Colorado GMU 139 Pronghorn Hunting
Baca County, southeast Colorado · 1,201 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 139 is like
Colorado Game Management Unit 139 lies in Baca County in the southeastern corner of the state and covers 1,201 square miles of gentle and rolling terrain. Elevations span from 3,600 feet in the low country to 4,700 feet at the high end, with typical terrain near 4,000 feet. The entire unit's terrain by area is classified as gentle, with a mean slope of 0.8 degrees. This is pronghorn country on the high plains, open and relatively easy to traverse on foot, though legal access rather than terrain is the limiting factor for most hunters.
Only about 3.6 percent of the unit—roughly 43 square miles—is open to public hunting, consisting of National Forest and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 1.0 percent, or about 12 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land where hunting access depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program. The remaining 95 percent is private land. This composition means that a public-land hunter has very limited ground to work with here, and access to that ground must be verified before planning a hunt.
Pronghorn in this unit occupy the full mapped range across the year. The Muzzleloader season in late September runs from September 21 to September 29 and falls during the Primary Rut and early post-rut phases. The Rifle season runs October 3 to October 11 and corresponds to the late post-rut period as pronghorn begin grouping for fall. Both seasons allow doe or buck harvest. A private-land-only season runs October 3 to December 31 for those with their own access. Hunter pressure on the unit is moderate overall, and the draw for this unit's easiest public-land hunt code is rated hard, requiring 3 to 5 preference points for reliable success in the primary draw. Applicants with fewer points can still draw, and tags also become available through the secondary draw (open to anyone, no points required) and the leftover list after the primary drawing.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,600–4,700 ft, typically around 4,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 0.8°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~43 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 139.
Across the unit
- Other cover57%
- Grass and meadow37%
- Sagebrush6%
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 4% of GMU 139 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest and State Wildlife Areas. A further 1% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest2%
- State Wildlife Area1%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land1%
- Private95%
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 139 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 |
| 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 139 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much of this unit is actually huntable for someone starting from zero preference points?
The primary draw for this unit's easiest public-land code requires 3 to 5 points for reliable success, so an applicant with zero points is not in the band that draws dependably. However, applicants below that band still draw sometimes, and tags can be obtained through the secondary draw (a separate random drawing in June, open to anyone regardless of points) or the leftover list (first-come, first-served after the primary draw). Additionally, over-the-counter archery licences for pronghorn may be available—this data does not specify whether this unit's archery season is limited or sold over the counter.
Is this unit realistic for a public-land hunter?
Only 3.6 percent of the unit—about 43 square miles out of 1,201—is dependably open to public hunting. An additional 1.0 percent is State Trust Land accessible only where enrolled in CPW's access program. The remaining 95 percent is private. For a public-land-only hunter, this is a very constrained opportunity and requires advance scouting to locate accessible ground and verify current access status.
Does pronghorn distribution shift through the fall hunting season here?
The mapping layers show pronghorn range covering the full unit year-round. No seasonal movement layers (Migration Corridors or Concentration areas tied to specific seasons) are mapped for this unit, so the data does not indicate the direction or timing of any fall shift in pronghorn distribution. A hunter should expect to scout access-dependent State Trust Land parcels and public ground well before the season to understand where animals are currently concentrated.
What is the difference between the Muzzleloader and Rifle seasons on this unit?
The Muzzleloader season runs September 21–29 and coincides with the primary rut and early post-rut phase, when pronghorn behavior is driven by breeding activity. The Rifle season runs October 3–11, falling later in the post-rut period as animals begin regrouping for fall. Both seasons are doe-or-buck hunts; the choice between them depends mainly on weapon preference and the availability of tags in the primary draw, secondary draw, or leftover list.
Is terrain the main obstacle to hunting this unit?
No. The terrain is gentle and rolling across the entire unit with a mean slope of 0.8 degrees, and the low elevation and open country make the ground very walkable. The real constraint is legal access: only 3.6 percent is open to public hunting, and another 1.0 percent requires enrollment verification. A hunter needs to locate and gain permission for access before terrain becomes a consideration.
What should a hunter know about the private-land-only season?
The unit offers a private-land-only season from October 3 to December 31 for doe or buck. This licence is valid only on private ground the hunter has permission to hunt; it does not grant access to public land. It is a separate hunting opportunity for applicants with private-land access and is not a unit-wide public-land hunt code.
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.