Dolores County Hunting Overview

Dolores County hunting units

On the CPW unit map Dolores County is cut into 4 GMUs, led by GMU 711 at about 47% of the county area. Not one of these GMUs fits inside the county by itself. GMU boundaries run along highways, county roads, ridgelines and rivers described in the big game brochure, so a hunter near an edge should read the written boundary before choosing a hunt code.

Spikes and small raghorns are off limits in GMUs 711, 71, 72, 70, where bulls need four points on one side or a five-inch brow tine. Heads from elk killed on the green-shaded rifle codes in GMUs 711, 71, 72, 70 go to CPW for a free chronic wasting disease test. CPW counts lion harvest against group 12 (limit 24) and group 16 (limit 30) for these units. Trappers in GMUs 711, 71, 70 follow the lynx recovery area rules on trap checks and lures. West of I-25, public land is closed to shed hunting from January 1 through April 30. Spring turkey licenses sold over the counter are valid in GMUs 711, 71, 72, 70.

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.

Dolores County SWAs, forest and nearby areas

Mapped public ground totals near 420,116 acres, about 61.5% of the county, with national forest and grassland the leading kind. Only the trust parcels in the CPW access program are open; the larger starred total includes closed leases. Starred acreage is context only, because park, military and closed trust land is not general public hunting ground. These are GIS measures of map polygons, not official acreages; each land page gives the agency figure.

Mapped hunting areas within Dolores County

Also listed: Fish Creek SWA, Cross Canyon SWA.

Beyond Dolores County, nearest first

• Mckenna Peak STL12 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Disappointment Valley STL14 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Spring Creek Basin STL15 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Dolores River SWA17 miles, state wildlife area, Montezuma County
• Dead Horse Creek STL17 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Narraguinnep Reservoir SWA18 miles, state wildlife area, Montezuma County

State wildlife areas and leased trust parcels require a Colorado license or SWA Pass for visitors aged 16 or more. Check the parcel dates: many trust lands open in August or September and close at the end of February. Look for Walk-In Access signs in Dolores County, where CPW-leased farm and ranch ground is open on foot.

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.

Dolores County offices, towns and shops

Adrian Archuleta is the area wildlife manager for CPW Area 15, the team that covers most of Dolores County; the area office is the first call for local questions. Licenses are also sold online, by phone and at more than 650 sales agents, not just at CPW offices.

Dolores County base towns

Dolores County also includes:

• Rico336

The services list shows 1 game processor and 5 outfitters and guides in Dolores County, with no taxidermists and gun and outdoor stores. Outfitter entries are state-registered businesses with no street address on file; the rest come from locators and directories.

Processing near Dolores County

Dolores County taxidermy

Dolores County gear shops

Dolores County outfitters

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.

Dolores County hours on key season dates

Walk-In Access properties open an hour before sunrise and close an hour after sunset, two hours for waterfowl, deer, elk and pronghorn hunters.

Clock time: Mountain Daylight Time until Nov. 1, 2026 and from March 14, 2027.

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.

Dolores County and its nearest neighbours

Close-by county pages and a few statewide links.

Dolores County closing notes

The Parks and Wildlife Commission can change dates after the brochures print, so recheck the CPW hunting pages before a Dolores County trip.

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