Colorado GMU 146 Pronghorn Hunting
Bent and Prowers counties, southeast Colorado · 932 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 146 is like
GMU 146 occupies 932 square miles across Bent and Prowers counties in the southeast corner of Colorado, spanning elevations from 3,600 to 4,800 feet with a typical elevation around 4,100 feet. The unit's terrain is gentle and rolling, with 99 percent classified as gentle terrain and only 1 percent moderate; steep and rugged country make up 0 percent of the area. This is low-elevation, shortgrass prairie and high-plains country.
Public hunting access is severely limited. The BLM manages approximately 0.1 percent of the unit (roughly 1 square mile) and this ground is generally open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises another 4.4 percent (roughly 41 square miles), but access depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program and varies by parcel; not all State Trust Land in the unit may be huntable. Private land accounts for the remaining 96 percent. Even on gentle terrain, legal access rather than walkability is the controlling constraint on how much ground a hunter can hunt here.
The Overall Range layer indicates pronghorn occupy roughly 93 percent of the unit. This describes the full extent of mapped range and does not establish year-round presence or concentration in any season.
GMU 146 offers four pronghorn seasons, three of which are open to public applicants: Muzzleloader September 21–September 29 (Doe/Buck), Rifle October 3–October 11 (Doe/Buck), and Late Rifle December 1–December 31 (Doe). A fourth season—Private-land only October 3–December 31 (Doe/Buck)—is restricted to private-ground hunting and is not a public opportunity. The Muzzleloader season falls in the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases, the October Rifle season in the Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phase, and the Late Rifle season in the Fall Grouping / Winter Transition phase. The draw is easy, often drawing at zero preference points on the simplest buck or either-sex hunt code; other seasons and weapons may require substantially more points. Hunter pressure overall is high.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,600–4,800 ft, typically around 4,100 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 1.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1 sq mi, plus ~41 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 146.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow82%
- Sagebrush10%
- Other cover6%
- 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 <1% of GMU 146 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM<1%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private96%
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 146 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 Range93%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 146 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
Yes, for the easiest buck or either-sex seasons. The draw typically clears at zero preference points on the most accessible public hunts, though premium buck seasons in the unit require far more points, and other weapons or seasons may as well. Secondary Draw (a June random drawing) and the Leftover List (first-come, first-served after the primary draw) also offer routes that do not use preference points.
How much public land can a hunter actually count on accessing here?
Only about 1 square mile of BLM is reliably open to hunting. State Trust Land comprises another 41 square miles, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are open, and enrollment varies by parcel — a hunter must verify which tracts are accessible before applying. The remaining 932 square miles is private ground.
Does the terrain make this unit walkable for a hunter on foot?
The entire unit is gentle and rolling, with no steep or rugged country, so the terrain itself is accessible to a hiker. However, legal access to the ground itself is the binding constraint — the vast majority of the unit is private, and no archery-season overthe-counter shortcut exists for pronghorn here, so terrain ease does not overcome the lack of huntable public land.
Is there an archery season, and is it limited or over-the-counter?
No archery season is listed in the published draw. Archery pronghorn licenses in Colorado units with unrestricted archery are sold over the counter (15 August–20 September, August for bucks only and September for either-sex), but whether this unit's archery is limited or unlimited is not something this data determines — a hunter should verify directly with CPW before deciding whether to apply for the draw seasons listed here.
When should a hunter apply for this unit—early season or late season?
The Muzzleloader season (September 21–29) falls in the Primary and Late Rut phases, when pronghorn behavior and movement are driven by breeding. The October Rifle season (October 3–11) spans the tail end of the Late Rut into Fall Grouping. The Late Rifle season (December 1–31) occurs during the Fall Grouping / Winter Transition phase. Each timing will produce different hunting conditions; choice depends on the applicant's preference for rut hunting versus post-rut conditions.
Why is draw difficulty easy but overall hunter pressure described as high?
Draw difficulty reflects how many preference points are required to draw the easiest available tag; this unit's easiest codes draw at zero points, making them easy to obtain. Hunter pressure describes how many hunters actually pursue the unit once they hold tags — these are separate measures. An easy-to-draw unit near populated areas can still attract many hunters and be crowded on the ground.
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.