Colorado GMU 144 Pronghorn Hunting
Baca County, southeast Colorado · 644 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 144 is like
GMU 144 spans 644 square miles of southeastern Colorado in Baca County. The terrain is predominantly gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to 5,300 feet and a mean slope of 2.4 degrees. Nearly all of the unit is classified as gentle or moderate terrain; steep ground accounts for only 1 percent of the area. This is open country built for stalking, with minimal topographic obstacles.
About 33 percent of the unit—roughly 211 square miles—is National Forest land that is generally open to public hunting. The remainder is almost entirely private ground, with a small share of Colorado State Trust Land scattered throughout. Access to that State Trust Land depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program, and only enrolled parcels may be hunted; a hunter cannot assume those acres are available. The private ownership dominates the landscape and constrains where a hunter can actually work, even though the public ground that is accessible offers straightforward walking country.
Pronghorn in this unit occupy the entire mapped range across the year. The seasons offered—muzzleloader, two rifle seasons, and a private-land-only hunt—span from late September through December. The muzzleloader season in late September falls during the primary rut and early post-rut recovery phase, when pronghorn are still grouped and active. The October rifle season arrives just as the rut winds down and animals enter post-rut recovery. The late rifle season in December occurs during the fall grouping and winter transition phase, when herds are consolidating. All three public seasons offer opportunity across the rut and post-rut calendar.
The draw for pronghorn here is easy, often requiring zero preference points for the most accessible buck or either-sex hunt codes. Hunter pressure on this unit is low. The unit also includes premium buck seasons that demand substantially more points than the easiest hunts. Pronghorn archery licences are sold over the counter in seasons where CPW leaves the tag unlimited, and applicants should verify which archery opportunities fall outside the limited draw.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,000–5,300 ft, typically around 4,600 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.4°
- Slope breakdown
- 95% gentle · 4% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~211 sq mi, plus ~21 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 144.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow59%
- Sagebrush24%
- Other cover16%
- 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 33% of GMU 144 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest33%
- State Trust Land3%
- Private64%
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 144 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 144 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a hunter actually hunt here?
About 33 percent of the unit—roughly 211 square miles of National Forest—is generally open to public hunting. The rest is private or State Trust Land with access that depends on enrollment status. A hunter's practical range is limited by legal access, not by terrain walkability; the gentle rolling country does not solve the access problem.
Is this unit realistic for an applicant with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex pronghorn hunt here often draws at zero points in the primary draw. Applicants below that tier sometimes draw as well through the primary draw, and the secondary draw (held in June and open to anyone) and leftover list offer other routes to a tag even if the primary draw does not issue one.
Which season offers the best chance at a buck in the rut?
The late-September muzzleloader season falls squarely in the primary rut and early post-rut recovery phase, when pronghorn behavior is most active and bucks are most likely to respond to calling and decoys. The October rifle season arrives as the rut is winding down, offering still-rutty conditions but with less peak activity.
What does the draw difficulty label cover and what does it not?
The easy draw reflects the lowest preference-point tier for the most accessible buck or either-sex hunts available to adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. Premium buck seasons on this unit require substantially more points. The label does not cover nonresident applicants, archery seasons outside the draw, or private-land-only hunts.
Is the terrain actually walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. The unit is 95 percent gentle terrain with a mean slope of 2.4 degrees, making it easy to cover ground on foot even for a hunter in poor physical condition. Pronghorn are visible across the open rolling country, but access to that ground is the real constraint.
Can a hunter count on hunting State Trust Land here?
No. State Trust Land makes up about 3.2 percent of the unit, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are huntable. A hunter should verify which State Trust Land is enrolled before planning to hunt it; general ownership alone does not guarantee legal access.
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.