Colorado GMU 2 Pronghorn Hunting
Moffat County, northwest Colorado · 1,194 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 2 is like
GMU 2 is a 1,194 square-mile pronghorn unit in Moffat County in the northwest corner of Colorado. The landscape is gentle and rolling, with terrain split among 71 percent gentle slopes, 23 percent moderate slopes, 5 percent steep ground, and 1 percent rugged terrain. Elevations range from 5,100 feet to 9,000 feet, with typical elevation around 6,600 feet. The unit occupies the northwestern plateau region and offers the combination of open country and moderate topography that characterizes productive pronghorn habitat.
Roughly 79 percent of the unit, approximately 948 square miles, is generally open to public hunting on BLM land and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 4.6 percent (55 square miles) is Colorado State Trust Land; hunting access to those parcels depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program, which varies by parcel. The National Park Service manages 8.1 percent of the unit and prohibits hunting there. Private land comprises 7.9 percent of the unit, leaving hunters with substantial public ground to work but requiring attention to boundary and access points on the ground.
Pronghorn range CPW maps across 71 percent of the unit overall, with 67 percent covered by Winter Range and 7 percent designated as Winter Concentration areas where pronghorn cluster seasonally. A hunter working this unit in fall should expect to encounter pronghorn across much of the country, but with denser concentrations in winter-concentration zones as temperatures drop and the season advances. The absence of a mapped Summer Range indicates that pronghorn present during the hunting season have not migrated in from higher elevations; they are resident to this country year-round at mapped-range densities.
Three pronghorn seasons are offered in this unit. The archery season runs August 15 through September 20 for bucks, spanning the Pre-Rut and Primary Rut phases. The muzzleloader season runs September 21 through September 29, covering the end of Primary Rut and the beginning of Late Rut. The rifle season runs October 3 through October 11, falling in the Late Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phase. September temperatures average highs of 73°F and lows of 43°F with little snowfall, while October sees highs drop to 59°F and lows to 32°F, with average snowfall of 0.8 inches. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck code is Premium, meaning applicants can expect to need 10 to 19 preference points to draw reliably in the primary draw, though applicants with fewer points sometimes draw. Hunter pressure on the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–9,000 ft, typically around 6,600 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 8.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 71% gentle · 23% moderate · 5% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~948 sq mi, plus ~55 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 2.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush84%
- Conifer7%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush79%
- Conifer13%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush68%
- Conifer27%
- Grass and meadow4%
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 79% of GMU 2 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 5% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Another 8% is public but closed to hunting — National Park Service.
- BLM78%
- State Wildlife Area1%
- State Trust Land5%
- National Park Service8%
- Private8%
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 2 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 Range71%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range67%used in winter
- Winter Concentration7%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 20 | Buck |
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | Buck |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | 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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 43°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 59°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 21°F, about 4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 2 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can someone with no preference points draw here?
An applicant with zero preference points can enter the secondary draw in June, a pure-random lottery open to anyone without points required or awarded, or check the leftover list after the primary draw closes. The primary draw itself requires applicants to reliably expect points in the 10–19 range for the easiest buck code, though some zero-point applicants occasionally draw even the primary-draw hunts.
Which season falls during the rut?
The archery season (August 15–September 20) spans the Pre-Rut and Primary Rut phases, with the most intense rut activity from September 6 onward. The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) captures the tail end of Primary Rut and enters Late Rut recovery. The rifle season (October 3–11) falls entirely in the Late Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phase, after peak breeding intensity.
How much public ground can a hunter actually access?
Roughly 79 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting on BLM and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 4.6 percent is State Trust Land where access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment on individual parcels. That leaves 8.1 percent closed to hunting (National Park Service) and 7.9 percent private, so a public-land hunter has substantial acreage but must verify access and boundary information on the ground.
Is this unit realistic for an archery hunter?
Archery licences for pronghorn in Colorado are typically sold over the counter in units CPW leaves unlimited, though this unit's archery season is listed in the drawn hunt roster, meaning it is limited and draws from the preference-point pool. An applicant seeking the archery season specifically would face the same 10–19 point draw difficulty as other buck codes unless they enter the secondary draw or check the leftover list.
Does the terrain make this walkable for a foot hunter?
Yes. Seventy-one percent of the unit is gentle terrain and another 23 percent is moderate slope, meaning 94 percent of the country is navigable on foot without technical climbing. The mean slope across the unit is 8.6 degrees, keeping the overall character rolling and accessible even though pockets of steeper ground exist.
What should a hunter expect from mid-season weather?
October temperatures range from highs around 59°F to lows near 32°F with average snowfall of 0.8 inches, creating cool but generally passable conditions. November is substantially colder with highs near 44°F and lows around 21°F, plus average snowfall of 4 inches, though a late-season rifle hunter will not encounter November here.
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.