Colorado GMU 56 Pronghorn Hunting
Chaffee County, central Colorado · 238 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 56 is like
GMU 56 is a 238-square-mile unit in the central Colorado high country, spanning elevations from 7,000 feet to 14,300 feet with typical terrain around 9,600 feet. The country is mixed, with substantial steep ground: 36 percent of the unit is gentle, 34 percent moderate, 26 percent steep, and 3 percent rugged. Pronghorn hunting here sits primarily in autumn, as the animals move through the unit's seasonal ranges in the months leading to winter.
Public hunting access covers roughly 67 percent of the unit (159 square miles), split among the U.S. Forest Service (61 percent of the unit), the Bureau of Land Management (6.2 percent), and State Wildlife Areas (0.4 percent). An additional 2.6 percent (about 6 square miles) is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only where CPW has enrolled it in the Public Access Program; access to those parcels is enrollment-dependent. The remaining 30 percent is private ground. National Forest and BLM acreage dominates the public holdings and forms the backbone of pronghorn habitat here.
Pronghorn seasonal ranges are mapped across 14 percent of the unit overall, with Winter Range covering 13 percent and a Winter Concentration zone marking 5 percent where animals cluster. The mapped range reflects the species' presence through the fall transition into winter. Hunters should expect pronghorn to concentrate in portions of the unit as conditions cool from September highs near 69 degrees Fahrenheit through October (highs near 57 degrees) and into November (highs near 45 degrees). October typically brings about 2 inches of snowfall at mid-elevation, and November about 5.5 inches.
Three seasons are offered here: Archery (August 15–September 20, doe or buck), Muzzleloader (September 21–September 29, doe or buck), and Rifle (October 3–October 11, doe or buck). The archery season falls in the pre-rut and primary rut phases; muzzleloader straddles the primary rut and late rut; rifle sits in the late rut and post-rut recovery period. Draw difficulty is moderate, requiring 1–2 preference points for the easiest adult resident hunt code. Hunter pressure across the unit is low.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,000–14,300 ft, typically around 9,600 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 17.2°
- Slope breakdown
- 36% gentle · 34% moderate · 26% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~159 sq mi, plus ~6 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 56.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush41%
- Conifer23%
- Other cover21%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Riparian4%
Mid elevations
- Conifer65%
- Sagebrush21%
- Aspen8%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Riparian1%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush36%
- Conifer32%
- Other cover18%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Riparian4%
- Aspen1%
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 67% of GMU 56 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest61%
- BLM6%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private30%
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 56 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 Range14%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range13%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 69°F, lows around 37°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 27°F, about 2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 45°F, lows around 17°F, about 5.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 56 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually access here?
Roughly 67 percent of the unit (about 159 square miles) is openly huntable on National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area land. An additional 2.6 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, accessible only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program; hunters should verify enrollment before planning on those tracts. The remaining 30 percent is private.
Can someone with no preference points draw here?
The easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code requires 1–2 preference points in the primary draw. Applicants with fewer points sometimes draw, and the secondary draw (held in June, open to anyone at random, no points used) and the leftover list (first-come, first-served after the primary draw closes) offer separate paths to a tag.
Which season is best for a first-time hunter to this unit?
Archery (August 15–September 20) opens when temperatures still run in the high 60s during the day and pronghorn are forming pre-rut territories, making behavior predictable. Rifle (October 3–October 11) falls later, after the primary rut, as animals transition into grouping for winter, and October weather brings cooling temperatures and up to 2 inches of snowfall at mid-elevation.
Is the terrain here steep enough to challenge hikers on foot?
The unit is mixed: 36 percent is gentle and 34 percent moderate, but 26 percent is steep and 3 percent rugged. A hunter on foot will encounter steep country on significant stretches, though options exist across the range of grades. The mean slope band is steep overall.
Where should I focus hunting effort as the season progresses?
Winter Concentration ground, which covers 5 percent of the unit, marks where pronghorn cluster. As temperatures drop from September (highs near 69 degrees) through November (highs near 45 degrees) and snowfall increases from zero in September to 5.5 inches in November, pronghorn shift toward winter ground; hunters should expect increasing animal density on lower-elevation portions of the mapped ranges as fall advances.
Is this a unit where the draw difficulty label tells the whole story?
The moderate label (1–2 points) describes only the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code available to adult Colorado residents. The unit holds at least one premium buck season requiring far more preference points, so nonresidents, hunters pursuing specific seasons, and applicants for other weapon types should verify their hunt code against current draw odds.
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.