Colorado GMU 140 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 459 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 140 is like
Unit 140 is a 459-square-mile pronghorn unit in Las Animas County in the southeast region of Colorado. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 78% of the unit in gentle slopes, 18% moderate, and 3% steep. Elevation ranges from 5,400 feet to 9,600 feet, with typical elevation around 6,000 feet. The unit offers pronghorn hunting across three seasons: muzzleloader in late September, rifle in early October, and a private-land-only hunt in December. Overall Range covers 65% of the unit.
Approximately 4.6% of the unit—about 21 square miles—is State Wildlife Area and generally open to public hunting. An additional 3.8% is Colorado State Trust Land, where access depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program. The remaining 92% is private land. Public ownership is limited, and legal access is the primary constraint on where a hunter can actually pursue pronghorn, regardless of the unit's walkable terrain.
Pronghorn distribution through the fall follows the seasonal ranges CPW has mapped. With only Overall Range mapped for this unit, hunters should expect pronghorn across the mapped range as conditions shift from late September through October and into the transition period toward winter. Actual distribution and movement vary with weather, snow, and local conditions.
Three seasons are available: muzzleloader September 21–29 (doe or buck), rifle October 3–11 (doe or buck), and a private-land-only hunt December 5–13 (doe). The muzzleloader season falls during the primary rut and early post-rut recovery phase, while the rifle season falls in the late rut and post-rut recovery phase. Hunter pressure on the unit is high. The draw for pronghorn here is easy, with the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code often drawing at zero preference points, though other seasons and weapons may require more points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,400–9,600 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 6.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 78% gentle · 18% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~21 sq mi, plus ~18 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 140.
Lower elevations
- Grass and meadow85%
- Sagebrush13%
- Other cover2%
Mid elevations
- Grass and meadow52%
- Sagebrush30%
- Conifer15%
- Other cover3%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush41%
- Conifer36%
- Aspen15%
- Grass and meadow6%
- 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 5% of GMU 140 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area5%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- 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.
Where pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 140 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 Range65%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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 48°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 25°F, about 1.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 140 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is this unit realistic for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest qualifying unit-wide pronghorn code here draws reliably at zero preference points in the primary draw. That said, an applicant with no points may draw any of the unit's seasons or may draw the secondary draw or leftover list, but the stated band describes the tier that drew dependably without points.
How much public land can a hunter actually hunt here?
Only about 4.6% of the unit—roughly 21 square miles—is State Wildlife Area and generally open to public hunting. An additional 3.8% is State Trust Land, but access there depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program. The vast majority of the unit is private. Legal access is the limiting factor, not the terrain.
Which season is best for the rut?
The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) spans both the primary rut and early post-rut recovery phase, making it the core rut hunt. The rifle season (October 3–11) falls in the late rut and post-rut recovery phase. Both are rut-period hunts; muzzleloader captures the earlier peak.
What are the weather conditions during these hunts?
The muzzleloader season in late September sees highs around 79°F and lows near 48°F with virtually no snow. The rifle season in early October sees highs around 68°F and lows near 36°F, with an average of 0.7 inches of snowfall. The fall cools substantially from September to October.
Is there an archery season?
The data provided covers only the muzzleloader, rifle, and private-land-only seasons. Pronghorn archery licenses in Colorado are typically sold over the counter in units with unlimited archery, but whether this unit's archery is available over the counter or as a limited draw code is not specified in this guide. Check CPW's current season information for details on archery availability.
How is hunter pressure distributed across the seasons?
Hunter pressure on the unit overall is high. The muzzleloader and rifle seasons are the public hunting opportunities, and both draw substantial interest. The private-land-only December hunt is separate and does not affect draw competition for the public seasons.
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.