Colorado GMU 147 Pronghorn Hunting
Las Animas County, southeast Colorado · 323 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 147 is like
GMU 147 is a 323-square-mile pronghorn unit in the southeastern Colorado plains, characterized by gentle and rolling terrain at elevations between 4,300 and 5,800 feet. The landscape is predominantly gentle: 85 percent of the unit falls into the gentle-slope category, with 9 percent moderate, 5 percent steep, and 1 percent rugged. This is low-elevation, open country typical of the Front Range transitional zone.
The unit is highly fragmented in ownership. Approximately 3.6 percent is National Forest and BLM land generally open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises 26 percent of the unit, and access there depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program. An additional 21 percent is unclassified in ownership records, and 49 percent is private. This means that legal public-hunting access is limited to roughly 12 square miles of the total area, making access the primary constraint to hunting opportunity rather than terrain or game presence.
Overall Range for pronghorn covers 77 percent of the unit. The seasonal-range mapping CPW provides for pronghorn consists of Overall Range, Winter Range, and Migration Corridors. This unit has Overall Range mapped but lacks the other layers, which means hunters should expect pronghorn use across much of the landscape but cannot rely on seasonal-range mapping to predict where animals concentrate or move through the fall.
The unit offers two draw seasons and one private-land-only season. The Muzzleloader season runs September 21 through September 29 for either-sex hunting, falling during the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases. The Rifle season runs October 3 through October 11, also for either-sex, during the Late Rut and early Fall Grouping phases. A third season, December 5 through December 13, is restricted to private land only. Overall hunter pressure is low, and the draw for the easiest public-land hunt codes is easy, often requiring zero preference points for adult Colorado residents in the primary draw.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,300–5,800 ft, typically around 5,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 5.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 85% gentle · 9% moderate · 5% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~12 sq mi, plus ~83 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 147.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow64%
- Sagebrush30%
- Conifer5%
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 147 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest and BLM. A further 26% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest4%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land26%
- Unclassified ownership21%
- Private49%
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.
“Ownership unclassified” means the source dataset does not record an owner for that acreage. It is not known to be public or private.
Where pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 147 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 Range77%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 | December 5 – December 13 | Doe |
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 147 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can actually be hunted here?
Only about 3.6 percent of the unit—roughly 12 square miles of National Forest and BLM—is generally open to public hunting. An additional 26 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but it is huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in the Public Access Program, and enrollment status varies by parcel. The remaining 75 percent is either private or unclassified in ownership, so legal access is the binding constraint on where a hunter can pursue pronghorn.
Is this a realistic draw for someone with no preference points?
Yes. The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code draws reliably at zero preference points for adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. Applicants entering the secondary draw (a pure random June drawing open to anyone without points) or checking the leftover list after the primary draw also have opportunities on this unit. The draw for public-land seasons here is generally easy.
Does the terrain make it manageable to hunt on foot?
The terrain itself is manageable: 85 percent of the unit is gentle slope, and elevations range only from 4,300 to 5,800 feet, so walking and glassing are feasible across most of the country. However, access to that ground is the real challenge—only a small fraction is legally huntable public land. A hunter will need to plan an approach carefully and be prepared to work within the boundaries of accessible parcels.
When during the fall is pronghorn hunting best here?
The Muzzleloader season (September 21–29) coincides with the Primary and Late Rut phases, when pronghorn are behaviorally active and more responsive to hunting techniques. The Rifle season (October 3–11) occurs during the Late Rut and early Fall Grouping phases, after the peak rut intensity. Pronghorn behavior and location may shift between these seasons as the rut winds down and animals begin transitioning toward winter patterns.
Can the seasonal-range mapping predict where pronghorn will be?
Only partially. Overall Range covers 77 percent of the unit, showing the general extent of pronghorn use, but CPW has not mapped Winter Range, Winter Concentration, or Migration Corridors for this unit. Without seasonal layers beyond Overall Range, the mapping cannot pinpoint where animals concentrate seasonally or how they move through fall and winter. Hunters will need to rely on scouting, local knowledge, and general behavior expectations based on time of year.
What weapons are available, and do they all draw the same way?
The unit offers Muzzleloader (September 21–29) and Rifle (October 3–11), both for either-sex hunting through the draw system. The draw difficulty band—easy, often zero points—covers the easiest of these unit-wide public-land codes for an adult resident. Different seasons, other weapons, and nonresident applicants may require different preference-point thresholds. A separate private-land-only Doe season runs December 5–13 and requires the hunter's own permission to hunt private 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.