Colorado GMU 10 Pronghorn Hunting
Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, northwest Colorado · 831 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 10 is like
Colorado GMU 10 spans 831 square miles across Moffat and Rio Blanco counties in the northwest corner of the state. The terrain is rolling, with some steeper breaks, ranging in elevation from 5,000 feet to 8,700 feet. By area, the unit is 67% gentle, 26% moderate, 6% steep, and 1% rugged. The country is representative of the sagebrush and rolling hills that characterize this part of northwest Colorado.
The unit is roughly 62% Bureau of Land Management ground that is generally open to public hunting, roughly 512 square miles where a hunter can plan to access pronghorn habitat. An additional 3.3% of the unit is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting access depends on enrollment in the Public Access Program—specific parcels open to hunting are subject to that program's terms. National Park Service land covers roughly 13% of the unit and is closed to hunting. Private land comprises roughly 22% of the unit.
Winter Range covers 39% of the unit, and a Winter Concentration layer marks 13% where pronghorn cluster during the winter season. Overall Range spans 53% of the unit, indicating the broader extent of pronghorn use across the year, though this does not imply year-round presence everywhere mapped. Pronghorn distribution shifts with season and weather; hunters should expect concentrated use on winter ground as the fall advances and conditions tighten.
The unit offers two seasons. A rifle buck season runs October 3 through October 11 and is open to the public draw. A private-land-only buck season runs September 19 through October 4. The rifle season falls during the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase of the pronghorn breeding cycle. Weather at mid-elevation cools from September highs around 75°F to October highs near 61°F, with negligible September snowfall and roughly 0.8 inches of snowfall normal for October. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck hunt code is Elite, requiring 20 or more preference points. Overall hunter pressure on the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–8,700 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 9.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 67% gentle · 26% moderate · 6% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~512 sq mi, plus ~27 sq mi of State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment
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 10.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush73%
- Grass and meadow17%
- Conifer6%
- Other cover4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush56%
- Conifer38%
- Grass and meadow6%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush74%
- Conifer22%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover2%
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 62% of GMU 10 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Another 13% is public but closed to hunting — National Park Service.
- BLM62%
- State Trust Land3%
- National Park Service13%
- Private22%
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 pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 10 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 Range53%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range39%used in winter
- Winter Concentration13%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | Buck |
| Private-land only | September 19 – October 4 | 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 75°F, lows around 46°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 23°F, about 1.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 10 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can someone with zero points draw a pronghorn tag here?
The easiest qualifying buck hunt code at the unit-wide level requires 20 or more preference points in the primary draw. Applicants with fewer points can still draw through the secondary draw (a separate, random June draw open to anyone without preference points) or by making the leftover list after the primary draw closes, though these routes are not guaranteed.
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually hunt here?
Roughly 62% of the unit, or 512 square miles, is Bureau of Land Management land generally open to public hunting. An additional 3.3% is Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment in the Public Access Program. Private land and National Park Service land account for the remainder and are either closed to hunting or off-limits to public access.
Is the terrain manageable for a hunter on foot?
The unit is 67% gentle and 26% moderate by area, making most ground walkable for hunters in reasonable shape. Steeper and rugged terrain comprises only 7% of the unit, so a foot-mobile hunter should find the landscape generally approachable.
When do pronghorn concentrate in the unit as fall progresses?
Winter Concentration is mapped on 13% of the unit, marking ground where pronghorn cluster during winter. As the season progresses from October into November and weather cools or snow falls, pronghorn are expected to shift toward this concentrated-use ground, though timing and extent vary with conditions.
Does the rifle season overlap the rut?
The rifle season (October 3–11) falls during the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase, after the primary rut (September 6–25) has peaked. Bucks remain active but recovery begins during this window.
How does the public rifle season compare to the private-land-only season?
The rifle season open to public draw runs October 3–11, during Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery. The private-land-only season runs September 19–October 4, spanning both the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases. The private-land season offers earlier access and more of the peak rut period, but requires the hunter's own permission on 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.