Colorado GMU 68 Pronghorn Hunting
Saguache County, southwest Colorado · 603 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 68 is like
GMU 68 spans 603 square miles of rolling to moderately steep country in Saguache County at elevations from 7,600 to 13,900 feet, with typical terrain sitting near 9,600 feet. The unit is 49 percent gentle, 43 percent moderate slope and 8 percent steep, offering a mix of open country and rougher ground. Pronghorn hunting here is defined by the transition from summer territory into the fall rut and early post-rut phases, with seasons spanning August into October.
About 79 percent of the unit, roughly 477 square miles, is publicly open to hunting on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas land. Colorado State Trust Land accounts for approximately 8 percent (48 square miles) and is huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in its Public Access Program; access depends on checking current enrollment before planning to hunt it. Private land covers 12 percent of the unit.
Pronghorn range CPW maps covers 40 percent of the unit overall. Winter Range is mapped on 22 percent of the unit, with a Winter Concentration layer marking 4 percent where pronghorn cluster during that season. These mappings indicate where pronghorn are present at different times through the fall and winter, but the unit also offers ground across the broader seasonal range that serves transitional use. A hunter should expect pronghorn to be present across the mapped range, with denser concentrations in the marked winter cluster areas as the season advances and thermal demands drive grouping behavior.
Three buck seasons are offered: Archery August 15 to September 20 (falling in the Pre-Rut and Primary Rut phases), Muzzleloader September 21 to September 29 (Primary Rut and Late Rut phases), and one Rifle season October 3 to October 11 (Late Rut phase). September temperatures range from 37 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal snowfall, while October is colder (27 to 56 degrees) and slightly wetter, and the season temperatures cool steadily toward winter. Draw difficulty is very hard, requiring 6 to 9 preference points for the easiest unit-wide buck code in the primary draw; applicants with fewer points can still draw through the secondary draw or leftover system. Hunter pressure on the unit is low overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,600–13,900 ft, typically around 9,600 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 49% gentle · 43% moderate · 8% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~477 sq mi, plus ~48 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 68.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush64%
- Other cover13%
- Conifer10%
- Riparian9%
- Grass and meadow4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush46%
- Conifer44%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Aspen2%
- Riparian2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer55%
- Sagebrush18%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Aspen10%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian3%
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 68 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 8% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest63%
- BLM16%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land8%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private12%
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 68 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 Range40%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range22%used in winter
- Winter Concentration4%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 67°F, lows around 37°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 56°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.4 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 16°F, about 6.5 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 68 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much of this unit can a public-land hunter actually access?
About 79 percent of GMU 68 is generally open on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 8 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but it is huntable only where CPW has enrolled parcels in the Public Access Program, so a hunter must verify enrollment before planning to use that ground. Access to public land also depends on roads, trailheads and seasonal closures, which vary by management area.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
The easiest buck code available requires 6 to 9 points in the primary draw, making this a difficult unit for zero-point applicants to draw there. However, zero-point applicants can still hunt pronghorn here through the secondary draw (a separate June drawing open to anyone with no points required) or by pursuing leftover licenses after the primary draw closes. Both systems are independent of preference points.
Which season offers the best chance of success?
All three seasons (Archery, Muzzleloader, Rifle) fall within the Primary Rut or Late Rut phases when bucks are most responsive and concentrated. Archery (August 15 to September 20) catches the transition into the Primary Rut with less accumulated hunter pressure, while the Rifle season (October 3 to October 11) falls in the Late Rut phase after temperatures have dropped and snow may begin. The Muzzleloader season bridges both phases in late September.
Where should a hunter focus effort as the season progresses?
The Winter Concentration layer covers 4 percent of the unit where pronghorn cluster during the colder months, and this clustering behavior intensifies as fall advances into winter. As temperatures drop from September's highs near 67 degrees to October's near 55 degrees and beyond, pronghorn concentrate more heavily on these core areas. Early-season archery hunters may find animals more dispersed across the broader winter range, while later rifle seasons may see more concentrated use of the thermal cluster zones.
How steep is the terrain, and is it manageable on foot?
The unit is 49 percent gentle and 43 percent moderate slope, with only 8 percent steep terrain. This rolling to moderately steep country is manageable for hunters on foot, though the elevation range from 7,600 to 13,900 feet means terrain difficulty varies by location and approach. A hunter should expect to encounter mixed terrain from open rolling country to moderate slopes depending on where pronghorn are concentrated and how access points align.
What does the draw-difficulty label cover and what does it not?
The 'very hard' (6–9 points) label describes only the easiest unit-wide buck code for adult Colorado residents in the primary draw. The unit holds at least one premium buck season requiring substantially more points. Nonresident applicants, other weapons, and seasons outside the labeled code may require more or fewer points, so a hunter's actual draw odds depend on the specific code applied for.
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.