Yuma County Hunting

Game management units in Yuma County

5 big game GMUs reach into Yuma County; the largest share belongs to GMU 98, which covers about 39% of the county. Only GMU 103 sits completely inside Yuma County. Because units follow physical features rather than survey lines, check the brochure boundary text and the CPW map when hunting close to an edge. They are plains GMUs, so elk licenses follow the plains rules and most ground is private farm and ranch land.

No GMU in Yuma County carries the elk antler point restriction, so any antlered bull is legal on a bull license. 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 19 (limit 5). For spring birds, GMU 98 is 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.

Yuma County public hunting land

GIS layers map about 32,987 acres of public hunting ground in Yuma County, close to 2.2% of its land, with state wildlife area land 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 Yuma County

Others here: Hay Gulch Overlook STL, South Fork Spring Canyon STL, Bonny Creek STL, Landsman Creek STL, Beecher Island STL, Black Wolf Creek STL, Sandsage SWA, Simmons STL, Stalker Lake SWA.

Outside Yuma County but close

• Snyder Prairie STL25 miles, state trust land parcel, Washington County
• Settlement STL33 miles, state trust land parcel, Kit Carson County
• Spring Valley STL33 miles, state trust land parcel, Kit Carson County
• Holyoke SWA37 miles, state wildlife area, Phillips 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. Walk-In Access parcels in Yuma County open private fields to foot hunters holding a small game license and Habitat Stamp.

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.

Yuma County CPW contacts, towns and services

The Area 3 team under Todd Cozad 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 Yuma County

Remaining towns and CDPs, Yuma County:

• Yuma3,472
• Eckley236
• Joes
• Kirk
• Laird
• Vernon

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

Yuma County game processors

Yuma County taxidermists

Yuma County outdoor stores

Outfitting near Yuma 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.

Yuma 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 Yuma County

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

Yuma County checks before the truck leaves

Near a GMU boundary road or creek in Yuma 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.