Colorado GMU 112 Pronghorn Hunting
Lincoln County, northeast Colorado · 296 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 112 is like
GMU 112 is a 296-square-mile pronghorn unit in Lincoln County in the northeast region, characterized by gentle and rolling terrain ranging from 4,900 feet at its lowest to 5,600 feet at its highest elevation. The landscape offers straightforward walking terrain across the unit.
Public land capable of supporting a hunt is extremely limited here. Approximately 13 percent of the unit is Colorado State Trust Land, which may be huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in the Public Access Program; access to individual sections is dependent on enrollment status. The remaining 87 percent is private. This land-ownership pattern means a hunter's ability to actually access ground to hunt depends entirely on checking which trust parcels are enrolled and securing permission on private ground.
Pronghorn distribute across the unit during the fall, with Winter Concentration acreage covering about 4 percent of the unit where pronghorn cluster during the winter phase. Overall Range mapping indicates pronghorn presence across the full unit's extent, though this reflects the mapped scope of potential range rather than uniform distribution or year-round occupancy. As conditions shift through the fall and into winter, pronghorn concentrate on the mapped Winter Concentration ground.
The unit offers three seasons across two weapons: a Muzzleloader season September 21 to September 29 (either-sex), a Rifle season October 3 to October 11 (either-sex), and a Late Rifle season December 5 to December 13 (doe only). Draw difficulty for pronghorn in this unit is easy, meaning applicants often draw with zero preference points on the easiest qualifying either-sex hunt code. Hunter pressure on the unit is extreme.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,900–5,600 ft, typically around 5,300 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi, plus ~39 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 112.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow67%
- Other cover22%
- Sagebrush10%
- Riparian2%
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 0% of GMU 112 is public land a hunter can count on. A further 13% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Trust Land13%
- Private87%
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 112 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 Range4%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 5 – December 13 | 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 112 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is there any public land a hunter can reliably count on hunting here?
No. The unit contains roughly 0 percent generally open public land, and approximately 13 percent State Trust Land with access dependent on CPW enrollment status. A hunter must verify which State Trust parcels are currently enrolled in the Public Access Program and then secure hunting rights on private land, which comprises 87 percent of the unit.
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw pronghorn here?
Yes. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt code is easy, meaning zero-point applicants often draw in the primary draw. Other seasons and hunt codes may require more points, and the secondary draw and leftover list are additional routes to tags outside the preference-point system.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no preference points and limited private-land access?
Difficult. While draw odds are favorable at zero points, the unit is 87 percent private land and only 13 percent State Trust Land with uncertain access. A hunter without established private-land connections or ability to confirm State Trust enrollment would face severe practical limitations regardless of draw success.
Which season falls during the peak rut?
The Muzzleloader season (September 21–29) spans both the Primary Rut and the Late Rut phases for pronghorn. The Rifle season (October 3–11) falls in the Late Rut phase, and the Late Rifle season (December 5–13) occurs during Fall Grouping as pronghorn transition toward winter behavior.
Does the terrain make this unit walkable?
Yes, the unit is 100 percent gentle terrain by area, with a mean slope of 1.5 degrees, making it straightforward to walk. The limiting factor here is legal access to the ground, not the physical terrain.
Where should a hunter expect to find pronghorn as the fall season advances?
Winter Concentration mapping covers about 4 percent of the unit where pronghorn cluster as the season progresses into the winter phase. Overall Range extends across the full unit, but concentration acreage indicates where pronghorn will increasingly concentrate later in the fall and into winter.
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.