The Colorado Hunting Guide

Last verified

GMUs, explained

A GMU — game management unit — is one of the numbered zones Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses to divide the entire state for hunting: every license, season, and harvest report is tracked by unit. Unit numbers run from single digits into the 900s, sometimes with suffixed variants (for example GMU 191, a subunit of 19), and CPW groups several neighboring GMUs into a larger Data Analysis Unit (DAU) for each big-game herd. CPW · Elk Statistics (DAU/GMU methodology)

What a GMU actually is

Every acre of huntable land in Colorado sits inside a GMU. CPW uses the unit boundaries to set season dates, cap the number of licenses, and report harvest — so your hunt code, your season, and your odds in the draw are all defined by which unit (or units) your hunt code covers. Some hunt codes cover a single GMU; others (especially over-the-counter codes) span several units at once.

How the numbers work

CPW's own harvest-reporting methodology explains the two layers of geography you'll run into:

"Each DAU represents a geographic area that a specific herd will utilize throughout the year and consists of one or more Game Management Units (GMU). GMUs are used to manage hunter distribution within each DAU by setting licenses for established hunts." CPW · 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

In practice: a GMU is the specific numbered unit printed on your license and hunt code. A DAU (Data Analysis Unit) is the larger herd area CPW groups several GMUs into for population and harvest estimates — you'll see DAU codes like E-6 or D-2 in CPW's harvest reports (see success rates), not on your license itself. Unit numbers themselves aren't zoned by difficulty or quality — a two-digit unit (GMU 20) isn't inherently better or harder to draw than a three-digit one (GMU 191); the number is just an identifier CPW assigned. Some units bordering Boulder and Larimer counties, for example, are numbered 7, 8, 9, 19, 191, and 20. CPW · Elk Statistics

Colorado's hunting regions

Northwest Southwest Central South & Southeast
Colorado's four hunting regions (schematic — a wayfinding figure, not a unit map).

That figure is a wayfinding sketch, not a unit map — it shows the four broad regions this guide and the outfitter directory organize around, not GMU boundaries. For the real boundaries, use CPW's own tool below.

Scout your unit: CPW's Hunting Atlas

Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes a free online scouting tool called the Colorado Hunting Atlas — CPW's name for it, not ours. It layers GMU boundaries, national forest and BLM land, State Wildlife Areas, and big-game concentration areas on top of topographic and aerial imagery, and lets you zoom to a specific unit or drop in coordinates. CPW · Hunting Atlas It's the right starting point before you commit points or money to a unit — open it, find your candidate GMU, and look at the public-land mix and access points before you decide. CPW · Where to Hunt

Everything in Units

Common questions

What does GMU mean in Colorado hunting?

GMU stands for game management unit — one of the numbered zones Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses to divide the state for setting seasons, capping licenses, and reporting harvest. Your hunt code and license are tied to a specific GMU or group of GMUs.

What's the difference between a GMU and a DAU?

A GMU (game management unit) is the specific numbered unit on your license. A DAU (Data Analysis Unit) is a larger herd area CPW groups several neighboring GMUs into for population and harvest reporting — DAU codes (like E-6 for elk or D-2 for deer) show up in CPW's harvest reports, not on your tag.

Where can I find an official Colorado GMU map?

Use CPW's own Colorado Hunting Atlas — it's free, shows current GMU boundaries over topo and aerial imagery, and layers in public land and big-game data. It's the authoritative source; treat any other unit map as a copy that can go stale.

Does a lower GMU number mean better hunting?

No. Unit numbers are identifiers, not a difficulty or quality ranking — CPW assigns them geographically, and neighboring units can be numbered very differently (GMUs 19 and 191 sit next to each other, for instance). See what actually makes a unit good for you.

Primary sources

Never miss a deadline

The Colorado draw application closes in early April, and season dates shift a little each year. Leave your email and we'll send one short reminder before the draw deadline and a note whenever the season dates change — nothing else.