Hinsdale County Hunting

Game management units in Hinsdale County

6 big game GMUs reach into Hinsdale County; the largest share belongs to GMU 66, which covers about 41% of the county. All of the units continue beyond Hinsdale 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 66, 77, 751, 65, 67 bulls must carry four or more points on a side, or a brow tine of five inches or more, under the CPW point rule. Mandatory free CWD testing applies to elk taken on selected rifle hunt codes in GMU 65; deer testing is not mandatory in 2026. The lion season (November 23 to March 31) closes group by group; here that means group 10 (limit 20), group 13 (limit 25), group 14 (limit 16) and group 17 (limit 23). The lynx recovery area takes in GMUs 66, 76, 77, 751, 65, 67. The winter shed closure covers public land west of I-25, January 1 through April 30. For spring birds, GMUs 66, 76, 77, 751, 65, 67 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.

Hinsdale County public hunting land

GIS layers map about 675,323 acres of public hunting ground in Hinsdale County, close to 94.4% of its land, with forest and grassland the largest piece. The acre figures are measured from GIS polygons with large lakes removed.

Tracts the public can hunt in Hinsdale County

Others here: Ouray Ranger District, Mason Family SWA, Brown Lakes SWA, Williams Creek Reservoir SWA.

Outside Hinsdale County but close

• Sultan Creek STL17 miles, state trust land parcel, San Juan County
• West Lime Creek STL21 miles, state trust land parcel, San Juan County
• Haviland Lake SWA30 miles, state wildlife area, La Plata County
• Ridgway State Park34 miles, state park, Ouray County
• Billy Creek SWA35 miles, state wildlife area, Ouray County
• Cimarron SWA37 miles, state wildlife area, Montrose 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.

Hinsdale County CPW contacts, towns and services

The Area 16 team under Brandon Diamond 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.

Hinsdale County base towns

Remaining towns and CDPs, Hinsdale County:

• Piedra

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

Hinsdale County game processors

Hinsdale County taxidermists

Hinsdale County outdoor stores

Outfitting near Hinsdale 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.

Hinsdale 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.

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.

Counties near Hinsdale County

Close-by county pages and a few statewide links.

Hinsdale County checks before the truck leaves

Near a GMU boundary road or creek in Hinsdale 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.