Colorado GMU 89 Pronghorn Hunting
Weld and Logan counties, northeast Colorado · 774 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 89 is like
Unit 89 spans 774 square miles across northeastern Colorado in Weld and Logan counties, characterized by gentle and rolling terrain at elevations from 3,900 to 5,100 feet. The unit's average slope is 2 degrees, with 98 percent of the area falling in the gentle category and no rugged ground present. The landscape is dominated by private land, which limits the public hunting footprint significantly.
Approximately 3.4 percent of the unit—roughly 26 square miles—is National Forest land that is generally open to public hunting. An additional 7.3 percent, about 56 square miles, is Colorado State Trust Land; hunting access on these parcels depends on whether they are enrolled in the CPW Public Access Program, and legal access cannot be assumed on most or all of this ground. The remaining 89 percent is private land. Public ownership alone does not determine where a hunter can actually hunt here; even on the small open acreage, roads, trailheads and other access mechanisms govern practical entry.
Winter Range covers 46 percent of the unit, with Winter Concentration occupying 5 percent of the total area. These concentration zones mark where pronghorn cluster during the winter months; the broader range coverage does not indicate uniform distribution. Overall Range extends across 90 percent of the unit, reflecting the full mapped extent of pronghorn range rather than year-round occupancy everywhere.
Unit 89 offers three pronghorn seasons. The Muzzleloader season runs September 21–29 and is open to either-sex harvest. The Rifle season spans October 3–11, also either-sex. A private-land-only season runs November 1–December 31. Draw difficulty is rated Hard, with the easiest unit-wide either-sex code requiring 3–5 preference points in the primary draw. Hunter pressure across the unit is Low overall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,900–5,100 ft, typically around 4,400 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2°
- Slope breakdown
- 98% gentle · 2% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~26 sq mi, plus ~56 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 89.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow75%
- Other cover26%
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 3% of GMU 89 is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest. A further 7% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- National Forest3%
- BLM<1%
- State Trust Land7%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private89%
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 89 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 Range90%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range46%used in winter
- Winter Concentration5%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 |
| 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.
GMU 89 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter legally hunt here?
Only about 3.4 percent—roughly 26 square miles of National Forest—is dependably open to public hunting. An additional 7.3 percent is State Trust Land where access is enrollment-dependent and cannot be assumed. The remaining 89 percent is private. Legal access, not terrain walkability, is the binding constraint for most of this unit.
Can someone with no preference points draw here?
The easiest unit-wide either-sex code requires 3–5 preference points reliably in the primary draw; applicants with fewer points sometimes draw anyway but cannot count on it. Colorado's Secondary Draw (a separate June lottery open to anyone without preference points) and the Leftover List (first-come, first-served) offer alternative routes after the primary draw closes.
Is this unit better suited to early or late season?
The Muzzleloader season (September 21–29) falls in the Primary Rut and early Late Rut phases, when pronghorn behavior is driven by breeding activity. The Rifle season (October 3–11) occurs in the Late Rut and early Fall Grouping phases, as pronghorn begin transitioning toward winter herding patterns. Both seasons occur during active movement; choice depends on hunting style and whether the hunter holds the required preference points for either hunt.
Where do pronghorn concentrate in this unit?
Winter Concentration covers 5 percent of the unit, marking areas where pronghorn cluster during winter months. Winter Range covers 46 percent overall. These layers identify zones of concentration rather than specific locations; hunters should focus effort on these mapped concentrations rather than assuming pronghorn are evenly distributed across the broader winter range.
What is the terrain like for hunting on foot?
Terrain is gentle and rolling throughout, with no rugged slopes; 98 percent of the unit is in the gentle category. Walking the ground itself is feasible, but access to the ground is the primary challenge—only 3.4 percent is open to public hunting, so physical terrain difficulty is secondary to finding legally accessible country.
Is archery pronghorn hunting available here?
The season list above shows only Muzzleloader, Rifle, and a private-land-only season; archery is not listed as a limited, drawn hunt code. Colorado sells over-the-counter archery pronghorn licenses in units left unlimited, but this data does not specify whether this unit's archery season is over-the-counter or limited—check CPW's current licensing details.
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.