64 Counties · 748 Public Areas · 124 Towns · 113 RangesColorado hunting records
States
AlabamaArizonaArkansasColoradoGeorgiaKentuckyLouisianaMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaTennesseeTexasWisconsin
ColoradoState Hunting Spots

Colorado › Hunting seasons › GMUs › GMU 23

58 hunt codes · 2026-27

What you can hunt in GMU 23, Colorado

58 hunt codes, 51 CPW season rows and 271,165 acres spread over Rio Blanco County and Garfield County.

Codes and datesHow hunters didHunting gear
424Square miles
58Hunt codes
423Elk taken 2024
2Counties

Photo: Jeffrey Beall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Counties inside GMU 23

At 424 square miles, GMU 23 is counted by CPW as a mountain unit. 87% of its ground is in Rio Blanco County; the CPW Northwest Region manages it.

Hunters in GMU 23 can be standing in any of 2 counties; the table gives each piece in square miles.

County pieceSq miUnit shareCounty share
Rio Blanco County368.687%11%
Garfield County54.413%2%

Herd units for GMU 23: deer D-7, elk E-6, pronghorn A-34, moose M-6, bear B-10 and lion L-NW. Each DAU groups GMUs that share one population.

424Square miles
271,165Acres
D-7Deer DAU
E-6Elk DAU
A-34Pronghorn DAU
M-6Moose DAU
B-10Bear DAU
L-NWLion DAU

Area, county overlap and DAU codes from the CPW GMU and DAU GIS layers (overlay with Census county lines); boundary text in the 2026 Big Game brochure GMU descriptions; checked November 5, 2026.

GMU 23 elk, lion and turkey rules

YesElk APR
SelectedElk CWD test
2Lion group
75Lion limit
Limited onlySpring turkey
OTCFall turkey
NoLynx area
MountainTerrain
2OTC elk rows
  • GMU 23 is on the antler point list, so a legal bull carries at least 4 points on a side or a 5-inch brow tine.
  • GMU 23 is one of the 64 units where selected rifle elk codes must bring the head in for a free CWD test.
  • Harvest-limit group 2 covers GMU 23; the group limit is 75.
  • GMU 23 turkey: spring turkey is by limited license only in 2026 and fall turkey is OTC.
  • Elk licenses sold over the counter are good here: Second rifle bull and Third rifle bull.

From the elk antler point list, the 2026 mandatory elk CWD GMUs, the 2026-2027 Mountain Lion brochure, the 2026 Turkey brochure and the Small Game brochure lynx rules (CPW); checked November 5, 2026. Guides: antler point GMUs, CWD testing, lion groups, turkey units.

Season windows for GMU 23

Season rows show the windows in one line each. GMU 23 appears in 51 of them, split 21 elk, 13 deer, 2 pronghorn, 4 moose, 7 black bear, 1 mountain lion and 3 wild turkey.

SpeciesMethod and sexDatesTypeCodes
Elk
Archery either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited40
Elk
Archery either sex
private land only
Sep 2–30Private only13
Elk
Muzzleloader cow
limited
Sep 12–20Limited69
Elk
Muzzleloader cow
private land only
Sep 12–20Private only2
Elk
Muzzleloader either sex
limited
Sep 12–20Limited19
Elk
Muzzleloader either sex
private land only
Sep 12–20Private only2
Elk
Rifle cow
private land only
Oct 1–Nov 30Private only1
Elk
Rifle either sex
RFW
Oct 9–Nov 24RFW1
Elk
Rifle bull
limited
Oct 14–18Limited50
Elk
Rifle cow
limited
Oct 14–18Limited48
Elk
Rifle either sex
private land only
Oct 14–18Private only19
Elk
Rifle cow
limited
Oct 24–Nov 1Limited89
Elk
Second rifle bull
OTC
Oct 24–Nov 1OTC—
Elk
Rifle cow
limited
Nov 7–15Limited93
Elk
Third rifle bull
OTC
Nov 7–15OTC—
Elk
Rifle bull
limited
Nov 18–22Limited57
Elk
Rifle cow
limited
Nov 18–22Limited90
Elk
Rifle cow
RFW
Nov 21–25RFW1
Elk
Rifle cow
RFW
Nov 28–Dec 2RFW2
Elk
Rifle cow
private land only
Dec 1–31Private only4
Elk
Rifle cow
RFW
Dec 5–9RFW3
Deer
Archery either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited29
Deer
Muzzleloader buck
limited
Sep 12–20Limited62
Deer
Muzzleloader doe
limited
Sep 12–20Limited34
Deer
Rifle either sex
RFW
Oct 9–Nov 24RFW1
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Oct 24–Nov 1Limited71
Deer
Rifle doe
limited
Oct 24–Nov 1Limited34
Deer
Rifle either sex
private land only
Oct 24–Nov 1Private only11
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Nov 7–15Limited71
Deer
Rifle doe
limited
Nov 7–15Limited35
Deer
Rifle either sex
private land only
Nov 7–15Private only11
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Nov 18–22Limited59
Deer
Rifle either sex
private land only
Nov 18–22Private only5
Deer
Rifle doe
RFW
Nov 21–30RFW1
Pronghorn
Rifle buck
private land only
Sep 19–Oct 4Private only6
Pronghorn
Rifle doe
private land only
Sep 19–Oct 4Private only1
Moose
Archery cow
limited
Sep 12–30Limited36
Moose
Muzzleloader cow
limited
Sep 12–20Limited36
Moose
Rifle cow
limited
Oct 1–14Limited36
Moose
Rifle cow
limited
late season
Oct 14–Nov 22Limited10
Black bear
Archery either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited35
Black bear
Archery either sex
OTC
Sep 2–30OTC15
Black bear
Rifle either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited34
Black bear
Muzzleloader either sex
limited
Sep 12–20Limited35
Black bear
Muzzleloader either sex
OTC
Sep 12–20OTC15
Black bear
Rifle either sex
private land only
Oct 1–Nov 22Private only15
Black bear
Rifle either sex
OTC
Oct 14–Nov 22OTC12
Mountain lion
Lion season
Nov 23–Mar 31Limited—
Wild turkey
Spring (2026)
limited
Apr 11–May 31Limited—
Wild turkey
Spring (2026)
private land only
Apr 13–May 30Private only—
Wild turkey
Fall
OTC
Sep 1–Oct 4OTC—

Season rows from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure (deer p. 30, elk p. 45, pronghorn p. 63, moose p. 68, bear p. 72), the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; checked November 5, 2026.

Every GMU 23 hunt code

Apply with the code, not the unit number. GMU 23 turns up in 58 codes: 24 elk, 19 deer, 2 pronghorn, 4 moose, 7 black bear and 2 wild turkey.

53 are limited (draw or leftover), 13 are private-land-only and 6 are Ranching for Wildlife codes; 0 need six or more preference points in the last draw.

Elk archery, 3

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
E-E-011-P1-AEither sexPrivate land only
Sep 2–30
A
206 of 638
E-E-012-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
137 of 548
E-E-033-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
148 of 800

Elk muzzleloader, 6

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
E-E-012-O1-MEither sexLimited
Sep 12–20
A
35 of 93
E-E-012-P1-MEither sexPrivate land only
Sep 12–20
A
20 of 44
E-E-033-O1-MEither sexLimited
Sep 12–20
A
26 of 91
E-F-012-O1-MCowLimited
Sep 12–20
A
8 of 99
E-F-012-P1-MCowPrivate land only
Sep 12–20
B
4 of 35
E-F-033-O1-MCowLimited
Sep 12–20
A
19 of 100

Elk rifle, 15

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
E-F-011-P5-RCowPrivate land only
Oct 1–Nov 30
B
189 of 454
E-E-023-W1-REither sexRFW (residents)
Oct 9–13
Nov 20–24
A—
E-E-011-P1-REither sexPrivate land only
Oct 14–18
A
351 of 609
E-F-011-O1-RCowLimited
Oct 14–18
A
74 of 736
E-M-011-O1-RBullLimited
Oct 14–18
A
701 of 2,974
E-F-012-O2-RCowLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
99 of 746
E-M-000-U2-RBullOTC
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
4,558 of 23,668
E-F-012-O3-RCowLimited
Nov 7–15
A
40 of 520
E-M-000-U3-RBullOTC
Nov 7–15
A
2,096 of 17,371
E-F-011-O4-RCowLimited
Nov 18–22
A
80 of 735
E-M-012-O4-RBullLimited
Nov 18–22
A
67 of 321
E-F-023-W1-RCowRFW (residents)
Nov 21–25
A—
E-F-023-W2-RCowRFW (residents)
Nov 28–Dec 2
A—
E-F-023-P5-RCowPrivate land only
Dec 1–31
B
20 of 35
E-F-023-W3-RCowRFW (residents)
Dec 5–9
A—

Deer archery, 3

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
D-E-011-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
43 of 204
D-E-012-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
11 of 96
D-E-023-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
12 of 118

Deer muzzleloader, 6

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
D-F-011-O1-MDoeLimited
Sep 12–20
A
8 of 8
D-F-012-O1-MDoeLimited
Sep 12–20
A
4 of 5
D-F-023-O1-MDoeLimited
Sep 12–20
A
3 of 9
D-M-011-O1-MBuckLimited
Sep 12–20
A
57 of 113
D-M-012-O1-MBuckLimited
Sep 12–20
A
6 of 43
D-M-023-O1-MBuckLimited
Sep 12–20
A
14 of 70

Deer rifle, 10

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
D-E-023-W1-REither sexRFW (residents)
Oct 9–13
Nov 20–24
A—
D-E-011-P2-REither sexPrivate land only
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
206 of 317
D-F-012-O2-RDoeLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
5 of 9
D-M-012-O2-RBuckLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
296 of 694
D-E-011-P3-REither sexPrivate land only
Nov 7–15
A
314 of 446
D-F-012-O3-RDoeLimited
Nov 7–15
A
3 of 8
D-M-012-O3-RBuckLimited
Nov 7–15
A
238 of 568
D-E-012-P4-REither sexPrivate land only
Nov 18–22
A
46 of 84
D-M-012-O4-RBuckLimited
Nov 18–22
A
27 of 44
D-F-023-W1-RDoeRFW (residents)
Nov 21–30
A—

Pronghorn rifle, 2

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
A-F-012-P5-RDoePrivate land only
Sep 19–Oct 4
B
8 of 8
A-M-012-P5-RBuckPrivate land only
Sep 19–Oct 4
B
12 of 12

Moose archery, 1

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
M-F-012-O1-ACowLimited
Sep 12–30
A
1 of 2

Moose muzzleloader, 1

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
M-F-012-O1-MCowLimited
Sep 12–20
A
1 of 2

Moose rifle, 2

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
M-F-012-O1-RCowLimited
Oct 1–14
A
6 of 10
M-F-012-L1-RCowLimited, late
Oct 14–18
Oct 24–Nov 1
Nov 7–15
Nov 18–22
A
2 of 5

Black bear archery, 2

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
B-E-012-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
B
7 taken
B-E-012-U1-AEither sexOTC
Sep 2–30
B
6 taken

Black bear muzzleloader, 2

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
B-E-012-O1-MEither sexLimited
Sep 12–20
B
1 taken
B-E-012-U1-MEither sexOTC
Sep 12–20
B
1 taken

Black bear rifle, 3

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
B-E-012-O1-REither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
B
50 taken
B-E-012-P5-REither sexPrivate land only
Oct 1–Nov 22
B
4 taken
B-E-012-U5-REither sexOTC
Oct 14–18
Oct 24–Nov 1
Nov 7–15
Nov 18–22
B
10 taken

Wild turkey rifle, 2

CodeSexSold asOpenListNote
T-M-023-O1-RBeardedLimited
Apr 11–May 31
—
25 lic.
T-M-023-P1-RBeardedPrivate land only
Apr 13–May 30
—
35 lic.

Harvest numbers in the right-hand column are 2025 survey estimates for the code as a whole.

Hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure tables (PDF pp. 29-77) and the 2026 Turkey brochure; List A/B/C rules on p. 26; 2025 code estimates from CPW harvest reports (elk, deer, pronghorn, bear, moose); checked November 5, 2026. How the draw works.

GMU 23 harvest and success

Elk hunters in GMU 23 took 423 elk in 2024 (246 bulls, 159 cows), 23% success for 1,870 hunters.

Deer success in GMU 23 ran 26% in 2024, with 150 taken.

Pronghorn: 2 taken by 7 hunters (21%).

The bear take in 2024 was 19.

CPW puts the 2025 post-hunt elk herd that includes GMU 23 (units 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231) at 42,470, with 19 males per 100 females.

35 hunters held elk codes numbered 23 in 2025 and took 20.

For lions, the 2025-26 group total was 29.

Animals taken in GMU 23 during 20240125250375500Deer taken: 150150Deer takenElk taken: 423423Elk takenPronghorn taken: 22Pronghorn takenBears taken: 1919Bears taken
SpeciesHarvestMale / female / youngHuntersSuccessHunter days
Deer150146/4/056526%2,857
Elk423246/159/181,87023%8,655
Pronghorn22/0/0721%20
Black bear1915/4——52

DAU estimates, 2025

GameDAUTakeHuntersSuccessPopulationMales/100 F
DeerD-072,3634,56452%31,17033
ElkE-064,32121,81920%42,47019
PronghornA-34426664%26028

2024 “All Manners of Take” tables by GMU: deer, elk, pronghorn, bear; 2025 DAU estimates and 2025 post-hunt populations (elk, deer, pronghorn); 2025 lion harvest (CPW). Survey estimates; checked November 5, 2026.

GMU 23 land open to hunting

5 SWAs, 0 STL parcels and 6 other units make up the 11 public lands that list GMU 23.

Large federal records span many units, so read each land page for the part that falls in this GMU.

State wildlife areas, 5

BLM offices, 2

Ranger districts, 2

National forests, 1

Private Land Hunting, 1

Land records from CPW, State Land Board, USFS, BLM and other agency sources (each land page cites its own); GMU tags from those records; checked November 5, 2026. All Colorado public land.

Towns and units around GMU 23

Inside GMU 23: 0 towns; near it: 1.

If the draw goes against you, the neighbouring units below share counties with GMU 23.

NeighbourSame countySq miElkDeerCodes
GMU 24
Rio Blanco
Garfield
4392655149
GMU 12
Rio Blanco
Garfield
49375514758
GMU 34
Garfield
19310217337
GMU 25
Garfield
23222741545
GMU 22
Rio Blanco
Garfield
98977029334
GMU 33
Garfield
Rio Blanco
41631142938
GMU 26
Garfield
24014235347
GMU 211
Rio Blanco
43146018351

Towns from Census places with their GMU and GMUs within 10 miles; neighbours from the CPW GMU layer county overlay; checked November 5, 2026. All town pages · all GMUs.

GMU 23 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.

DateSeason pointSunriseSunsetBig gameBirds and small game
Aug 15, 2026Pronghorn archery opens6:24 a.m.8:12 p.m.5:54 a.m. to 8:42 p.m.5:54 a.m. to 8:12 p.m.
Sep 2, 2026Bowhunting starts6:41 a.m.7:45 p.m.6:11 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.6:11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Sep 12, 2026Muzzleloader opens6:50 a.m.7:29 p.m.6:20 a.m. to 7:59 p.m.6:20 a.m. to 7:29 p.m.
Oct 3, 2026Duck season opens7:10 a.m.6:54 p.m.6:40 a.m. to 7:24 p.m.6:40 a.m. to 6:54 p.m.
Oct 24, 2026Second rifle opens7:32 a.m.6:22 p.m.7:02 a.m. to 6:52 p.m.7:02 a.m. to 6:22 p.m.
Nov 23, 2026Lion season opens7:07 a.m.4:53 p.m.6:37 a.m. to 5:23 p.m.6:37 a.m. to 4:53 p.m.
Dec 21, 2026Shortest day7:31 a.m.4:51 p.m.7:01 a.m. to 5:21 p.m.7:01 a.m. to 4:51 p.m.

Lion hunting hours match big game.

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.

Beside GMU 23

Nearest units first; three hub pages follow.

GMU 24

49 hunt codes

GMU 12

58 hunt codes

GMU 34

37 hunt codes

GMU 25

45 hunt codes

All GMUsCWD testingDraw and points
Old stone hay barn along Piceance Creek, Rio Blanco County
Old stone hay barn along Piceance Creek, Rio Blanco CountyPhoto: Jeffrey Beall (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Green meadow below a snowy mountain range under sweeping clouds in Colorado
Green meadow below a snowy mountain range under sweeping clouds in ColoradoPhoto: Max and Dee Bernt (CC BY 2.0)
Snow-covered Rocky Mountain peaks rising above a line of pines in Colorado
Snow-covered Rocky Mountain peaks rising above a line of pines in ColoradoPhoto: Bob Denaro (CC BY 2.0)

GMU 23 FAQ

Must elk heads from GMU 23 go to CPW?

Only for the marked rifle elk codes; the test costs nothing.

Are GMU 23 bulls under APR?

Yes, including RFW ranches in the unit.

Is GMU 23 open for spring turkey?

Spring turkey is by limited license only; spring 2026 rows here ran April 11 to May 31, 2026, and spring 2027 dates are not published yet.

When does lion season close in GMU 23?

March 31, 2027, or sooner if group 2 hits 75 lions.

How many SWAs are in GMU 23?

5 state wildlife areas list GMU 23.

What is the elk success rate in GMU 23?

23% in 2024 (423 from 1,870 hunters).

What towns are near GMU 23?

Meeker.

Which herd DAUs take in GMU 23?

D-7 (deer), E-6 (elk), A-34 (pronghorn), M-6 (moose), B-10 (bear) and L-NW (lion).

Can I hunt GMU 23 without a draw?

Yes for 5 OTC codes and 5 OTC season rows; the other 53 codes are limited.

What counties are in GMU 23?

Rio Blanco (87%) and Garfield (13%), for 424 square miles in all.

Answers drawn from the CPW sources cited on this page; checked November 5, 2026.