Colorado GMU 88 Pronghorn Hunting
Weld County, northeast Colorado · 686 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 88 is like
GMU 88 is a 686-square-mile pronghorn unit in Weld County in the northeastern region of Colorado. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with elevations ranging from 4,400 feet to 5,600 feet and a typical elevation around 5,000 feet. Nearly all of the unit is classified as gentle or rolling terrain, making it physically walkable for hunters on foot. The landscape across this entire elevation range supports pronghorn habitat throughout the mapped range.
Public hunting access is limited. National Forest land covers approximately 16 percent of the unit (roughly 108 square miles) and is open to public hunting. Colorado State Trust Land comprises about 5.6 percent (roughly 39 square miles), but access depends on CPW's Public Access Program enrollment and hunters must verify which parcels are enrolled before hunting. Private land covers the remaining 79 percent of the unit. The concentrated public ground, combined with extensive private ownership, makes legal access the primary constraint on where hunters can pursue pronghorn here, regardless of terrain walkability.
Pronghorn occupy much of the unit's mapped range, which covers the entire area seasonally. Winter Range encompasses 54 percent of the unit, and within that winter range, pronghorn cluster on approximately 25 percent of the unit's total area during the winter period. As pronghorn move through the fall into winter, hunters should expect animals to concentrate on winter ground, though the full extent of movement varies with snow and weather conditions.
The unit offers five seasons for pronghorn, four of which are available to public applicants. Archery runs August 15 through September 20 for either sex or doe only, falling during the pre-rut and primary rut phases. Muzzleloader season runs September 21 through September 29, spanning the primary rut and late rut phases. Rifle season runs October 3 through October 11 during the late rut and post-rut recovery phase, followed by a second rifle season October 17 through October 25 during the fall grouping and winter transition phase. A private-land-only season runs October 3 through December 31. The unit draws as Easy — often requiring zero preference points for the easiest qualifying buck or either-sex hunt code among public-land opportunities. Hunter pressure is low overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–5,600 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2.3°
- Slope breakdown
- 98% gentle · 2% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~108 sq mi, plus ~39 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 88.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow89%
- Other cover11%
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 16% of GMU 88 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 6% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest16%
- State Trust Land6%
- Private79%
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 88 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 Range100%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range54%used in winter
- Winter Concentration25%where pronghorn bunch up in winter
Pronghorn seasons & weapons (2026)
| Season | Dates | Tags offered |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 20 | Doe, Buck |
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – September 29 | Doe, Buck |
| 2nd Rifle | October 17 – October 25 | Buck |
| Rifle | October 3 – October 11 | Doe, Buck |
| Private-land only | October 3 – 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.
GMU 88 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much public ground can a hunter actually hunt in this unit?
Approximately 16 percent of the unit (roughly 108 square miles) is National Forest and open to public hunting. An additional 5.6 percent is State Trust Land, but hunting there requires CPW's Public Access Program enrollment, which varies by parcel. Legal access, rather than terrain walkability, is the limiting factor for public-land hunters in this 79-percent-private unit.
When does archery season fall relative to the rut?
Archery runs August 15 through September 20 and spans both the pre-rut phase (when pronghorn are forming territories) and the primary rut phase (September 6–25). Hunters pursuing archery will encounter pronghorn during both territory formation and active breeding.
Can a hunter with zero preference points draw a public-land hunt here?
Yes. The easiest qualifying unit-wide buck or either-sex hunt code draws reliably at zero preference points through the primary draw. Other seasons, nonresident applicants, and premium-season codes can require substantially more points, but the unit's overall draw difficulty remains Easy.
How do pronghorn distribution shift from early fall into winter?
As fall progresses into the winter transition period, pronghorn concentrate on winter ground, which covers 25 percent of the unit where they cluster most heavily. The full extent and timing of this movement varies with snow and weather conditions. Winter Range itself encompasses 54 percent of the unit, providing space for this seasonal shift.
Is this unit realistic for a hunter who primarily walks public ground?
The terrain is walkable throughout, but only about 16 percent of the unit is dependably open to public hunting, making this a challenging unit for foot-based public-land hunters. Verification of State Trust Land enrollment and careful route planning are essential before attempting to hunt here.
What is the difference between the two rifle seasons in October?
Rifle season runs October 3–11 during the late rut and post-rut recovery phase, when pronghorn are still in active breeding or just past it. The 2nd Rifle season runs October 17–25, falling in the fall grouping and winter transition phase when animals are beginning to shift toward winter range and group up.
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.