Ridgeline Raven
Colorado

All states › Colorado

Colorado GMU Finder

Answer six questions and get Colorado game management units ranked by habitat fit, 2026 season dates, public land, OTC elk units and CPW harvest history.

How the Colorado finder works

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages big game by game management unit (GMU), with bighorn sheep and mountain goats in their own S and G units. This tool scores every GMU for the species you pick using CPW harvest estimates for 2021–2023 (harvest, hunters and recreation days per unit), USGS land-cover and elevation data, and the share of public land plus CPW Walk-In Access properties.

Season fit uses CPW's 2026 dates: archery Sept. 2–30, muzzleloader Sept. 12–20, the four mountain rifle seasons and the plains rifle seasons east of I-25. Elk results say whether over-the-counter archery, 2nd and 3rd season bull, or plains either-sex licenses are valid in the unit for 2026.

Species covered

  • Mule deer
  • White-tailed deer
  • Elk
  • Pronghorn antelope
  • Moose
  • Bighorn sheep
  • Mountain goat
  • Black bear
  • Mountain lion
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Sharp-tailed grouse
  • Sage grouse
  • Chukar
  • Forest grouse
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • Sandhill crane

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Colorado hunting FAQ

Which Colorado units have over-the-counter elk licenses?

In 2026, OTC bull licenses for the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons and resident either-sex archery licenses cover most of western Colorado; plains units east of I-25 have OTC either-sex rifle licenses. Each elk result lists the OTC licenses valid in that GMU.

Are mule deer and whitetails ranked separately in Colorado?

Yes, but CPW reports deer harvest for both species together. Whitetails are ranked on harvest from whitetail-only licenses, and mule deer on each GMU's remaining deer harvest.

Can I hunt bears in the spring in Colorado?

No. Spring bear hunting, baiting and hunting bears with dogs were banned by Colorado voters in 1992. Bear seasons run Sept. 2–Nov. 22, mostly alongside deer and elk seasons.

Does the tool include 2024 and 2025 harvest?

Not yet. CPW posts its 2024 and 2025 harvest reports through an online viewer the build cannot download, so Colorado rankings use 2021–2023.

Colorado harvest leaders

The game management units with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

Mule deer (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 3: 1,270 per year, 65% success
  2. GMU 4: 811 per year, 61% success
  3. GMU 20: 798 per year, 43% success
  4. GMU 70: 757 per year, 66% success
  5. GMU 301: 648 per year, 60% success

White-tailed deer (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 109: 41 per year, 21% success
  2. GMU 127: 39 per year, 34% success
  3. GMU 129: 36 per year, 48% success
  4. GMU 107: 35 per year, 25% success
  5. GMU 116: 34 per year, 32% success

Elk (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 12: 1,161 per year, 22% success
  2. GMU 11: 1,023 per year, 23% success
  3. GMU 4: 1,022 per year, 26% success
  4. GMU 70: 857 per year, 27% success
  5. GMU 62: 764 per year, 16% success

Pronghorn antelope (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 105: 663 per year, 67% success
  2. GMU 87: 553 per year, 66% success
  3. GMU 3: 490 per year, 74% success
  4. GMU 110: 344 per year, 39% success
  5. GMU 111: 322 per year, 56% success

Moose (2023)

  1. GMU 6: 31 per year, 69% success
  2. GMU 161: 30 per year, 77% success
  3. GMU 28: 29 per year, 88% success
  4. GMU 16: 28 per year, 76% success
  5. GMU 18: 27 per year, 93% success

Bighorn sheep (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU S69 Cochetopa: 17 per year, 87% success
  2. GMU S33 Lake Fork/Pole Mountain: 12 per year, 70% success
  3. GMU S32 Georgetown: 11 per year, 39% success
  4. GMU S61 Purgatory Canyon: 11 per year, 100% success
  5. GMU S09 Sangre De Cristo: 9 per year, 45% success

Mountain goat (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU G12 Maroon Bells: 40 per year, 63% success
  2. GMU G03 Mount Harvard: 32 per year, 84% success
  3. GMU G10 Tenmile: 22 per year, 88% success
  4. GMU G06 Gore Range: 16 per year, 86% success
  5. GMU G16 Mt. Guyot: 14 per year, 94% success

Black bear (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 85: 70 per year
  2. GMU 78: 63 per year
  3. GMU 521: 52 per year
  4. GMU 53: 52 per year
  5. GMU 62: 47 per year

Mountain lion (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU 851: 15 per year
  2. GMU 4: 14 per year
  3. GMU 12: 14 per year
  4. GMU 21: 14 per year
  5. GMU 85: 14 per year

Wild turkey (2021–2023 average)

  1. GMU Archuleta Archuleta County: 329 per year, 30% success
  2. GMU Mesa Mesa County: 297 per year, 25% success
  3. GMU Larimer Larimer County: 277 per year, 19% success
  4. GMU Weld Weld County: 257 per year, 28% success
  5. GMU Garfield Garfield County: 253 per year, 21% success

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Weld County: 21,031 per year
  2. Morgan County: 11,938 per year
  3. Logan County: 9,680 per year
  4. Rio Grande County: 6,836 per year
  5. Mesa County: 5,220 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Weld County: 24,551 per year
  2. Morgan County: 17,844 per year
  3. Logan County: 8,424 per year
  4. Boulder County: 8,357 per year
  5. Larimer County: 7,562 per year