Montrose County Hunting Guide

GMU map of Montrose County

The county overlaps 7 GMUs. GMU 62 accounts for around 28% of its ground. Every GMU here spills across the county line, so a license for one of them is not a Montrose County-only hunt. The shares below come from overlaying the CPW unit layer on Census county lines; legal unit edges are the roads and streams listed in the brochure.

Bull elk taken in GMUs 62, 70, 65, 64, 63, 60 must meet the point rule: four points on either antler, or a brow tine of five inches. If your rifle elk code is one of the selected ones in GMUs 62, 61, 70, 65, 64, bring the head in for the mandatory test at no charge. Lions are managed by harvest-limit group, and Montrose County falls in group 9 (limit 31), group 12 (limit 24) and group 13 (limit 25); check the CPW limit report after 5 p.m. the day before a hunt. GMUs 70, 65 carries the lynx recovery restrictions. Public lands west of I-25 are off limits for shed gathering January 1 to April 30. A spring OTC turkey license covers GMUs 62, 61, 70, 65, 64, 63, 60.

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.

Montrose County public land map

Public land adds up to some 951,004 acres (66.3% of the county) once overlaps are removed, mostly BLM ground. The public total skips starred kinds, which are mostly closed to hunting. Polygon measures are approximate; official acreage is on each land page.

Open ground inside Montrose County

Further areas: Norwood Ranger District, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Moab Ranger District, Escalante SWA, Cimarron SWA, Billy Creek SWA, Crawford State Park, Cerro Summit SWA.

Outside Montrose County but close

• Carter Place STL23 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Sweitzer Lake State Park25 miles, state park, Delta County
• Poison Spyder STL27 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Hamilton Mesa STL28 miles, state trust land parcel, San Miguel County
• Dry Creek Basin SWA29 miles, state wildlife area, San Miguel County
• Dan Noble SWA30 miles, state wildlife area, San Miguel County

Access to SWAs and CPW trust parcels is tied to a valid license or State Wildlife Area Pass for anyone 16 and over. Open dates differ by parcel, so read the land page before planning a trip.

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.

What Montrose County has coming up

Held within the county: 2 listings ahead, namely NWTF banquet and RMEF banquet.

A nearby course or dinner we missed? Post it

Montrose County wildlife officers, towns and outfitters

For Montrose County, the area wildlife manager is Rachel Sralla (Area 18); the area office phone is on the card below. Through the Turn In Poachers program, a report that leads to charges for illegal big game or turkey take can earn licenses or preference points.

Trailhead towns of Montrose County

Census also maps these places in Montrose County:

• Olathe1,970
• Nucla590
• Naturita481

Our directory lists 2 game processors, 4 taxidermists, 9 gun and outdoor stores and 31 outfitters and guides inside Montrose County; neighbouring counties fill the gaps below. Outfitters come from the state DORA registration list, which gives only a mailing town; shops, processors and taxidermists come from store locators and Yellow Pages, so call ahead.

Elk and deer processing, Montrose County

Montrose County mount makers

Ammo and gear near Montrose County

Guides near Montrose 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.

Montrose County hours on key season dates

Big game light near Montrose County starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; turkeys, small game and ducks end 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 Montrose County

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

Montrose County before opening day

Dates here are for 2026-27; CPW publishes new brochures every year.

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