Montezuma County for Hunters

Montezuma County units, point rules and CWD

Seasons here follow 4 game management units, not the county line; GMU 73 is the biggest piece at near 44%. GMU 73 lies wholly inside the county, so any license for it is a Montezuma County hunt. Unit edges are roads, drainages and divides named in the brochure text; the percentages here are GIS measures, and the written description decides where a unit stops.

CPW lists GMUs 73, 72, 711, 71 as antler point restriction units; count four points or measure the brow tine before shooting. CWD sampling is compulsory for chosen rifle elk codes in GMUs 73, 72, 711, 71, and voluntary for deer. Mountain lion hunting runs November 23, 2026 to March 31, 2027 in harvest-limit groups; the county touches group 16 (limit 30), and each group closes when its limit is reached. Lynx-area rules on lures and trap checks cover GMUs 711, 71. Leave sheds on public ground west of I-25 until May 1. OTC spring gobbler hunting is open in GMUs 73, 72, 711, 71.

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.

Montezuma County acres by owner

The overlay finds about 439,802 public acres here, or 33.9% of the land area; the top category is forest Service land. Do not assume State Land Board land is open: only the CPW-leased parcels are. Acres with a star are left out of the public figure; hunting there depends on park, base or lease rules. Acreages come from overlaying map polygons and will not match agency totals exactly.

Montezuma County public ground, largest first

Also in the county: Puett Reservoir SWA, Joe Moore Reservoir SWA, Dolores River SWA.

Next-county ground for Montezuma County

• Lone Mesa State Park28 miles, state park, Dolores County
• Cross Canyon SWA29 miles, state wildlife area, Dolores County
• South Mountain STL34 miles, state trust land parcel, Dolores County
• Fish Creek SWA35 miles, state wildlife area, Dolores County
• Disappointment Creek STL36 miles, state trust land parcel, Dolores County
• Perins Peak SWA37 miles, state wildlife area, La Plata County

Carry a Colorado hunting or fishing license, or buy the SWA Pass, before stepping onto an SWA or trust parcel if you are 16 or older. Dates and restrictions vary property by property; the land pages carry the CPW wording.

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.

Hunting dates in Montezuma County

County total as of November 4, 2026: 1 listing ahead (RMEF banquet).

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Montezuma County area office, outfitters and stores

CPW Area 15 is led by area wildlife manager Adrian Archuleta, which covers Montezuma County. Lion hunters phone CPW within 48 hours of a kill and present the head and hide within five days.

Montezuma County base towns

Remaining towns and CDPs, Montezuma County:

• Mancos1,272
• Lewis
• Towaoc

Within Montezuma County the directory holds 6 taxidermists, 2 gun and outdoor stores and 13 outfitters and guides and lacks game processors. Listings mix DORA outfitter records with chain locators and Yellow Pages; ring before you go.

Montezuma County meat cutters

Taxidermy around Montezuma County

Montezuma County gun counters

Registered outfitters, Montezuma 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.

Montezuma County legal shooting light

The sun rises about twenty minutes later at Grand Junction than at Burlington, so use the times worked out for Montezuma County.

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.

Around Montezuma County

Close-by county pages and a few statewide links.

Montezuma County trip reminders

This page covers the 2026-27 seasons only; where it and the CPW brochures differ, the brochures govern.

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