Colorado GMU 133 Pronghorn Hunting
Huerfano, Las Animas and Pueblo counties, southeast Colorado · 576 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 133 is like
GMU 133 spans 576 square miles across Huerfano, Las Animas and Pueblo counties in the state's southeast region. The unit sits at elevations between 4,800 and 6,600 feet, with typical ground around 6,000 feet. Terrain is gentle and rolling, with 95 percent of the unit in gentle slopes, 4 percent moderate, and 1 percent steep. The landscape supports pronghorn across its mapped range, which CPW records as covering 99 percent of the unit.
Land ownership is heavily concentrated in private hands, which make up approximately 76 percent of the unit. The publicly huntable ground is limited to State Wildlife Areas and BLM totaling roughly 8.1 percent, or about 46 square miles. Colorado State Trust Land comprises an additional 8.3 percent of the unit but is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it in the Public Access Program; hunters should verify enrollment status before planning. Approximately 8 percent of the unit is unclassified in ownership records and cannot be assumed to be open. The small public base and large private acreage mean that legal access, not terrain, is the primary constraint on where hunters can actually hunt.
Pronghorn seasonal ranges mapped in the unit show Overall Range coverage at 99 percent; no winter-range layer is mapped here. The available data does not indicate when pronghorn are concentrated in specific portions of the unit or how their distribution shifts with season and weather. Hunters should expect pronghorn to be found across the gentle terrain of the unit where access is available, but the seasonal-range data here does not support predictions of movement or concentration through the fall.
The unit offers three pronghorn seasons: Muzzleloader September 21 through September 29 (Doe/Buck), Rifle October 3 through October 11 (Doe/Buck), and a private-land-only season December 5 through December 13 (Doe). The muzzleloader season falls partly in the Primary Rut (through September 25) and partly in Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery (September 26 onward). The rifle season occurs entirely in Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery. The draw is rated Easy, with the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code often available to applicants at zero preference points. Hunter pressure on the unit is Moderate.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–6,600 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 3.1°
- Slope breakdown
- 95% gentle · 4% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~46 sq mi, plus ~48 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 133.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow86%
- Sagebrush12%
- Other cover1%
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 8% of GMU 133 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 8% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area8%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land8%
- Unclassified ownership8%
- Private76%
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.
“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 133 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 Range99%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 |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | 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 133 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is there enough public ground here to hunt if an applicant has no preference points?
Public ground totals roughly 8 percent of the unit, meaning most of the accessible hunting requires crossing or hunting private land. An applicant can draw the easiest muzzleloader or rifle seasons with zero points, but the small public acreage means success depends heavily on finding private-land access or hunting State Trust Land where it is enrolled in the Public Access Program. Verifying enrollment status and securing permission is essential before planning a hunt.
Which season — muzzleloader or rifle — is better for a first-time pronghorn hunter?
The muzzleloader season (September 21-29) coincides with the Primary Rut and early post-rut phases, when pronghorn are active and visible. The rifle season (October 3-11) falls in Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery, as animals are grouping but rut activity is fading. Either season can be productive; choice depends on the hunter's weapon proficiency and preferred hunting style rather than a clear advantage in pronghorn availability.
Can a hunter actually walk and hunt most of this unit, or is it blocked by private land?
The terrain is walkable — 95 percent of the unit is gentle slopes — but access is the constraint. Only about 8 percent is dependably open public ground, and private land comprises 76 percent of the unit. A hunter must either secure private-land permission, verify State Trust Land enrollment, or plan to hunt a very small public footprint.
What does the overall range mapping tell a hunter about where pronghorn are found?
Overall Range covers 99 percent of the unit, indicating the full extent of mapped pronghorn range. This figure describes the geographic extent CPW has mapped, not pronghorn density, concentration, or seasonal movement through the year. Hunters should expect pronghorn across the mapped range where legal access exists, but this layer does not predict where animals will be in September versus October.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no access to private ground?
It is realistic only if the hunter can secure access to State Trust Land where CPW has enrolled it in the Public Access Program. Otherwise, the roughly 8 percent of State Wildlife Area and BLM ground available is small relative to the unit's total size. Checking enrollment status and scouting access routes before applying is strongly recommended.
Does draw difficulty here mean an easy hunt to plan or an easy tag to get?
Easy draw difficulty describes the ease of drawing a tag — the easiest unit-wide code often requires zero preference points. This does not mean the hunt itself is simple; moderately high hunter pressure and a small public-land base mean finding and harvesting pronghorn still requires skill, preparation and access to huntable 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.