Colorado GMU 143 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 690 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 143 is like
GMU 143 is a 690-square-mile pronghorn unit in the southeastern region of Colorado, centered at an elevation of 5,700 feet and ranging from 4,600 to 6,900 feet. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with 86 percent of the unit in gentle slopes, 11 percent moderate, and only 3 percent steep terrain. The unit's mean slope is 5 degrees, placing it solidly in the gentle category.
The unit is heavily private, with approximately 91 percent of the ground in private ownership. Public land available for hunting comprises about 3.9 percent—roughly 27 square miles of National Forest and BLM ground that are generally open to public hunting. An additional 5.5 percent, or about 38 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land whose huntability depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program; access to these parcels is variable and cannot be counted on without checking current enrollment status. Legal access to public ground, rather than terrain walkability, is the primary limiting factor for hunters working this unit.
Pronghorn occupy the unit across its entire mapped range. The unit carries no mapped Winter Range, Winter Concentration, or Migration Corridors layers, so pronghorn distribution and movement patterns through the fall are not defined by CPW's seasonal-range mapping.
The unit offers four seasons: Muzzleloader September 21 through September 29, Rifle October 3 through October 11, Late Rifle December 1 through December 31, and a private-land-only season October 3 through December 31. The Muzzleloader and Rifle seasons fall during the primary rut and immediate post-rut phases, when pronghorn behavior is most actively shaped by breeding. The Late Rifle season runs through the fall grouping and winter transition period. An over-the-counter archery season is also available in August and September, though it is not part of the limited-tag draw. Draw difficulty for the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunt code is easy, typically requiring zero preference points. Hunter pressure on the unit is moderate overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–6,900 ft, typically around 5,700 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 5°
- Slope breakdown
- 86% gentle · 11% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~27 sq mi, plus ~38 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 143.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow51%
- Sagebrush33%
- Conifer15%
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 143 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest and BLM. A further 6% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest4%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land6%
- Private91%
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 143 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 |
| 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 143 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is there enough public ground here to hunt if an applicant draws a tag?
Only about 3.9 percent of the unit—roughly 27 square miles—is reliably open to public hunting (National Forest and BLM). The remaining 91 percent is private. An additional 5.5 percent is State Trust Land whose access depends on CPW enrollment, so it cannot be counted on without verification. Most of this unit requires private-land permission or a private-land-only license.
Can someone with zero preference points draw a pronghorn tag here?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code draws reliably at zero preference points in the primary draw. Applicants can also pursue over-the-counter archery in August and September, and tags may appear on the leftover list or secondary draw after the primary draw closes.
Does the terrain make it manageable to cover ground on foot?
The terrain itself is gentle and rolling—86 percent of the unit slopes gently—so walking and navigation are straightforward. However, legal access is the real constraint: with only about 27 square miles of public ground open to hunting and the remainder private, a hunter's ability to move across the unit depends entirely on where public land and enrolled State Trust Land actually sit and whether private-land permission is secured.
When do the rut-season hunts occur, and what should a hunter expect from the animals?
Muzzleloader runs September 21–29, spanning the primary rut and early post-rut recovery phase, when pronghorn are most actively engaged in breeding behavior and territorial activity. Rifle runs October 3–11, falling in the late post-rut recovery phase as animals are regrouping. Both hunts occur during periods of peak behavioral activity but after the absolute peak of the primary rut (September 6–25).
Is this a realistic choice for a hunter with limited preference points?
The draw is easy enough that zero-point applicants draw reliably, making it accessible without building points. However, the unit is 91 percent private, so hunting success depends on securing private-land permission or drawing the private-land-only hunt. A hunter without connections to private ground in the area should research whether the small public-land share and enrolled State Trust Land parcels are concentrated enough to hold huntable pronghorn.
What should a hunter know about the late-season rifle hunt in December?
Late Rifle runs December 1–31 and is a doe-only season falling in the fall grouping and winter transition phase, when pronghorn are assembling into larger groups for winter. This hunt does not coincide with the rut and should not be approached as an active breeding-season hunt.
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.