Colorado GMU 145 Pronghorn Hunting
Baca County, southeast Colorado · 309 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 145 is like
GMU 145 is a 309-square-mile unit in Baca County in the southeast region, characterized by gentle and rolling terrain with elevations ranging from 3,500 feet to 4,400 feet and a mean slope of 1.3 degrees. The landscape is entirely flat to gently rolling, with no steep or rugged terrain.
Roughly 19 percent of the unit—about 58 square miles—is National Forest land generally open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises approximately 2.7 percent, or about 8 square miles; only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program may be hunted, so access depends on current enrollment. Private land accounts for the remaining 79 percent of the unit. Because public land is scattered across the unit and comprises a small share, legal access is the primary limiting factor for hunting here.
CPW maps Overall Range as covering the entire unit. The unit offers three seasons: a muzzleloader season September 21–29 for doe and buck, a rifle season October 3–11 for doe and buck, and a private-land-only season October 3 through December 31 for doe and buck. The muzzleloader hunt falls during the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases. The rifle season falls during the Late Rut phase. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide code is hard, requiring 3–5 preference points reliably in the primary draw. Hunter pressure on the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,500–4,400 ft, typically around 3,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 100% gentle · 0% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~58 sq mi, plus ~8 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 145.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow46%
- Sagebrush31%
- Other cover21%
- Riparian1%
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 19% of GMU 145 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 Forest19%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Private79%
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 145 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 145 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is there an archery season for pronghorn here?
The season list provided includes only muzzleloader, rifle, and private-land-only hunts. Whether archery pronghorn is available over the counter or as a limited draw code is not specified in the available data. A hunter should contact CPW directly to confirm archery availability and method.
How much public land can a hunter actually access here?
Roughly 19 percent of the unit is National Forest land generally open to public hunting, plus approximately 2.7 percent of State Trust Land—though only enrolled parcels in CPW's Public Access Program may be hunted. The remaining 79 percent is private, so legal access is the primary constraint. A hunter should scout the public parcels and verify current enrollment of State Trust Land before investing time in the draw.
Can someone with no preference points draw this unit?
The easiest unit-wide public-land code requires 3–5 preference points reliably in the primary draw, though applicants with fewer points sometimes draw. Hunters with no points may also access tags through Colorado's secondary draw in June (pure random, no points used) or the leftover list after the primary draw closes.
Which season is best for hunters preferring less competition in the rut?
The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) falls during the Primary and Late Rut phases, when pronghorn behavior is most active. The rifle season (October 3–11) is entirely in the Late Rut phase. Both seasons overlap the rut; the choice depends on weapon preference rather than rut intensity.
Is the terrain easy to walk?
Yes—the unit is entirely gentle and rolling with a mean slope of 1.3 degrees and no steep or rugged ground. Terrain does not present a hiking or navigation challenge. However, since only 19 percent of the unit is publicly huntable National Forest land, a hunter may cover easy terrain but will be limited by property boundaries regardless.
What is the draw difficulty here, and what does that mean for a hunter with limited points?
The easiest unit-wide public-land code is hard, requiring 3–5 preference points to draw reliably in the primary draw. This band describes the lowest tier that drew dependably; applicants with fewer points do sometimes draw, particularly through the secondary draw (June, random, open to anyone) or the leftover list. The band is a floor, not a ceiling.
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.