Colorado GMU 85 Pronghorn Hunting
Huerfano and Las Animas counties, southeast Colorado · 1,175 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 85 is like
GMU 85 covers 1,175 square miles across Huerfano and Las Animas counties in the southeast region. The unit is rolling, with some steeper breaks: 54% of the terrain is gentle, 36% moderate and 10% steep. Elevation ranges from 6,000 feet to 13,600 feet, with typical elevations around 7,300 feet. Pronghorn use a mapped range covering 31% of the unit overall, with a Winter Range component covering 26%.
About 14% of the unit—roughly 163 square miles—is generally open to public hunting on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. Colorado State Trust Land comprises another 4%, though only parcels enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program are available to hunt. The remaining 82% is private land. Legal access is the primary constraint on where a hunter can pursue pronghorn, since much of the unit's terrain itself is walkable but most of it is closed to public entry.
Pronghorn in GMU 85 occupy a winter range that covers 26% of the unit, with winter concentration marking 4% of the unit where they cluster during cold months. The mapped pronghorn range indicates seasonal use across the unit but is most concentrated during the winter period. A hunter should expect pronghorn presence to be most reliable on the ground marked as Winter Range and Winter Concentration.
GMU 85 offers two pronghorn seasons. Muzzleloader season runs September 21–29 and is open to either-sex harvest. Rifle season runs October 3–11, also either-sex. The muzzleloader season falls during the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases. The rifle season falls during Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery. Hunter pressure on the unit is high. The draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt code is Moderate, requiring 1–2 preference points reliably in the primary draw.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,000–13,600 ft, typically around 7,300 ft
- Steepness
- Moderate — mean slope 11.5°
- Slope breakdown
- 54% gentle · 36% moderate · 10% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~163 sq mi, plus ~47 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 85.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush43%
- Conifer26%
- Grass and meadow26%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush41%
- Conifer38%
- Grass and meadow15%
- Aspen3%
- Riparian2%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer40%
- Sagebrush26%
- Grass and meadow17%
- Aspen13%
- 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 14% of GMU 85 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 4% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest9%
- BLM4%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private82%
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 85 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 Range31%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range26%used in winter
- Winter Concentration4%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
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.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 46°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 35°F, about 2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.1 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 85 pronghorn hunting FAQ
Can someone with no preference points draw a pronghorn tag here?
The easiest unit-wide either-sex hunt codes require 1–2 preference points reliably in the primary draw. However, applicants with fewer points sometimes draw anyway, and two alternative systems operate outside the primary draw: the secondary draw in June is pure random and open to anyone regardless of points, and the leftover list is first-come, first-served after the primary draw closes.
How much public ground can a hunter actually access and hunt?
About 14% of the unit—roughly 163 square miles—is generally open on National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. Another 4% is State Trust Land where hunting depends on CPW enrollment in the Public Access Program. The remaining 82% is private, so legal access rather than terrain walkability is the real limit on hunting range in this unit.
Is the terrain in GMU 85 actually manageable on foot?
Yes. The unit is rolling with some steeper breaks: 54% of the terrain is gentle and 36% moderate, making most of it walkable for a hunter in reasonable condition. The steep terrain comprises 10% of the unit. Terrain difficulty is not the constraint—legal access to public ground is.
When should a hunter expect to find pronghorn concentrated on the ground?
A Winter Concentration layer covers 4% of the unit, marking ground where pronghorn cluster, particularly relevant during the winter period. The broader Winter Range covers 26% of the unit. Outside these mapped ranges, pronghorn presence becomes less reliable.
How do the season dates and rut timing align?
Muzzleloader season (September 21–29) falls during the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery phases, when bucks are active and responsive. Rifle season (October 3–11) occurs during Late Rut / Post-Rut Recovery, as the rut winds down. Both seasons offer either-sex harvest.
What is the weather like during the pronghorn seasons?
September muzzleloader season has highs around 75°F and lows around 46°F with minimal snowfall. October rifle season cools to highs around 64°F and lows around 35°F with roughly 2 inches of snowfall typical for the month. Fall conditions grow steadily colder from September through November.
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.