Archuleta County Hunting

Game management units in Archuleta County

5 big game GMUs reach into Archuleta County; the largest share belongs to GMU 78, which covers about 44% of the county. All of the units continue beyond Archuleta 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.

In GMUs 78, 771, 77, 81, 751 bulls must carry four or more points on a side, or a brow tine of five inches or more, under the CPW point rule. 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 17 (limit 23) and group 18 (limit 18). The lynx recovery area takes in GMUs 78, 77, 81, 751. The winter shed closure covers public land west of I-25, January 1 through April 30. For spring birds, GMUs 78, 771, 77, 751 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.

Archuleta County public hunting land

GIS layers map about 418,393 acres of public hunting ground in Archuleta County, close to 48.4% of its land, with forest and grassland 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 Archuleta County

Outside Archuleta County but close

• Williams Creek Reservoir SWA23 miles, state wildlife area, Hinsdale County
• Divide Ranger District37 miles, ranger district, Mineral County
• La Jara Reservoir SWA39 miles, state wildlife area, Conejos County
• La Jara STL39 miles, state trust land parcel, Conejos 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.

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.

Archuleta County CPW contacts, towns and services

The Area 15 team under Adrian Archuleta 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.

Trailhead towns of Archuleta County

Remaining towns and CDPs, Archuleta County:

• Arboles

Archuleta County has 1 game processor, 3 taxidermists, 2 gun and outdoor stores and 15 outfitters and guides in the directory. CPW publishes no processor or taxidermist list, so those rows are Yellow Pages listings; outfitters are from the state registration data.

Archuleta County game processors

Archuleta County taxidermists

Archuleta County outdoor stores

Outfitting near Archuleta 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.

Archuleta 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.

Turkey hours end at sunset.

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.

Counties near Archuleta County

The four closest county pages by distance between county centres, plus three statewide guides.

Archuleta County checks before the truck leaves

Near a GMU boundary road or creek in Archuleta 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.