Colorado GMU 861 Pronghorn Hunting
Huerfano County, southeast Colorado · 207 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 861 is like
Game Management Unit 861 occupies the southeastern region of Colorado in Huerfano County and spans 207 square miles across rolling to moderately steep terrain. The unit ranges from 7,300 feet at its low end to 14,300 feet at its high, with typical elevation around 8,900 feet. Slopes break down as 46 percent gentle, 39 percent moderate, 14 percent steep, and 1 percent rugged by area, creating a landscape where foot traffic is manageable across most of the unit but with significant terrain variation from drainage bottoms to ridgelines.
Public hunting ground makes up approximately 36 percent of the unit, or 74 square miles, and consists of National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area holdings. Approximately 2.5 percent of the unit—5 square miles—is Colorado State Trust Land, where hunting access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment. The remaining 62 percent is private land, which substantially limits where a public-land hunter can operate. Public ownership by specific agency includes 23 percent USFS, 12 percent BLM, and less than 1 percent State Wildlife Area.
Pronghorn range mapping shows an overall range footprint of 32 percent of the unit. Winter Range covers 20 percent, with 8 percent designated as Winter Concentration where pronghorn cluster on concentrated grounds. Migration Corridors account for 1 percent of the unit. This mapping indicates pronghorn presence concentrates toward winter months but does not establish year-round residence across the full unit range. The terrain and seasonal-range distribution suggest pronghorn use shifts through the fall as temperatures drop and animals transition toward winter behavior.
The unit offers three pronghorn seasons to hunters. Muzzleloader hunting runs September 21 through September 29 on a doe or buck basis, falling in the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases when pronghorn behavior is driven by breeding activity. Rifle season spans October 3 through October 11, also doe or buck, occurring as the rut winds down into the Late Rut and early Fall Grouping phase. A private-land-only season runs November 1 through December 31 on a doe basis, occurring during Fall Grouping and Winter Transition when pronghorn movement shifts toward winter range. September weather brings highs around 67 degrees and negligible snowfall, while October cools to the mid-50s with an average of 3.2 inches of snow, and November drops to the mid-40s with 5.7 inches of snow on average. Draw difficulty for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code runs at 1–2 preference points for adult Colorado residents. Overall hunter pressure is high, and the unit draws interest from public-land applicants at moderate draw difficulty.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 7,300–14,300 ft, typically around 8,900 ft
- Steepness
- Steep — mean slope 13.6°
- Slope breakdown
- 46% gentle · 39% moderate · 14% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~74 sq mi, plus ~5 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 861.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush44%
- Conifer31%
- Grass and meadow14%
- Riparian6%
- Other cover5%
Mid elevations
- Conifer44%
- Grass and meadow26%
- Sagebrush24%
- Aspen5%
- Riparian1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer48%
- Sagebrush19%
- Aspen18%
- Grass and meadow12%
- 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 36% of GMU 861 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. A further 2% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest23%
- BLM12%
- State Wildlife Area<1%
- State Trust Land2%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private62%
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 861 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 Range32%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range20%used in winter
- Winter Concentration8%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
- Migration Corridors<1%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 |
| Private-land only | November 1 – December 31 | Doe |
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 40°F (mid-elevation normals)
- October — highs around 56°F, lows around 31°F, about 3.2 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
- November — highs around 45°F, lows around 21°F, about 5.7 in of snow (mid-elevation normals)
GMU 861 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually count on in this unit?
Approximately 36 percent of the unit—74 square miles—is generally open to public hunting and consists of National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Area. An additional 2.5 percent is Colorado State Trust Land, but access there depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment on individual parcels. The remaining 62 percent is private, so a public-land hunter's options are limited to the 74 square miles of open ground and any enrolled State Trust parcels.
What does the draw difficulty rating mean for someone with no preference points?
The 1–2 point band describes the lowest preference-point tier that drew reliably in the primary draw for the easiest unit-wide buck or either-sex code. Applicants with zero points sometimes draw the easier hunts anyway, particularly through the secondary draw in June or the leftover list after the primary draw closes. However, zero-point applicants cannot rely on drawing the easiest tags in the primary draw itself.
When during the fall do pronghorn concentrate most heavily on winter ground?
Winter Concentration covers 8 percent of the unit, indicating specific grounds where pronghorn gather as they transition into winter range. This concentration layer reflects ground where animals cluster during the Late Rut, Fall Grouping, and Winter Transition phases—primarily from late September through December. Earlier seasons in September and early October hunt pronghorn while they are still in or near their broader winter range, before full winter clustering takes place.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter focused on public land?
At 36 percent public land amid 62 percent private ownership and rolling to moderately steep terrain, the unit is huntable on public ground but requires advance planning to identify accessible routes. The private-land dominance means significant ground is off-limits, and a hunter's actual options depend on trailhead access, road conditions, and seasonal closures on the public acres available. Scouting before the season and understanding public-land entry points is essential.
How much does temperature drop through the hunting seasons?
September highs average 67 degrees, October highs drop to the mid-50s, and November highs fall to the mid-40s at mid-elevation. October and November also bring increasing snowfall—averaging 3.2 and 5.7 inches respectively—making later seasons colder and potentially more demanding for foot travel and pronghorn movement toward lower-elevation winter ground.
What rut phase does each season hunt?
Muzzleloader season from September 21–29 falls in the Primary Rut and early Late Rut, when pronghorn are actively breeding and bucks are at peak responsiveness. Rifle season October 3–11 hunts the Late Rut and early Fall Grouping phase as rut intensity declines and animals begin clustering for winter. The private-land season in November enters the Fall Grouping and Winter Transition phase, hunting animals in winter movement and social aggregation rather than rut behavior.
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.