Colorado GMU 48 Pronghorn Hunting
Lake and Chaffee counties, central Colorado · 300 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 48 is like
GMU 48 spans 300 square miles of mixed terrain in Lake and Chaffee counties at elevations from 8,800 to 14,400 feet, with a typical mid-unit elevation around 11,100 feet. The country is mixed, with substantial steep ground: 31% of the unit is gentle, 38% moderate, and 32% steep or rugged by area. This pronghorn unit sits in high-elevation sagebrush and grassland broken by forested draws and ridges, presenting a landscape that demands foot travel across variable terrain.
Nearly 88% of the unit, roughly 263 square miles, is open to public hunting. The vast majority is National Forest land, with smaller acreages of BLM ground and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining share is private land at roughly 10%, with a small amount of unclassified ownership. The National Forest holdings that dominate this unit govern access via existing roads and trailheads; terrain and private inholdings remain relevant to hunting feasibility despite the high public-land percentage.
CPW maps pronghorn across 10% of the unit as Overall Range, indicating the full mapped extent of pronghorn presence. Migration Corridors cover 2% of the unit, showing movement routes but not year-round concentration zones. These mapping layers indicate pronghorn use the unit but do not establish where animals concentrate in any season or how their distribution shifts through the fall. Hunters planning to work this ground should expect to cover substantial country.
The unit offers three seasons: Archery from August 15 to September 20 for doe or buck, Muzzleloader from September 21 to September 29 for doe or buck, and one Rifle season from October 3 to October 11 for doe or buck. September archery unfolds during the pre-rut and into the primary rut, when animals are territorial and responsive. Muzzleloader sits in the primary rut and late rut phases, with September temperatures around 57°F highs and early October cooling to the mid-40s. The rifle season opens as animals move into post-rut recovery in early October, with temperatures in the mid-40s by then and snowfall climbing to 8 inches average by month's end. Draw difficulty is moderate, requiring 1–2 preference points on the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex code, though premium buck seasons on this unit demand substantially more.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 8,800–14,400 ft, typically around 11,100 ft
- Steepness
- Rugged — mean slope 18.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 31% gentle · 38% moderate · 28% steep · 4% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~263 sq mi, plus ~2 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 48.
Lower elevations
- Conifer47%
- Sagebrush14%
- Grass and meadow13%
- Riparian12%
- Other cover9%
- Aspen5%
Mid elevations
- Conifer59%
- Sagebrush29%
- Riparian5%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Aspen2%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush47%
- Other cover26%
- Grass and meadow25%
- 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 88% of GMU 48 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas.
- National Forest83%
- BLM4%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Unclassified ownership2%
- Private10%
“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 48 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 Range10%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Migration Corridors2%movement between ranges, not residence
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 57°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.9 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 46°F, lows around 23°F, about 8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 35°F, lows around 12°F, about 21.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 48 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can a hunter with zero points draw this unit?
Yes, on the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex code in the primary draw, applicants with zero preference points can sometimes draw despite the moderate difficulty band being 1–2 points. That band names the tier that drew reliably, not the only tier that drew. Other routes to a tag include Colorado's secondary draw in June, which is pure random and open to anyone regardless of points, and the leftover list afterward.
Is the archery season better for finding pronghorn, or is the later rifle hunt?
Archery splits between pre-rut and primary-rut phases when animals are territorial and vocal, favoring a hunter who can work close to singles and small groups. The rifle season opens during post-rut recovery when animals are grouping and moving, often across more open country. Success depends more on the hunter's terrain management and fitness than on which season they choose.
How much of this unit can a public-land hunter actually hunt?
About 88% of the unit is open to public hunting, mostly National Forest. However, access depends on road systems and trailhead development, both of which may limit where a hunter can realistically start. Private inholdings and seasonally closed roads can restrict where that public ground is actually reachable. Scouting specific access points is essential.
Will I be hiking in steep country all season?
The unit is mixed terrain: 31% is gentle and 38% is moderate, so roughly two-thirds of the ground is not steep. However, the steeper 32% is still substantial, and at elevations between 8,800 and 14,400 feet that steep ground will be physically demanding. A hunter should be prepared for variable terrain and elevation.
Do pronghorn stay in this unit through the fall, or do they move out?
CPW maps Migration Corridors across 2% of this unit, indicating movement routes. Overall Range covers 10% of the unit, showing the full extent of mapped pronghorn use. These layers do not reveal whether animals are present year-round or shift to lower ground; timing and extent of any movement vary with weather and snow, and a hunter should expect to find animals across the mapped ranges as conditions dictate.
What should I expect weather-wise during the rifle season?
October highs average around 46°F with lows near 23°F, and snowfall averages 8 inches for the month. By early November, highs drop to the mid-30s with 21 inches of average snowfall, so conditions can turn hostile quickly. A hunter should plan for cold, wet weather and possible snow accumulation as October progresses.
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.