Cheyenne County Hunting

Game management units in Cheyenne County

7 big game GMUs reach into Cheyenne County; the largest share belongs to GMU 122, which covers about 32% of the county. All of the units continue beyond Cheyenne County into other counties. Because units follow physical features rather than survey lines, check the brochure boundary text and the CPW map when hunting close to an edge. They are plains GMUs, so elk licenses follow the plains rules and most ground is private farm and ranch land.

No GMU in Cheyenne County carries the elk antler point restriction, so any antlered bull is legal on a bull license. Elk and deer from these units need no compulsory CWD test in 2026. The lion season (November 23 to March 31) closes group by group; here that means group 19 (limit 5). For spring birds, GMUs 122, 116, 121, 117, 115, 114, 113 are on the OTC list.

GMU shares from the CPW GMU boundary layer over Census county lines; boundaries in the 2026 Big Game brochure GMU descriptions; point rule from brochure p. 36; CWD units from brochure p. 41; lion groups from the 2026-2027 Mountain Lion brochure; turkey lists from the 2026 Turkey brochure; shed closure from brochure p. 12. Checked November 5, 2026.

Cheyenne County public hunting land

GIS layers map about 639 acres of public hunting ground in Cheyenne County, close to under 0.1% of its land, with trust land, public access the largest piece. Most State Land Board ground is leased to ranchers and closed; only CPW-leased trust parcels count as public here. Park, military and closed trust acres carry a star and are not in the total. The acre figures are measured from GIS polygons with large lakes removed.

Tracts the public can hunt in Cheyenne County

Beyond Cheyenne County, nearest first

• Queens STL32 miles, state trust land parcel, Kiowa County
• Queens SWA37 miles, state wildlife area, Kiowa County
• Sweetwater STL37 miles, state trust land parcel, Kiowa County
• Flagler Reservoir SWA37 miles, state wildlife area, Kit Carson County
• Flagler STL37 miles, state trust land parcel, Kit Carson County

Everyone 16 or older on a state wildlife area or a CPW-leased trust parcel needs a valid Colorado hunting or fishing license, or a State Wildlife Area Pass. Trust parcels are mostly open September 1 to the end of February, but each parcel page lists its own dates and restrictions. Walk-In Access parcels in Cheyenne County open private fields to foot hunters holding a small game license and Habitat Stamp.

Acres from the CPW managed properties layer (SWA and STL), USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Forest Service, BLM, refuges, parks, military) and the BLM field office layer; places from the CPW SWA finder, the STL finder and each land page; access rules from the CPW property pages. Checked November 5, 2026.

Cheyenne County CPW contacts, towns and services

The Area 12 team under Todd Marriott manages wildlife across most of the county. Bear and lion hunters present the animal at a CPW office within five working days for inspection, so keep these numbers handy.

Cheyenne County towns, units and land

Remaining towns and CDPs, Cheyenne County:

• Kit Carson246
• Arapahoe

The directory has no hunting businesses in Cheyenne County itself, so the list draws on the counties next door.

Cheyenne County game processors

Cheyenne County taxidermists

Cheyenne County outdoor stores

Outfitting near Cheyenne County

Offices and area wildlife managers from the CPW Contact Us page and the CPW area layer; towns and places from the 2024 Census gazetteer; outfitters from the DORA licence data; other services from store locators and Yellow Pages listings. Checked November 5, 2026.

Cheyenne County hours on key season dates

Deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bear and lion may be hunted from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; turkey, small game and waterfowl stop at sunset.

Lion hunting hours match big game.

Hours rules from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure and the Small Game and Waterfowl brochure; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); checked November 5, 2026. Legal hours for every county.

Cheyenne County and its nearest neighbours

Nearest county guides first, then statewide pages worth a look.

Cheyenne County checks before the truck leaves

Near a GMU boundary road or creek in Cheyenne County, the brochure boundary text decides which hunt code applies.

Sources: 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, CPW hunting, Census and the sources in each section. Checked November 5, 2026.