Colorado GMU 90 Pronghorn Hunting
Logan and Sedgwick counties, northeast Colorado · 374 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 90 is like
Unit 90 spans 374 square miles across Logan and Sedgwick counties in the northeastern corner of Colorado. The unit is characterized by gentle and rolling terrain, with elevations ranging from 3,400 feet to 4,500 feet and a mean slope of 2 degrees. The landscape offers straightforward walking country for hunters willing to cover ground.
Only about 1.6 percent of the unit, roughly 6 square miles, is designated State Wildlife Area and open to public hunting. An additional 5.2 percent, or about 19 square miles, consists of Colorado State Trust Land where access depends on enrollment in CPW's Public Access Program — not all parcels may be huntable. The remaining 93 percent is private land. For hunters planning to pursue pronghorn here, access to legally huntable ground is the primary constraint.
Pronghorn range across 51 percent of the unit as mapped by CPW. Winter Range covers 19 percent of the unit, with 3 percent marked as Winter Concentration areas where pronghorn cluster during the colder months. Pronghorn are present during the primary rut from early September through late September and into early October as the rut winds down. The seasonal mapping shows concentration patterns rather than year-round occupancy.
The unit offers two seasons for public applicants: a Muzzleloader season from September 21 to September 29 taking either-sex pronghorn, and a Rifle season from October 3 to October 11 also taking either-sex animals. The Muzzleloader season falls during the primary rut and its tail end, while the Rifle season begins in the late rut phase. Draw difficulty for the most accessible buck or either-sex code runs between 3 and 5 preference points. Hunter pressure is low overall, though the scarcity of public access means the ground that is huntable may see concentrated use. The secondary draw and leftover list remain open to all applicants regardless of preference points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,400–4,500 ft, typically around 3,900 ft
- Steepness
- Gentle — mean slope 2°
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~6 sq mi, plus ~19 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 90.
Across the unit
- Grass and meadow54%
- Other cover43%
- Riparian3%
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 2% of GMU 90 is public land a hunter can count on — State Wildlife Areas. A further 5% is State Trust Land, which is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it.
- State Wildlife Area2%
- State Trust Land5%
- Private93%
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 90 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 Range51%the full extent of range CPW maps for pronghorn — near 100% on most units, and not a statement about when pronghorn are present
- Winter Range19%used in winter
- Winter Concentration3%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.
GMU 90 pronghorn hunting FAQ
How much ground can a public-land hunter actually access here?
Only about 1.6 percent of Unit 90 is State Wildlife Area open to public hunting—roughly 6 square miles out of 374. An additional 5.2 percent is State Trust Land where access depends on CPW enrollment status, but not all parcels are necessarily open. The remaining 93 percent is private. Legal access, not terrain difficulty, is the limiting factor here.
Can someone with no preference points draw a pronghorn tag here?
The primary draw for the easiest buck or either-sex code here requires 3 to 5 preference points as a baseline—applicants with fewer points sometimes still draw those hunts, but cannot rely on it. Applicants with zero points can also enter Colorado's secondary draw (held in June, random, no points used) or check the leftover list after the primary draw closes.
Which season falls during the rut, and when should a hunter be there?
Both seasons overlap the rut. The Muzzleloader season runs September 21–29 and covers the primary rut and its early tail end. The Rifle season runs October 3–11, falling entirely in the late rut and post-rut recovery phase. Pronghorn behavior shifts as the rut winds down, so timing within either window matters.
Where should a hunter focus to find pronghorn in this unit?
Pronghorn range across 51 percent of the unit overall. During the seasons offered (September and October), Winter Concentration areas—about 3 percent of the unit—mark places where pronghorn cluster. The remaining range outside these concentration zones holds pronghorn but in lower density.
Is the terrain walkable for a hunter on foot?
Yes. The unit is 99 percent gentle or gently rolling in grade, with a mean slope of 2 degrees. Walking the country itself is straightforward. However, public-land access is limited to 1.6 percent of the unit, so the terrain's ease does not solve the access challenge.
Is this a realistic draw for someone applying for the first time?
The draw difficulty of 3–5 points makes this harder than an easy-draw unit but not extreme. First-time applicants accumulate 1 preference point if they do not draw, so reaching the preferred band takes several years of consistent application. The secondary draw and leftover options remain available without any points.
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.