Colorado GMU 142 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 368 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 142 is like
GMU 142 is a 368-square-mile unit in Las Animas County covering low-elevation foothill and prairie country. Elevations range from 4,400 feet to 5,900 feet, with a typical elevation near 5,100 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle and rolling, with 91 percent of the unit in gentle terrain, 7 percent moderate, and 2 percent steep. The landscape supports pronghorn across much of its area, particularly in the open, sagebrush-dominated lower elevations.
The unit is almost entirely private land. Approximately 0.1 percent—a negligible share—is National Forest ground that is generally open to public hunting. The overwhelming majority of the unit is closed to public access without permission from private landowners. This ownership pattern is the primary constraint on where hunters can legally pursue pronghorn, regardless of the ease of the terrain itself.
CPW has mapped Overall Range covering 85 percent of the unit, indicating the full extent of pronghorn habitat across the area. Pronghorn are not uniformly distributed within this mapped range, and no additional seasonal-range layers are mapped for this unit. Hunters should expect pronghorn to occur across the mapped range as conditions and seasons shift, but detailed seasonal shifts cannot be inferred from CPW's mapping alone.
GMU 142 offers two pronghorn seasons: a Muzzleloader season from September 21 to September 29, and a Rifle season from October 3 to October 11. Both are either-sex hunts. The Muzzleloader season falls during the Primary Rut and early Late Rut phases, when pronghorn are in rut behavior. The Rifle season falls in the Late Rut phase, as animals transition toward fall grouping. Drawing a tag here is highly competitive; the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunt code requires 3 to 5 preference points in the primary draw. Hunter pressure on this unit is extreme.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–5,900 ft, typically around 5,100 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 3.9°
- Slope breakdown
- 91% gentle · 7% moderate · 2% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~0 sq mi
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 142.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow72%
- Sagebrush26%
- Conifer1%
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 142 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest.
- National Forest<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private100%
Where pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 142 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 Range85%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 |
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 142 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much of this unit can a hunter actually access to hunt?
Approximately 0.1 percent of the unit—roughly 368 acres—is National Forest ground generally open to public hunting. The remaining 99.9 percent is private land. Access to hunt here depends almost entirely on obtaining permission from private landowners; public-land hunting opportunities are minimal.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes; the unit is 91 percent gentle terrain and 7 percent moderate, with only 2 percent steep ground. The landscape is rolling and accessible. However, walkability and legal access are separate issues—the terrain's ease does not translate to hunting opportunity where 99.9 percent of the land is private and closed without permission.
When in the fall do pronghorn shift to different parts of the unit?
CPW has not mapped Summer Range, Winter Range, or Migration Corridor layers for pronghorn in this unit, so specific seasonal shifts cannot be inferred from the agency's mapping. The Overall Range mapped here identifies habitat across the unit, but seasonal timing and extent of any movements are not defined by the available data.
Can an applicant with zero preference points draw this unit?
The easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunt code requires 3 to 5 preference points in the primary draw. Applicants with fewer points may still draw through the secondary draw (a separate June random draw) or the leftover list, though no tag availability from those sources can be guaranteed. The primary-draw band describes the reliable tier, not the only possible route to a license.
Which season offers better hunting—muzzleloader or rifle?
Both seasons fall within the pronghorn rut period: the Muzzleloader hunt (September 21–29) covers the Primary Rut and early post-rut phases, while the Rifle hunt (October 3–11) occurs in the Late Rut phase. The choice depends on weapon preference and whether the applicant prefers earlier or slightly later timing in the rut cycle.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no private-land access?
No. With 99.9 percent private land and only 0.1 percent public ground, this unit is not practical for a public-land-only hunter. Pronghorn hunting here requires secure private-land permission in advance. Applicants should focus on units with substantially larger public-land shares unless they have existing access on private ground in the area.
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.