Colorado GMU 7 Pronghorn Hunting
Larimer County, northwest Colorado · 243 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 7 is like
GMU 7 spans 243 square miles across rolling terrain with some steeper breaks, rising from 7,700 feet to 13,000 feet with a typical elevation around 9,300 feet. The land is 52 percent gentle, 41 percent moderate slope, and 7 percent steep, with rugged terrain making up the remaining 1 percent. Pronghorn in this unit occupy a mapped overall range covering 19 percent of the unit. The country supports both pronghorn archery over the counter and limited-draw seasons for hunters willing to compete for tags.
The unit is approximately 85 percent generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas totaling roughly 207 square miles. An additional 1.3 percent, about 3 square miles, consists of Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment; hunters cannot assume these parcels are available. The remaining 13 percent is privately owned. Public land is distributed across the unit, with the U.S. Forest Service holding the dominant share.
Early-season muzzleloader hunting occurs from September 21 to September 29, when September temperatures average highs near 62°F and lows near 34°F with minimal snow. The rifle season runs October 3 to October 11, coinciding with cooling trend into October, where highs average around 49°F and lows around 25°F, with monthly snowfall near 7 inches. Both seasons offer doe or buck hunting and coincide with the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases of the pronghorn year. A private-land-only season runs the same October dates. The unit is open to over-the-counter archery licenses in addition to these limited-draw seasons.
Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code is Hard, requiring 3 to 5 preference points reliably in the primary draw. This unit faces extreme overall hunter pressure, making tags competitive even in the most accessible seasons.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,700–13,000 ft, typically around 9,300 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 52% gentle · 41% moderate · 7% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~207 sq mi, plus ~3 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 7.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush44%
- Conifer29%
- Riparian12%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Aspen4%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Conifer84%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Sagebrush5%
- Riparian3%
- Aspen1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer61%
- Grass and meadow17%
- Sagebrush14%
- Other cover7%
- 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 85% of GMU 7 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 1% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest78%
- BLM7%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land1%
- Private13%
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 7 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 Range19%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | Doe, Buck |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | 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 62°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 49°F, lows around 25°F, about 7.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 37°F, lows around 17°F, about 15.3 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 7 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can a nonresident or first-time applicant with no preference points draw here?
An applicant with zero points can draw through Colorado's secondary draw (a separate June draw open to anyone, requiring no preference points) or by checking the leftover list after the primary draw closes. These are separate systems from the primary draw. The primary draw itself requires 3 to 5 points reliably for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code, though applicants below that band sometimes draw as well.
How much of this unit is publicly huntable for someone without private-land permission?
About 85 percent of the unit—roughly 207 square miles—is generally open to public hunting through National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Areas. An additional 1.3 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access there depends on whether individual parcels are enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, which is not guaranteed.
Is this unit realistic for someone with three preference points?
Three preference points places an applicant at the lower threshold of the Hard draw band for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code. Applicants at that tier have drawn reliably in the primary draw, though tags remain competitive. Other seasons and weapons may require substantially more points.
What is the difference between the muzzleloader and rifle seasons here?
The muzzleloader season runs September 21-29, when temperatures remain relatively mild with September highs near 62°F. The rifle season is October 3-11, when conditions cool considerably with October highs around 49°F and monthly snowfall near 7 inches. Both allow doe or buck hunting, and both fall partly in the Primary Rut phase.
Does this unit see pronghorn concentrate in the fall as the season progresses?
Overall Range covers 19 percent of the unit, showing where pronghorn are mapped, but CPW has not drawn Winter Range, Winter Concentration, or Migration Corridor layers for this unit. Without those layers, the data does not show whether pronghorn concentrate or shift as conditions cool—only that the mapped range stays consistent through the fall.
Is access to public land in this unit straightforward?
The unit is approximately 85 percent publicly owned, but public ownership does not guarantee straightforward access. Roads, trailheads, private inholdings, and seasonal closures all affect how much ground a hunter can actually reach. Checking the specific approach and entry points before applying is essential.
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.