Colorado GMU 140 Elk Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 459 sq mi
Based on the EASIEST unit-wide bull 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 140 is like
GMU 140 spans 459 square miles in the southeastern corner of Colorado at elevations from 5,400 to 9,600 feet, with a typical hunting elevation around 6,000 feet. The terrain is gentle and rolling across 78% of the unit, with moderate slopes covering 18% and steep terrain just 3%. This landscape offers long-distance visibility and easier foot travel than many Colorado elk units, and the low mean slope of 6.2 degrees reinforces the gentle character of the country.
Public hunting access is severely restricted here. State Wildlife Areas cover roughly 4.6% of the unit, or about 21 square miles—this is the only ground a hunter can reliably count on. An additional 3.8% consists of Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, whose enrollment status is not publicly mapped. The remaining 92% is private. Publicly owned land comprises about 8.4% of the unit in total, but the overwhelming private ownership means that legally accessible ground for a walk-on public hunter is limited to the State Wildlife Area network.
Elk are mapped across 89% of the unit in overall range, with 83% covered by Winter Range and 32% by Summer Range. An 8% Summer Concentration layer indicates that elk cluster on specific ground during summer months, and a 5% Winter Concentration marks similar clustering in winter. CPW maps no Resident Population layer on this unit, meaning no substantial year-round occupancy is recorded. Hunters should expect elk to use different areas seasonally and to concentrate in smaller zones rather than distribute evenly across the mapped range. As fall progresses from September through November and temperatures cool from highs near 79°F to 56°F, elk movement and distribution shift in response to rut timing and approaching winter conditions.
The unit offers eight seasons: Archery (September 2–30, either-sex or antlerless), Muzzleloader (September 12–20, either-sex or antlerless), five rifle seasons spanning October 14 through November 22 (1st through 4th rifle) plus a separate Late Rifle period (December 15–31), and a private-land-only season. Public applicants may compete in seven of these eight seasons. The rut runs from early September into October, with archery occurring during rut onset and the primary rut, and muzzleloader during the primary rut. Rifle seasons follow in the late rut and post-rut phases, with late-season hunts occurring on winter range. The draw for the easiest unit-wide bull or either-sex hunt code is rated Easy, often requiring zero preference points for adult Colorado residents, but extreme hunter pressure is characteristic of the unit despite easy draw odds.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,400–9,600 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 6.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 78% gentle · 18% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~21 sq mi, plus ~18 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 5% of GMU 140 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area5%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- 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 elk live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps elk seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 140 each range covers — the single best clue to whether elk are here in September, in November, or only passing through. The layers overlap, so they do not add to 100%.
- Overall Range89%the full extent of range CPW maps for elk — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when elk are present
- Winter Range83%used in winter
- Summer Range32%used in summer
- Summer Concentration8%where elk bunch up in summer
- Winter Concentration5%where elk bunch up in winter
- Resident Population<1%the only layer that means year-round use
Elk seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Either-sex, Antlerless |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Either-sex, Antlerless |
| 1st Rifle | October 14 – October 18 | Either-sex |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Antlerless |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Antlerless |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Either-sex, Antlerless |
| Late Rifle | December 15 – December 31 | Antlerless |
| Private-land only | October 14 – December 31 | Either-sex, Antlerless |
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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 48°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 25°F, about 1.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 140 elk hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a walk-on hunter actually access here?
About 21 square miles of State Wildlife Area is generally open to public hunting, representing roughly 4.6% of the unit. An additional 18 square miles of State Trust Land may be huntable if enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, but enrollment status varies by parcel. The remaining 92% is private, so legal public access is the binding constraint on where a hunter can actually hunt, despite the gentle and rollable terrain across most of the unit.
Is the terrain here manageable for a hunter on foot?
Yes—78% of the unit is gentle terrain and 18% is moderate slope, making it among Colorado's more walkable elk country. The mean slope is only 6.2 degrees. However, terrain ease does not translate to hunting ease here; legal access to the State Wildlife Areas is the real limitation. Within those publicly huntable parcels, foot travel is straightforward.
Does an applicant with zero preference points have a realistic shot at drawing a tag?
Yes—the easiest unit-wide bull or either-sex hunt code for adult Colorado residents draws at zero points in a typical year. This applies to specific seasons (archery and muzzleloader offer either-sex tags, and 1st and 4th rifle offer either-sex). Other weapons, later rifle seasons (2nd and 3rd rifle), and nonresident applicants typically require more points. The easy draw reflects the unit's draw difficulty rating, not its hunting difficulty or crowdedness.
When does the rut occur during the hunting season?
The primary rut runs September 11–30, which overlaps entirely with archery season (September 2–30) and muzzleloader season (September 12–20). The late rut and early post-rut phase spans October 1–15, covering the 1st rifle season (October 14–18). By mid-October, the rut is winding down, and later rifle seasons (late October through November) occur in post-rut and migration phases.
How does elk distribution shift as the season progresses into fall?
CPW maps 8% of the unit as summer concentration ground and 5% as winter concentration ground, indicating that elk cluster in specific areas rather than spreading evenly. As temperatures cool from September highs near 79°F to November highs around 56°F, and as the rut concludes and migration transitions begin, elk are expected to move toward winter range. The timing and extent of this shift depend on weather and snowfall; November typically sees about 1.1 inches of snowfall at mid elevation, which can accelerate movement to lower ground.
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes, for the easiest draw codes—archery either-sex, muzzleloader either-sex, 1st rifle either-sex, and 4th rifle either-sex—zero points are typically sufficient for adult Colorado residents. However, extreme hunter pressure on the unit means that even with a tag in hand, hunting success and solitude depend on access to the limited State Wildlife Area network and willingness to compete with many other hunters on that same ground.
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 — Elk 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) — elk 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 28, 2026.