Colorado GMU 67 Pronghorn Hunting
Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache counties, southwest Colorado · 674 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 67 is like
GMU 67 spans 674 square miles across Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache counties in Colorado's southwest region. The unit ranges from 7,500 feet to 14,000 feet elevation, with typical elevation near 9,500 feet. Terrain is rolling, with some steeper breaks: roughly 55% gentle slopes, 39% moderate grades, and 6% steep terrain. The country offers a mix of open plateaus, rolling sagebrush, and forested breaks.
Public land comprises roughly 82% of the unit—549 square miles—managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 18% is private land, which can complicate access in some areas. Specifically, BLM holds 42% of the unit, USFS holds 40%, and state wildlife areas account for 0.5%, with a small portion state trust land. Access to public ground depends on trailheads and roads in each drainage; ownership boundaries do not guarantee straightforward entry.
CPW's pronghorn mapping shows Overall Range covering 41% of the unit, indicating the general extent of pronghorn use across the landscape. Winter Range covers 14% and Winter Concentration covers 3%, showing that pronghorn are more concentrated on certain winter grounds. The seasonal ranges together indicate that pronghorn do not occupy the unit uniformly year-round but shift their distribution according to winter severity and resource availability. Fall conditions cool considerably, from September highs averaging 66°F to October highs around 55°F and November highs dropping to 42°F.
Three buck seasons are offered: Archery from August 15 through September 20, Muzzleloader from September 21 through September 29, and Rifle from October 3 through October 11. Archery falls during the pre-rut and primary-rut phases, when pronghorn are territorial and responsive. Muzzleloader runs through the primary rut and into the late-rut phase, when bucks remain active. Rifle occurs during the late-rut and post-rut recovery phase. All three are limited, drawn hunts. Hunter pressure is low, though draw difficulty is very hard, requiring 6–9 preference points for the easiest unit-wide buck code. This unit also holds premium buck seasons requiring substantially more points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,500–14,000 ft, typically around 9,500 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 10.7°
- Slope breakdown
- 55% gentle · 39% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~549 sq mi
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 67.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush85%
- Other cover7%
- Conifer5%
- Riparian4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush52%
- Conifer27%
- Aspen15%
- Riparian3%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer57%
- Sagebrush13%
- Aspen12%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Riparian4%
- Other cover2%
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 82% of GMU 67 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Areas.
- BLM42%
- National Forest40%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Private18%
Where pronghorn live in the unit
Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps pronghorn seasonal ranges statewide. This is how much of GMU 67 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 Range41%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range14%used in winter
- Winter Concentration3%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 66°F, lows around 36°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 26°F, about 1.6 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 16°F, about 7.8 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 67 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a hunter actually hunt here?
Roughly 82% of the unit, or 549 square miles, is open to public hunting on BLM, Forest Service and State Wildlife Area land. The remaining 18% is private. Access to public ground still depends on trailheads, roads and the layout of private inholdings in each drainage, so not every acre of open ground is equally reachable.
Is this unit realistic for an applicant with few or no preference points?
The easiest unit-wide buck hunt requires 6–9 preference points in the primary draw. Applicants with fewer points can sometimes draw, and the Secondary Draw (a separate June random draw open to everyone) and Leftover List (first-come, first-served) offer additional routes to a tag, but preference-point applicants should expect a moderate to long wait for the primary draw.
When is the best season to hunt here—early or late fall?
Archery in August and September takes place during the pre-rut and primary-rut phases when bucks are territorial and responsive to calls and decoys. Muzzleloader and Rifle run through the late rut and into post-rut recovery, when buck activity declines. Early archery typically offers the most consistent opportunity.
Does terrain make this unit manageable for a foot hunter?
Most of the unit is gentle to moderate slope—55% gentle and 39% moderate—so much of the ground is walkable without technical climbing. The 6% steep terrain exists in broken country but does not dominate. Hunters on foot can cover reasonable distances across typical terrain.
Are pronghorn distributed evenly across the unit, or do they concentrate in specific areas?
Winter Concentration mapping shows pronghorn cluster on 3% of the unit during winter. While Overall Range covers 41% of the unit, this does not mean pronghorn are uniformly spread—they concentrate on certain winter grounds as conditions drive them there. Early and mid-season hunters may find pronghorn more dispersed across the broader seasonal range.
What happens to weather through the hunting season?
The unit cools substantially from archery through rifle season. September highs average 66°F and October highs drop to 55°F; by November highs fall to 42°F. October can bring light snow (1.6 inches average), and November snowfall averages 7.8 inches, which can shift pronghorn distribution toward lower winter grounds.
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.