, plus ~84 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About <1% of GMU 99 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 99 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 Range57%used in winter
- Winter Concentration14%where mule deer bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors3%movement between ranges, not residence
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 99 mule deer hunting FAQ
How much public land can actually be hunted here?
Roughly 0.3 percent of the unit, or about 4 square miles, is dependably open public ground on State Wildlife Areas. An additional 5.1 percent is State Trust Land where hunting access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment, which varies by parcel. The rest is private. Legal access is the limiting factor on this unit, not terrain difficulty.
Is this realistic for a new applicant with no preference points?
Yes, for the either-sex and buck hunts during archery and early rifle seasons. The draw is easy and often draws at zero points for those hunts, making this unit accessible to applicants with no preference-point history. Other seasons and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
When do mule deer concentrate in the unit?
The late rifle season in early December coincides with the Late Rut and Winter Consolidation phase, when deer are moving to winter ground and consolidating. Winter Concentration zones cover 14 percent of the unit. A hunter in this season should expect mule deer to cluster rather than spread evenly across the landscape.
How much of the unit holds mule deer in summer versus winter?
The CPW mapping shows Winter Range covering 57 percent of the unit, indicating mule deer presence shifts considerably between seasons. The early seasons in September focus on velvet-shed and early-fall transition phases when deer are still on summer ground, while the late rifle season in December falls during winter consolidation when movement to winter range is well underway.
Is this unit heavily hunted?
Overall hunter pressure is moderate. The easy draw and proximity to Denver do not necessarily mean crowding, and the limited public ground available means pressure concentrates on a small accessible area rather than spreading across the full unit.
What does the terrain actually look like on foot?
The entire unit is gentle and rolling with no steep or rugged ground, making it walkable. However, most of it is private land. A hunter must first solve the access problem to take advantage of the easy terrain.
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.