Colorado GMU 1 Pronghorn Hunting
Moffat County, northwest Colorado · 127 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 1 is like
Colorado GMU 1 occupies 127 square miles in Moffat County in the northwestern corner of the state. The unit spans from 5,000 feet to 8,900 feet in elevation, with typical terrain around 6,900 feet. The country is mixed, with substantial steep ground: 37 percent of the area is gentle, 38 percent moderate, 21 percent steep, and 4 percent rugged. This terrain supports limited pronghorn range within the broader landscape.
Roughly 61 percent of the unit, or 78 square miles, is Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ground generally open to public hunting. The National Park Service controls approximately 23 percent of the unit but allows no hunting. Private land comprises about 11 percent, and roughly 4.9 percent is ownership unclassified. A hunter planning to pursue pronghorn here should expect to work primarily with BLM terrain but will need to respect private boundaries and NPS closures.
Pronghorn occupy only a small fraction of this unit's mapped range. The overall mapped pronghorn range covers approximately 5 percent of the unit, and no winter range is mapped for pronghorn here. This sparse distribution means pronghorn are concentrated on a limited portion of available habitat and may not be evenly distributed across public ground. The muzzleloader season runs September 21–29, spanning the primary rut and early post-rut phases when pronghorn are active but energy demands are high.
One pronghorn season is offered: muzzleloader September 21–29 for either-sex or doe hunting. This is a public-draw hunt falling in the premium draw-difficulty band of 10–19 preference points for the easiest qualifying code. Overall hunter pressure on the unit is low. September weather brings mild conditions early in the season, with typical highs around 72 degrees Fahrenheit, cooling to typical October highs near 58 degrees and November highs near 44 degrees by late fall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–8,900 ft, typically around 6,900 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 17°
- Slope breakdown
- 37% gentle · 38% moderate · 21% steep · 4% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~78 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What actually grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of GMU 1.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush63%
- Conifer24%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Other cover4%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush59%
- Conifer36%
- Grass and meadow5%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush50%
- Conifer47%
- Grass and meadow2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database, split into elevation bands. “Other cover” is the remainder of the classification — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land — and is left unnamed rather than guessed at.
Land & access
About 61% of GMU 1 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. Another 23% is public but closed to hunting — National Park Service.
- BLM61%
- National Park Service23%
- Unclassified ownership5%
- Private11%
“Ownership unclassified” means the source dataset does not record an owner for that acreage. It is not known to be public or private.
Where pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 1 each range covers — the single best clue to whether pronghorn are here in September, in November, or only passing through. The layers overlap, so they do not add to 100%.
- Overall Range5%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range<1%used in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | 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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 72°F, lows around 45°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 33°F, about 1.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 22°F, about 3.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 1 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually hunt in this unit?
Approximately 78 square miles of Bureau of Land Management ground is generally open to public hunting, representing roughly 61 percent of the unit. The remaining public ground—23 percent—is National Park Service land where hunting is prohibited. A hunter should plan to work within the BLM boundary and verify access and private inholdings before entering.
Is this unit realistic for someone with few or no preference points?
The muzzleloader pronghorn hunt here draws reliably at 10–19 preference points. Applicants with fewer points sometimes draw as well through the primary draw, but this is not dependable. The secondary draw and leftover list offer alternative routes to a license regardless of preference-point balance.
Where should a hunter focus effort given the sparse pronghorn range?
Pronghorn are mapped across only about 5 percent of the unit's overall range, and no winter range is marked. This means pronghorn occupy a restricted portion of the available terrain. Hunters should scout carefully and work with maps showing CPW's documented pronghorn distribution before choosing a location to hunt.
What is the hunting like during the September muzzleloader season?
The season runs September 21–29, spanning the peak rut and early post-rut phases when pronghorn are actively moving and responsive. Early September brings mild weather with highs around 72 degrees Fahrenheit, cooling through the season. The low overall hunter pressure means less competition for space, though the small mapped pronghorn range limits where animals can be found.
Does the terrain here pose challenges for a hunter on foot?
The unit is mixed terrain with substantial steep ground covering about 25 percent of the area in steep and rugged combined. Gentle to moderate slopes make up 75 percent. Pronghorn habitat within this mixed landscape is sparse, so hunters may need to cover uneven country to locate animals on the limited mapped range.
What should a hunter know about access and land ownership?
BLM land open to hunting comprises 61 percent of the unit, but access depends on roads and entry points, which can vary. Private inholdings at 11 percent and unclassified ownership at roughly 4.9 percent also exist within the unit. A hunter should identify legal access routes and confirm boundaries before entering, especially near private 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 — Pronghorn 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
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- CPW — Maps and GIS (Species Activity Mapping) — pronghorn seasonal range
- CPW — State Trust Land Finder — which State Trust acreage is enrolled and open to public hunting
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — 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 September 24, 2026.