The message the Forest Service wants people to remember for Avalanche Creek this winter is simple. Respect the area’s bighorn sheep.
Since 1993, the White River National Forest in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife has enacted winter closures at Avalanche Creek to protect bighorn sheep. Located nine miles south of Carbondale in […]

GMU 6, 16, 17, 161, 171
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Steamboat Springs DOW, (970) 870-2197
Note: CWD has been detected in these units
North Park borders Wyoming and lies between the Continental Divide and the Medicine Bow Mountains. The valley floor at 7,880’ supports agricultural lands and sagebrush. Extensive willow stands line the streams — a […]

GMU 41, 42, 421
Note: CWD has been detected in GMU 421. Moose in area; be sure of target. Moose in area; be sure of target.
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Grand Junction DOW, (970) 255-6100
The Grand Mesa has a wide variety of terrain ranging from high elevation (11,000’) spruce/fir forests to low elevation (4,800’) pinyon-juniper […]

GMU 40
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Grand Junction DOW, (970) 255-6100
Note: No hunting allowed in Colorado National Monument
This 750 square mile unit consists of a relatively flat summit leading to sloping mesas bisected by deep, rugged canyons. The highest elevation range is approximately 9,800’. Roads provide access to the mesas, but many of the canyons […]

GMU 18, 27, 28, 37, 181, 371
Note: CWD has been detected in these units. Rocky Mountain National Park is closed to all hunting. Moose in this area; be sure of your target.
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Hot Sulphur Springs DOW, (970) 725-6200
The Continental Divide and the Gore Range Divide encircle Middle Park. Most of this […]

GMU 35, 36, 44, 45
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Glenwood Springs DOW, (970) 947-2920
Note: CWD has been detected in GMU 36
The Eagle River Valley units are bordered by the Colorado River, the Gore Range, the Red Table Mountains and the Continental Divide. Elevation climbs from 6,000’ with sagebrush and pinyon to over 14,000’ with […]

GMU 12, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 231
LOCAL DOW OFFICES: Glenwood Springs DOW (GMU 25 & 34) (970) 947-2920; Meeker DOW (GMU 12, 23, 24, 26, 231)(970) 878-6090; Grand Junction DOW (GMU 33) (970) 255-6100
Note: CWD has been detected in these units
White River offers variety and extremes. Several peaks in the […]

GMU 21, 22, 30, 31, 32
LOCAL DOW OFFICES: Meeker DOW (GMU 21, 22), (970) 878-6090; Grand Junction DOW (GMU 30, 31, 32), (970) 255-6100
Note: CWD has been detected in these areas
Intense energy development is occurring in these units. Pinyon-juniper woodlands with pockets of sagebrush areas cover most of this area. The terrain […]

GMU 43, 47, 444, 471
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Glenwood Springs DOW, (970) 947-2920
This area encompasses the Roaring Fork, Frying Pan and Crystal River drainages. The lower elevations (6,500’) are primarily developed or agricultural. Timberline is around 11,500’ and there are 14,000’ peaks in the Wilderness Areas. Be prepared for daytime highs of 75F dropping […]

GMU 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 131, 214, 441
LOCAL DOW OFFICES: Meeker DOW (GMU 4 & 5), (970) 878-6090; Steamboat DOW (others), (970) 870-2197
Note: CWD has been detected in these units.
From a low of 6,300’, the elevation soars to 12,000’ along the Continental Divide.

The Routt National Forest dominates the eastern two-thirds of the […]

GMU 3, 11, 211, 301
Note: CWD has been detected in these units
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Meeker DOW, (970) 878-6090
The Lower Yampa units lie south of Wyoming, bordered by the White River and the Little Snake River. The lower elevations of 6,000’ consist of sage and sage steepe. Pinyon and juniper cover the upper […]

GMU 1, 2, 10, 201
LOCAL DOW OFFICE: Meeker DOW, (970) 878-6090
Note: Dinosaur National Park is closed to all hunting. CWD has been detected in GMU 10.
In this area, 9,700’ Diamond Mountain is the highest point, dropping to 5,100’ elevation at the White River. Sage and sage-grassland dominate, with the typical vegetation groups as […]

Tips on sleeper units
By Holger Jensen
Elk hunting in Colorado is a complicated business. There are multiple seasons, some too short for a really serious trophy hunt; multiple game management units, some with ill-defined borders that cannot be crossed with a unit-specific draw license, and multiple hunt codes, up to a dozen or more for some […]