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SWA · CPW-managed ground
Willow Creek State Wildlife Area (Fishing & Hunting Lease) hunting access and seasons
State wildlife area in Yuma County, 920 acres.
Photo: Max and Dee Bernt (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Willow Creek State Wildlife Area (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) by the numbers
Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) takes in 920 acres according to the CPW SWA page. Size places it 105th out of 224 state wildlife areas in Colorado. 7 state wildlife areas touch Yuma County, and Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) is one of the set. Northeast Region, Area 3, Yuma/Wray district: that is the CPW chain for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease). Contact on the property page: Area CPW Office, Brush, phone 970-842-6300. The 2026 Recreation Lands brochure gives the hunting line for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) as deer, turkey, dove, rabbit, squirrel. The brochure also notes wildlife viewing. Overnight stays: not an offered amenity here.
Hunting opportunities on record: Deer, Wild turkey, Doves, Rabbits, Squirrels.
Page activities: Hunting, Fishing, Nature Viewing.
From the agency page, 2026 Recreation Lands brochure, p. 30 (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Willow Creek State Wildlife Area (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
What Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) allows and forbids
At 16 and older, entry to Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) takes a Colorado hunting or fishing license or the SWA Pass. Vehicles stay on roads signed open, and camping is limited to authorized spots. Leave permanent stands at home: portable blinds and stands only, set up within 30 days of the opener. Never fire a gun or loose an arrow in a parking, camping or picnic area.
Restrictions on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease):
- Open 4 a.m. to 9 a.m., September 1 to May 31.
- Dog training, horse use prohibited.
From the agency source, CPW SWA finder; checked November 5, 2026.
Finding Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) on the ground
Brochure directions: From Wray, go S on Highway 385 about 6 miles to CR 30. Turn E on CR 30, go 5 miles and turn S on CR NN. Go 3.5 miles S to parking area on W side of road.
Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) is plotted at 39.9467, -102.1363 on the statewide map.
Directions from the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure; map files from the CPW property page; point from CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside) of the largest part); checked November 5, 2026.
GMUs and unit rules on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Big game licenses here are sold by unit, and Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) touches 1 GMU: GMU 102.
These GMUs sit outside the elk antler point restriction. For lions, the units fall in harvest-limit group 19.
CPW publishes harvest by GMU, not by property. In 2024, GMU 102 led these units with 103 deer taken.
GMU overlay from the CPW Big Game GMU layer; unit rules from the 2026 Big Game brochure; 2024 elk harvest by GMU, 2024 deer harvest by GMU, 2024 pronghorn harvest by GMU, 2024 bear harvest by GMU; checked November 5, 2026.
Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) season calendar by GMU
The units of Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) carry 15 big game seasons this year. You can buy an OTC license for wild turkey here; other rows are limited. We dropped 4 rows valid only on private land or enrolled ranches. The table follows the species list for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease), which removes 8 rows. Spring 2027 turkey dates are not published yet, so the spring row is last year's.
| Species | Season | Sex | Kind | From | To | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Season choice | doe | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Season choice | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 102 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | Limited draw | Apr 11, 2026 | May 1, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | OTC | Apr 11, 2026 | May 31, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | Limited draw | May 2, 2026 | May 31, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | Limited, late | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | Limited, youth | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | 102 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | OTC | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | 102 |
Seasons for the smaller game on the list
| Species | Season | Zone | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mourning dove | Season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 |
| Fox squirrel | Season | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Cottontail | Season | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Abert's squirrel | Season | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 |
Season rows and hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; property access dates still apply; checked November 5, 2026.
Mapped neighbours of Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Eagle Rock SWA sits under a mile east of the Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) point. Nearby public places include 4 trust land parcels and 2 SWAs.
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Rock SWA | SWA | 1,718 | Yuma | under a mile | east |
| Simmons STL | State trust land | 160 | Yuma | 4 miles | south |
| Simmons SWA | SWA | 2,157 | Yuma | 5 miles | south |
| Ecklund STL | State trust land | 640 | Yuma | 5 miles | southeast |
| Beecher Island STL | State trust land | 320 | Yuma | 6 miles | southwest |
| Black Wolf Creek STL | State trust land | 320 | Yuma | 6 miles | west |
Point: CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside) of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease): nearby towns, shops and the CPW office
Measured in a straight line, Wray is 10 miles from Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease). For a full-size grocery run, Burlington (3,171 people) is the pick. You can reach the Brush CPW office in about 82 miles of straight line.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wray | Yuma | 2,363 | 10 miles | northwest |
| Idalia | Yuma | – | 19 miles | southwest |
| Holyoke | Phillips | 2,296 | 45 miles | north |
| Burlington | Kit Carson | 3,171 | 45 miles | south |
| Akron | Washington | 1,745 | 59 miles | west |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); CPW offices from the CPW Contact Us page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 5, 2026.
Shooting-light table for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Big game light near Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; turkeys, small game and ducks end at sunset.
| Day | Marker | Sun up | Sun down | Elk and deer | Turkey and ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:17 a.m. | 7:22 p.m. | 5:47 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 5:47 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:01 a.m. | 6:09 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 6:39 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 6:09 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:43 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 4:29 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:08 a.m. | 4:27 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 4:27 p.m. |
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.
Landscape and game around Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Public and private ranges before Willow Creek State Wildlife Area (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
North Sterling State Park Archery Range (a state parks pass) is 83 miles from Willow Creek State Wildlife Area (Fishing & Hunting Lease). Beside it sit the closest club ranges inside 30 miles.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Hunting Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease): common questions
Where do hunters sleep when they hunt Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Off the property: no camping icon shows on the CPW page.
Which agency page should I check for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife page has the current rules.
What does it take to hunt Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) legally?
The SWA rule applies: 16 and older need a Colorado hunting or fishing license, or the wildlife area pass.
What acreage does the record give for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
All told it takes in 920 acres.
What counties does Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) reach into?
Inside Yuma County.
What hunt code unit applies to Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
It overlaps GMU 102.
Does Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) close for part of the year?
CPW: Open 4 a.m. to 9 a.m., September 1 to May 31.
What game can be hunted on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
The agency lists deer, wild turkey, doves, rabbits and squirrels.
Which special elk rules cover Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Outside the mandatory CWD elk units; deer testing is not required anywhere in 2026. Antler points do not matter for legality here.
How far is the nearest town from Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Wray, 10 miles northwest of the point as the crow flies.
Where do I report trouble on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Area CPW Office in Brush, 970-842-6300; CPW offices close on state holidays.
Must I wear blaze orange or pink on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Yes for firearm big game: 500 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink on the upper body and a matching head covering. Camo orange does not count.
Can I set out bait, salt or grain on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
No bait for big game, turkey, small game or birds; normal agricultural salt and mineral blocks are the only exception for big game.
When does big game light begin and end on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)?
Big game 5:55 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. on November 7, 2026 at the Yuma County centre; turkey, small game and ducks stop at sunset.
Wrap-up for Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease)
Property rules, closures and reservation needs on Willow Creek SWA (Fishing & Hunting Lease) can change mid-season; posted signs and the agency page have the last word.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Checked November 5, 2026.
Other photos on this page: DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).