Colorado GMU 137 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas and Baca counties, southeast Colorado · 578 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 137 is like
Unit 137 is a 578-square-mile pronghorn unit in the low deserts and rolling prairie of southeastern Colorado, spanning Las Animas and Baca counties. Elevations range from 4,400 feet to 5,700 feet, with a typical elevation of 5,000 feet. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 93 percent gentle ground, 6 percent moderate, and 1 percent steep; the mean slope across the unit is 3.2 degrees. The country is open but privately held, making access the primary constraint rather than topography.
Approximately 9.1 percent of the unit—about 53 square miles—is National Forest ground generally open to public hunting. An additional 4.1 percent, roughly 24 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land where hunting access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment; not all parcels are open. The remaining 86 percent is private land. The public ownership is scattered and limited, requiring a hunter to locate it on the ground before committing to a hunt here.
CPW maps Overall Range covering 87 percent of the unit, indicating the broad extent where pronghorn may be found. A hunter working National Forest or enrolled state trust ground at the typical elevation of 5,000 feet has reasonable opportunity to encounter animals, though legal access remains limited. Pronghorn presence is tied to where a hunter can legally hunt, not to where the unit offers the most open ground.
Four seasons are offered. Muzzleloader runs September 21 through September 29 for either sex. Rifle runs October 3 through October 11 for either sex. Late Rifle runs December 1 through December 31 for does. A private-land-only season runs October 3 through December 31 for either sex but requires hunter-provided private land permission. Archery pronghorn licences are sold over the counter in this unit. Overall hunter pressure is moderate. The draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code is easy, with applicants often drawing at zero preference points; other weapons and seasons require more points, and premium buck seasons take substantially more. Nonresident applicants, secondary-draw and leftover-list pathways, and private-land opportunities may differ significantly in draw competitiveness and timing.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–5,700 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 3.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 93% gentle · 6% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~53 sq mi, plus ~24 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 137.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow74%
- Sagebrush21%
- Other cover4%
- Conifer2%
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 9% of GMU 137 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest9%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private86%
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 137 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 Range87%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 1 – December 31 | Doe |
| Private-land only | October 3 – December 31 | Doe, Buck |
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 137 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes, the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex pronghorn hunt code draws at zero preference points reliably, though premium buck seasons require substantially more points. Archery pronghorn licences are also sold over the counter in this unit, open to any applicant within the general archery season window.
How much public ground can a hunter actually count on accessing here?
About 9.1 percent of the unit—roughly 53 square miles of National Forest—is generally open to public hunting. An additional 4.1 percent is State Trust Land where hunting is possible only on parcels CPW has enrolled in the Public Access Program. Private land makes up the rest, and a hunter must verify access before committing to the unit.
Is the terrain manageable for a hunter on foot?
Yes, the unit is predominantly gentle and rolling, with 93 percent gentle ground and a mean slope of only 3.2 degrees. Walkability is not the limiting factor; legal access to the 9.1 percent of open public ground is.
Which season falls during the rut?
The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) spans the primary rut and early post-rut recovery. The rifle season (October 3–11) falls in the late rut and post-rut recovery phase, still offering rut hunting but later than muzzleloader. The late rifle season (December 1–31) occurs during fall grouping and winter transition, well after the rut.
What does the draw-difficulty label cover and what does it not?
The easy rating describes the lowest preference-point tier that drew reliably for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code available to adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. Premium buck seasons require far more points, nonresident applicants face different competition, and the private-land-only season is not included because it requires the hunter's own private land permission.
Is this unit better for early or late season hunting?
The muzzleloader season (late September) offers rut hunting on fresh animals. The rifle season (early October) extends the rut opportunity but hits the post-rut phase. The late rifle season (December) targets animals in winter transition and grouping patterns but is does-only. Rut hunters should prioritize muzzleloader or rifle; late rifle suits does-only hunters willing to hunt winter conditions.
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.