Colorado GMU 85 Elk Hunting
Huerfano and Las Animas counties, southeast Colorado · 1,175 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 85 is like
GMU 85 spans 1,175 square miles across the southeastern Colorado counties of Huerfano and Las Animas, rising from 6,000 feet at its lowest points to 13,600 feet at its highest. The unit is predominantly rolling terrain with some steeper breaks; 54% of the unit is gentle, 36% is moderate, and 10% is steep. Mean slope across the unit is 11.5 degrees. The mix of rolling foothills and moderate slopes makes much of the ground walkable, though terrain alone does not determine whether a hunter can legally access it.
Land ownership strongly constrains hunting opportunity in this unit. About 14% of the unit—roughly 163 square miles—is generally open to public hunting, split across National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 4% is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; which parcels are enrolled is not published here. The remaining 82% is private land. Public ownership is thus the limiting factor in this unit; the rolling terrain in itself does not expand hunting options.
Elk occupy both summer and winter ranges across the unit. Summer Range covers 79% of the unit, and Winter Range covers 75%, indicating substantial elk presence in both seasons. Within the Summer Range, 13% of the unit contains Summer Concentration areas where elk cluster. Within the Winter Range, 20% of the unit contains Winter Concentration areas. Migration Corridors are unmapped here. As temperatures drop and snow accumulates through fall—from September highs around 75°F to November highs around 52°F—hunters should expect elk to shift toward winter ground, though timing and extent of that shift depend on weather and snow.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,000–13,600 ft, typically around 7,300 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 54% gentle · 36% moderate · 10% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~163 sq mi, plus ~47 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
Land & access
About 14% of GMU 85 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest9%
- BLM4%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private82%
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 85 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 Range99%the full extent of range CPW maps for elk — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when elk are present
- Summer Range79%used in summer
- Winter Range75%used in winter
- Winter Concentration20%where elk bunch up in winter
- Summer Concentration13%where elk bunch up in summer
- Migration Corridors<1%movement between ranges, not residence
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 |
| Ranching for Wildlife | December 1 – December 10 | 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 75°F, lows around 46°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 35°F, about 2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 85 elk hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually access in this unit?
About 14% of the unit—roughly 163 square miles—is dependably open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 4% is Colorado State Trust Land, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program may be hunted, and enrollment status is not published here. The rolling and moderate terrain may be walkable, but legal access is the controlling constraint; most of the unit is private land.
Is this unit realistic for an applicant with few or no preference points?
Yes. The draw for GMU 85 is rated Easy, meaning the most accessible bull or either-sex hunts have drawn reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents. Other weapons, seasons, and nonresident applicants can require substantially more points, and private-land-only and Ranching for Wildlife codes are excluded from this assessment.
When during the fall do elk shift toward winter ground?
Elk occupy both summer and winter range through the season, with 20% of the unit containing Winter Concentration areas. As temperatures fall—from September highs around 75°F to November highs around 52°F, with increasing snowfall—hunters should expect elk to gradually move toward winter-range ground. The timing and extent of that shift vary with weather and snow accumulation.
Is the terrain in this unit manageable to walk?
Most of the unit is rolling or moderately sloped; 54% is gentle and 36% is moderate. Only 10% is steep. The terrain itself is generally walkable, but this does not mean a hunter can roam the unit freely—only about 14% of the ground is open to public hunting, and the rest is private. Legal access is the primary limiting factor, not steepness.
Which seasons align with the rut, and when are they?
Archery (September 2–30) spans Rut Onset and Primary Rut, offering the most aggressive elk behavior of the fall. Muzzleloader (September 12–20) falls entirely within Primary Rut. 1st Rifle (October 14–18) occurs during Late Rut and Early Post-Rut. Later rifle seasons in late October and November occur during Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition. Late Rifle (December 15–31) takes place after the rut, during Winter Range.
What is the draw difficulty and hunter pressure like here?
The draw for the easiest qualifying hunts (bull or either-sex, adult resident) is rated Easy, often drawing at zero points. However, draw difficulty and hunter pressure are separate: this unit experiences Extreme hunter pressure, meaning crowds on the ground can be heavy despite easy tag access. Private-land-only and Ranching for Wildlife seasons are excluded from the draw-difficulty assessment.
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.