Colorado GMU 113 Pronghorn Hunting
Lincoln and Cheyenne counties, southeast Colorado · 211 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 113 is like
GMU 113 is a gentle, rolling 211-square-mile unit in the southeast region spanning Lincoln and Cheyenne counties. Elevation ranges from 4,600 feet to 5,200 feet across terrain that is uniformly gentle with a mean slope of 1.6 degrees. The unit's entire mapped pronghorn range sits within the Overall Range layer, indicating the potential for pronghorn use throughout the unit.
Public hunting access is extremely limited. State Wildlife Areas comprise roughly 1.7 percent of the unit, about 4 square miles of dependably open ground. An additional 5.7 percent, roughly 12 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program; not all parcels may be available for hunting. The remaining 93 percent is private land. Legal access to huntable ground is the primary constraint here, despite the gentle terrain.
Pronghorn are mapped across the full extent of the unit under the Overall Range layer. No Summer Range, Winter Range, or Migration Corridor layers are recorded for this unit, meaning seasonal distribution and movement patterns are not mapped. Hunters should expect pronghorn to be present throughout the accessible portions of the unit but should not assume concentrated presence or predictable seasonal shifts.
The unit offers three seasons: a muzzleloader season September 21–29 for either-sex pronghorn, a rifle season October 3–11 for either-sex pronghorn, and a late rifle season December 5–13 for doe. The muzzleloader season falls during the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases. The rifle season overlaps the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase, while the late rifle season occurs during the Fall Grouping / Winter Transition phase. Draw difficulty is easy, with the easiest unit-wide hunt codes often drawing at zero preference points. Overall hunter pressure is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–5,200 ft, typically around 4,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~4 sq mi, plus ~12 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 113.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow84%
- Other cover8%
- Sagebrush8%
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 2% of GMU 113 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 6% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area2%
- State Trust Land6%
- Private93%
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 113 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
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 113 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually access in this unit?
Roughly 1.7 percent of the unit—about 4 square miles in State Wildlife Areas—is dependably open to public hunting. An additional 5.7 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access there depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program and varies by parcel. The remaining 93 percent is private. Legal access is the limiting factor here, not terrain walkability.
Is this a realistic draw for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The unit draws at easy difficulty, and applicants with zero preference points reliably draw the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt codes in the primary draw. Other weapons and seasons, or nonresident applicants, may require more points. Applicants can also pursue over-the-counter pronghorn archery licenses (15 August–20 September) and the secondary draw or leftover list for additional opportunities.
When should a hunter apply for this unit—early season or late?
The unit offers hunts across fall and early winter. The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) coincides with the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases, when pronghorn are actively breeding or recovering from it. The rifle season (October 3–11) overlaps the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase. The late rifle season (December 5–13) falls during the Fall Grouping / Winter Transition phase. The choice depends on whether the applicant prefers rut hunting or later-season opportunity.
What does the Overall Range layer tell a hunter about where pronghorn are?
The Overall Range layer shows the full extent of mapped pronghorn range in the unit—essentially 100 percent—but does not indicate how densely pronghorn are distributed or where they concentrate seasonally. It is a broad occupancy map, not a density or seasonal distribution map. Hunters should expect pronghorn throughout the accessible portions of the unit but cannot assume predictable concentrations or seasonal shifts.
Is the terrain walkable on foot for a hunter without specialty gear?
Yes. The unit is uniformly gentle and rolling with a mean slope of 1.6 degrees; 100 percent of the unit falls in the gentle terrain class. Hiking across the unit does not require steep-terrain skills or experience. The real barrier is legal access to ground where a hunter can actually walk—the small public land share and uncertain access-dependent trust land.
How many rifle seasons are offered in this unit?
Two rifle seasons are offered: the main rifle season October 3–11 for either-sex pronghorn, and the late rifle season December 5–13 for doe. The muzzleloader season September 21–29 is a separate weapon and is not a rifle hunt.
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.