Colorado GMU 201 Pronghorn Hunting
Moffat County, northwest Colorado · 240 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 201 is like
Unit 201 spans 240 square miles in Moffat County in the unit's northwest region, rising from 5,300 feet to 9,700 feet with typical elevations around 7,400 feet. The terrain is rolling, with some steeper breaks: 65 percent of the unit is gentle, 28 percent moderate, and 7 percent steep. Pronghorn hunting here takes place across three seasons spanning August through October, moving from the pre-rut period through the primary rut and into the late-rut phase.
About 75 percent of the unit, roughly 180 square miles, is generally open to public hunting on BLM land and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 14 percent, approximately 33 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program. The remaining ground includes 5.6 percent private land, 5.3 percent unclassified ownership, and a small amount of National Park Service land that is closed to hunting. Hunters should verify current access on the State Trust Land parcels before planning a hunt.
Pronghorn range across 77 percent of the unit overall. Winter Range covers 30 percent of the unit, with 5 percent mapped as Winter Concentration—areas where animals cluster during the colder months. This mapping suggests pronghorn concentrate on portions of their winter range rather than spreading evenly across it. The unit offers three seasons: an archery season from August 15 to September 20, a muzzleloader season from September 21 to September 29, and one rifle season from October 3 to October 11. All three seasons are either-sex or doe/buck hunts. Early season hunting in August and September encounters milder weather with September highs around 70 degrees, while the October rifle season brings cooler conditions with highs in the mid-50s and the possibility of snow. The overall draw difficulty for this unit's easiest pronghorn code is Premium, requiring 10 to 19 preference points for adult Colorado residents. Hunter pressure on the unit remains low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,300–9,700 ft, typically around 7,400 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 9.4°
- Slope breakdown
- 65% gentle · 28% moderate · 7% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~180 sq mi, plus ~33 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 201.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush75%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Conifer9%
- Other cover5%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush59%
- Conifer20%
- Grass and meadow19%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush76%
- Conifer11%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Aspen2%
- 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 75% of GMU 201 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 14% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM71%
- State Wildlife Area4%
- State Trust Land14%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership5%
- Private6%
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 201 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
- Winter Range30%used in winter
- Winter Concentration5%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 20 | Doe, Buck |
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | Doe, Buck |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | 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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 70°F, lows around 42°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 31°F, about 1.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 21°F, about 3.4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 201 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Is there enough public ground here for a hunter without preference points to plan a hunt?
An applicant with no preference points can enter the secondary draw (a separate random draw each June open to anyone) or check the leftover list after the primary draw closes. The primary draw for this unit's easiest pronghorn codes requires 10–19 preference points, but the secondary and leftover routes are separate systems that do not require points.
What does the Winter Concentration layer tell a hunter about where to find pronghorn?
Winter Concentration covers 5 percent of the unit but does not reveal where that ground is located. It indicates that pronghorn cluster in certain areas during winter rather than dispersing evenly, and a hunter should study current condition reports and talk with CPW staff to learn the specific locations.
How much of the State Trust Land is actually huntable, and should I plan on it?
About 33 square miles of the unit is State Trust Land, but only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are open to hunting. Since the data does not show which parcels are enrolled, a hunter must verify access before planning to use this ground.
Does the archery season in August and early September avoid the rut entirely?
The August 15–September 20 archery season spans from the pre-rut period through the primary rut. Archery hunting here runs from late August through September 5 in the pre-rut phase, then into the primary rut from September 6–20, so it offers both pre-rut and rut-phase hunting.
What weather should a rifle hunter expect in early October?
October weather at mid elevation averages highs around 57 degrees and lows around 31 degrees, with average monthly snowfall of 1.5 inches. Temperatures cool considerably from September, and snow is possible, though the October season runs early in the month before the heaviest snow typical for mid-to-late fall.
How much of the unit is steep enough to be challenging for a foot hunter?
Only 7 percent of the unit is steep terrain; the great majority is gentle or moderate ground. Most of the unit's public land should be reasonably accessible on foot, though specific routes will depend on current road and trail conditions.
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.