Colorado GMU 134 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas and Pueblo counties, southeast Colorado · 398 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 134 is like
GMU 134 sprawls across 398 square miles of gentle and rolling terrain in the southeastern Colorado plains, with elevations ranging from 4,800 feet to 6,500 feet and a mean slope of 2.5 degrees. Ninety-seven percent of the unit is gentle, and the remaining 3 percent is moderate. The country here is wide open and walkable for a hunter on foot, though legal access is the decisive constraint on what ground can actually be hunted.
The unit is dominated by private land, which makes up 92 percent of the total acreage. State Wildlife Areas and BLM land account for approximately 0.7 percent and are generally open to public hunting, representing the dependable public-land option for pronghorn hunters. An additional 5.2 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program—those parcels vary by location and by year. Approximately 2 percent of the unit is unclassified, meaning the source data does not record an owner. Getting access in 134 requires either hunting the small fraction of dependably open ground or securing permission on private property.
CPW maps pronghorn range covering 99 percent of the unit. Muzzleloader season runs September 21–29 and takes pronghorn during the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases, when bucks are actively tending does. Rifle season follows October 3–11, spanning the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase. Both seasons are open to either-sex hunting. A private-land-only doe season runs December 5–13 during the Fall Grouping / Winter Transition phase and requires the hunter's own permission to access private ground.
The draw for this unit is easy, with the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code available to adult Colorado residents drawing reliably at zero preference points. Hunter pressure across the unit is moderate. An over-the-counter archery season, sold without drawing, may also be available; archery is not included in the limited-draw hunt codes listed here.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–6,500 ft, typically around 5,700 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 97% gentle · 3% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~3 sq mi, plus ~21 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 134.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow84%
- Sagebrush10%
- Other cover4%
- 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 <1% of GMU 134 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas and BLM. A further 5% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land5%
- Unclassified ownership2%
- Private92%
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 134 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
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 134 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much public land is actually huntable without permission?
Approximately 0.7 percent of the unit—roughly 3 square miles—is State Wildlife Area and BLM land that is generally open to public hunting. The remaining huntable ground requires obtaining permission from private landowners. An additional 5.2 percent is State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, which varies by location and enrollment status.
Can someone with no preference points draw a pronghorn tag here?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt code draws reliably at zero preference points in the primary draw, making this an accessible option for first-time applicants. Other hunt codes, weapons and nonresident applicants may require substantially more points.
Is this unit realistic to hunt for someone who doesn't know landowners?
It is challenging. With 92 percent private land and only 0.7 percent in dependably open public ground, a hunter without established connections will need to secure permission from landowners directly or focus hunting effort on the small State Wildlife Area and BLM parcels. Contacting ranchers and landowners well in advance is essential.
When should a hunter plan to be in the unit?
Muzzleloader season in late September coincides with the Primary Rut, when bucks are territorial and active. Rifle season in early October overlaps the tail end of the rut and early post-rut phase. A private-land-only doe season in December provides a late option but requires permission on private ground.
Is the terrain manageable for hiking and glassing?
Yes. With 97 percent of the unit in gentle terrain and a mean slope of 2.5 degrees, the country is very walkable and well-suited to glassing from high points. Elevation ranges from 4,800 to 6,500 feet, keeping the unit in the low-to-mid range where pronghorn hunting does not demand mountaineering or extreme exposure.
Why is this unit so hard to hunt if it draws easily?
Easy draw and easy hunting are not the same thing. This unit's tags draw at zero points because relatively few applicants compete for them—the real barrier is that getting legal access to huntable ground is the bottleneck, not obtaining a license.
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.