Colorado GMU 73 Elk Hunting
Montezuma County, southwest Colorado · 891 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 73 is like
GMU 73 spans 891 square miles across a broad elevation band from 5,000 to 13,200 feet, with typical hunting elevations around 6,900 feet. The terrain is rolling, with some steeper breaks: 60% of the unit is gentle, 24% moderate, 14% steep, and 2% rugged. This mix creates varied country that is generally manageable on foot, though terrain difficulty increases in rougher sections.
Public hunting access is limited. Approximately 26% of the unit—roughly 231 square miles—is open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 1.1% is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in the Public Access Program; access here is enrollment-dependent and not assured. About 9.4% is National Park Service land where hunting is prohibited. Private land makes up approximately 63% of the unit. The split means that legal access, not terrain, is the binding constraint on how much ground a hunter can actually work.
Elk presence in GMU 73 varies seasonally. Resident Population ground covers 11% of the unit, indicating year-round use in a small share. Summer Range encompasses 24% and Summer Concentration 12%, showing that elk cluster on concentrated areas during summer months. Winter Range covers 26% of the unit and Winter Concentration 8%, meaning elk concentrate on roughly 8% of the unit during winter. Migration Corridors make up 2%. As temperatures drop and snow accumulates from October into November, hunters should expect elk to shift toward Winter Range ground as the season progresses, though the timing and extent of this movement vary with weather and snow.
GMU 73 offers seven seasons total. Six are open to public hunting: Archery from September 2 to September 30 for antlerless and bull elk; Muzzleloader from September 12 to September 20 for antlerless and bull; 1st Rifle from October 14 to October 18 for antlerless and bull; 2nd Rifle from October 24 to November 1 for antlerless only; 3rd Rifle from November 7 to November 15 for antlerless only; and 4th Rifle from November 18 to November 22 for antlerless and bull. One season—September 2 to November 22—is private land only. Archery and Muzzleloader seasons overlap the primary rut, typically the window when bull elk are most vocal and responsive. The four rifle seasons span the tail end of the rut through the migration window. The draw for public hunts is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying bull or either-sex code for adult Colorado residents. Moderate overall hunter pressure means the unit sees steady use without extreme crowding.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–13,200 ft, typically around 6,900 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.9°
- Slope breakdown
- 60% gentle · 24% moderate · 14% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~231 sq mi, plus ~10 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 26% of GMU 73 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 1% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Another 9% is public but closed to hunting — National Park Service.
- National Forest20%
- BLM6%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land1%
- National Park Service9%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private63%
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 73 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 Range95%the full extent of range CPW maps for elk — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when elk are present
- Winter Range26%used in winter
- Summer Range24%used in summer
- Summer Concentration12%where elk bunch up in summer
- Resident Population11%the only layer that means year-round use
- Winter Concentration8%where elk bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors2%movement between ranges, not residence
Elk seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | September 2 – September 30 | Antlerless, Bull |
| Muzzleloader | September 12 – September 20 | Antlerless, Bull |
| 1st Rifle | October 14 – October 18 | Antlerless, Bull |
| 2nd Rifle | October 24 – November 1 | Antlerless |
| 3rd Rifle | November 7 – November 15 | Antlerless |
| 4th Rifle | November 18 – November 22 | Antlerless, Bull |
| Private-land only | September 2 – November 22 | Either-sex, Antlerless, Bull |
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 74°F, lows around 49°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 62°F, lows around 38°F, about 0.6 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 49°F, lows around 28°F, about 1.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 73 elk hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually count on in GMU 73?
About 26% of the unit is reliably open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 1.1% is State Trust Land that may be huntable where enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, but access is not guaranteed. Private land covers 63%, so legal access is the primary limiting factor regardless of terrain walkability.
Is GMU 73 realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest qualifying unit-wide bull or either-sex code for adult Colorado residents draws at zero preference points, making some hunts accessible to applicants without prior preference-point accumulation. Different seasons, weapons, and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
Which seasons fall during the rut when bulls are most vocal?
Archery (September 2–30) and Muzzleloader (September 12–20) overlap the period of rut onset and primary rut activity, when bulls are typically most responsive. The 1st Rifle season (October 14–18) also spans the late rut and early post-rut recovery, though bull activity is declining by then.
Is the terrain steep enough to deter a hunter on foot?
Most of the unit is gentle to moderate: 60% gentle and 24% moderate. Only 16% is steep or rugged. However, public-land access is limited to 26% of the unit, so terrain walkability matters less than finding legally accessible ground to hunt.
Does the unit stay cold and snowy into November?
September averages highs around 74°F and lows around 49°F with no significant snowfall. By November, highs drop to around 49°F and lows to around 28°F, with average snowfall of 1.5 inches per month. October sits between these, with highs around 62°F and about 0.6 inches of snow.
What share of the unit has concentrated elk use?
Summer Concentration covers 12% of the unit, where elk cluster during the warm months. Winter Concentration covers 8%, marking where elk concentrate during the cold season. Elk do not spread evenly across the broader 24% Summer Range and 26% Winter Range; concentration layers show where they actually bunch.
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.