Colorado GMU 691 Pronghorn Hunting
Custer and Fremont counties, southeast Colorado · 253 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 691 is like
Unit 691 spans 253 square miles across the high desert of south-central Colorado, straddling Custer and Fremont counties. Elevations range from 5,400 feet to 8,700 feet, with typical ground at 7,500 feet. The terrain is rolling to moderately steep, made up of 41% gentle slopes, 38% moderate slopes, 19% steep slopes, and 2% rugged terrain by area. The landscape supports sagebrush, grassland, and scattered shrub cover typical of the region's intermountain valleys and ridges.
Public hunting ground covers roughly 43% of the unit, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Wildlife Areas, and the U.S. Forest Service. An additional 3.3% is Colorado State Trust Land, huntable only on parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program. The remaining 54% is private land. The public ownership is interspersed with private holdings, which affects access and ground available to walk.
Winter Concentration ground—where pronghorn cluster in the colder months—covers 20% of the unit. Overall Range, which represents the full extent of mapped pronghorn habitat, covers 28% of the unit. Migration Corridors account for 3% of the unit's area. This distribution suggests pronghorn are present at varying densities across seasonal ranges rather than spread uniformly throughout the unit.
The unit offers two seasons: Muzzleloader September 21–29 (Doe/Buck) and Rifle October 3–11 (Doe/Buck). The muzzleloader season spans the Primary Rut and Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery phases, while the rifle season falls entirely within Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery. Overall hunter pressure is low. The draw rates as Moderate, meaning an applicant with 1–2 preference points can reliably draw the easiest unit-wide either-sex or buck hunt code in the primary draw, though applicants with fewer points sometimes draw as well.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,400–8,700 ft, typically around 7,500 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 15.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 41% gentle · 38% moderate · 19% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~108 sq mi, plus ~8 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 691.
Across the unit
- Conifer56%
- Sagebrush32%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Other cover4%
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 43% of GMU 691 is public land a hunter can count on — BLM, State Wildlife Areas and National Forest. A further 3% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- BLM42%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- National Forest<1%
- State Trust Land3%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private54%
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 691 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 Range28%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range27%used in winter
- Winter Concentration20%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors3%movement between ranges, not residence
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
GMU 691 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a pronghorn hunter actually access here?
About 43% of the unit—roughly 108 square miles—is generally open to public hunting on BLM, State Wildlife Area, and Forest Service ground. Another 3.3% is State Trust Land, but access there depends on whether specific parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, which is not known from this data. The remaining 54% is private. Roads, trailheads, and private inholdings will further restrict practical access on the open ground.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter with no preference points?
Yes, for the easier codes. An applicant with zero points sometimes draws the most accessible buck or either-sex hunts in the primary draw, even though the reliable draw band sits at 1–2 points. The secondary draw (a separate June lottery open to all applicants regardless of points) and the leftover list (available first-come, first-served after the primary draw) also provide paths to a tag without preference points.
Which season is better for a hunter focused on the rut?
The muzzleloader season (September 21–29) spans both the Primary Rut and the transition into Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery, making it the heart of the rut window. The rifle season (October 3–11) occurs entirely in Late Rut/Post-Rut Recovery, after the primary rut has peaked.
Does the Winter Concentration layer mean pronghorn are clustered in one place?
Winter Concentration covers 20% of the unit and marks ground where pronghorn cluster during the winter period. However, the mapping shows only the share of the unit where this concentrated use occurs—it does not indicate where that ground lies within the unit or how tightly pronghorn aggregate there.
Is this terrain manageable for a foot hunter?
Much of it is. Gentle and moderate slopes make up 79% of the unit by area. Steep and rugged terrain comprises the remaining 21%, distributed throughout. The actual route and difficulty will depend on trailhead access, private inholdings, and the specific ground a hunter reaches.
What does the low hunter pressure mean for conditions on the ground?
Low hunter pressure indicates few pronghorn hunters pursue this unit relative to others, but that does not guarantee solitude or untouched country—it only describes the overall draw demand. Real conditions depend on access, time of season, and where other hunters happen to be hiking.
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.