Colorado GMU 111 Pronghorn Hunting
Elbert, Lincoln and El Paso counties, northeast Colorado · 688 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 111 is like
GMU 111 spans 688 square miles across Elbert, Lincoln and El Paso counties in the northeast region. The terrain is gentle and rolling throughout, with elevations ranging from 5,200 feet to 6,900 feet and a typical elevation near 5,900 feet. The unit presents low-angle country that is walkable and accessible on foot, though legal access rather than terrain is the limiting factor for most hunters.
Approximately 95 percent of the unit is private land. About 4.3 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting is access-dependent and available only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; an applicant cannot assume which properties are open. Less than 0.1 percent is managed by other agencies. Consequently, dependably open public ground for pronghorn hunting is effectively unavailable in this unit, and hunters must rely on private-land opportunities or enrolled State Trust parcels.
CPW maps pronghorn range across the entire unit. A Winter Concentration layer covers 4 percent of the unit, marking areas where pronghorn cluster during the winter months. Overall Range mapping extends across the full unit, indicating the potential extent of pronghorn distribution rather than year-round occupancy everywhere. The distribution and movement of pronghorn through the seasons vary with weather and snow conditions.
The unit offers three pronghorn seasons. A Muzzleloader season runs September 21 through September 29 for doe or buck. A Rifle season runs October 3 through October 11 for doe or buck. A Late Rifle season runs December 1 through December 31 for doe only. These seasons fall across the primary rut, late rut and post-rut recovery phases, and the fall grouping and winter transition periods. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code is easy, with tags often available at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. However, this unit experiences extreme hunter pressure overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,200–6,900 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.9°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~30 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 111.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow76%
- Other cover19%
- Sagebrush6%
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 <1% of GMU 111 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private95%
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 111 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 Range100%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range9%used in winter
- Winter Concentration4%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | Doe, Buck |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | Doe, Buck |
| Late Rifle | December 1 – December 31 | Doe |
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.
GMU 111 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw a tag here?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code draws reliably at zero preference points in the primary draw for adult Colorado residents. However, extreme hunter pressure means available ground is limited and private-land access is essential since dependably open public ground is nearly nonexistent.
Is there public land to hunt on?
Dependably open public ground is effectively unavailable. About 4.3 percent of the unit is Colorado State Trust Land, but hunting there requires the parcel to be enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, and an applicant cannot determine in advance which properties are open. The remaining 95 percent is private. A hunter must have private-land permission or access to enrolled State Trust parcels to hunt this unit.
When should a hunter plan to hunt this unit?
The Muzzleloader season (September 21-29) falls during the primary and late rut phases, when pronghorn are actively breeding. The Rifle season (October 3-11) occurs in the late rut and post-rut recovery phase. The Late Rifle season (December 1-31) falls during fall grouping and winter transition. Choice depends on preferred weapon and whether the hunter seeks hunting during the rut or in the post-rut and winter period.
Is the terrain manageable for someone on foot?
Yes. The unit is entirely gentle and rolling, with a typical elevation near 5,900 feet and slopes that are easy to walk. Terrain is not a limiting factor. Access to legal hunting ground is the primary constraint, not walkability.
Where are pronghorn concentrated in this unit?
CPW maps a Winter Concentration layer covering 4 percent of the unit where pronghorn cluster during winter. The location of this concentrated ground within the unit is not specified in the mapping. Pronghorn are mapped across the overall range throughout the unit, though distribution varies seasonally and with weather conditions.
Is this an archery unit?
The limited-draw seasons listed here are Muzzleloader, Rifle, and Late Rifle only. Whether the unit offers over-the-counter archery licences is not specified in this data. A hunter should check CPW's current season tables directly for archery availability.
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.