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Colorado › Hunting seasons › GMUs › GMU 421

2026-27 seasons by unit

Colorado GMU 421: seasons, codes and harvest

Mesa County hold all of its 541 square miles. Seasons, codes, 2024 harvest and the public land inside, unit by unit.

See the codesHunter numbersHunting gear
541Square miles
36Hunt codes
657Elk taken 2024
2Counties

Photo: James St. John (CC BY 2.0)

GMU 421 by county

Colorado Parks and Wildlife draws GMU 421 at 346,262 acres, about 541 square miles. Mesa County carries the largest piece, 100%, and the unit falls in the CPW Northwest Region.

The split by county is Mesa 100% and Garfield 0.4%. The Garfield piece is under 2% of GMU 421; read the CPW boundary text before relying on it.

CountySquare milesOf the unitOf the county
Mesa County537.7100%16%
Garfield County2.40.4%—

CPW manages herds by data analysis unit (DAU). GMU 421 sits in D-12 for deer, E-14 for elk, M-5 for moose, B-17 for bear and L-NW for lion. There is no pronghorn DAU code for this unit.

541Square miles
346,262Acres
D-12Deer DAU
E-14Elk DAU
M-5Moose DAU
B-17Bear 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.

What applies in GMU 421

YesElk APR
SelectedElk CWD test
6Lion group
31Lion limit
OTCSpring turkey
OTCFall turkey
NoLynx area
MountainTerrain
2OTC elk rows
  • Antler point restriction: bulls taken in GMU 421 need 4 points on one antler or a brow tine of 5 inches or more, in every season.
  • Mandatory CWD testing: some rifle elk hunt codes valid in GMU 421 require a free head submission in 2026.
  • Lions here count toward group 6, which closes once 31 are taken across its 6 units.
  • Turkey status here: spring turkey is OTC; fall turkey is OTC.
  • OTC elk: 2 over-the-counter elk rows include GMU 421 (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.

GMU 421 season calendar

39 season rows name GMU 421: 15 elk, 10 deer, 3 moose, 8 black bear, 1 mountain lion and 2 wild turkey. The code count is for the whole row across Colorado.

GameHuntOpenKindCodes in row
Elk
Rifle cow
private land only
Sep 1–Dec 31Private only2
Elk
Archery either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited40
Elk
Archery either sex
private land only
Sep 2–30Private only13
Elk
Muzzleloader bull
limited
Sep 12–20Limited50
Elk
Muzzleloader cow
limited
Sep 12–20Limited69
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 either sex
private land only
Nov 18–22Private only13
Deer
Archery either sex
limited
Sep 2–30Limited29
Deer
Muzzleloader buck
limited
Sep 12–20Limited62
Deer
Muzzleloader doe
limited
Sep 12–20Limited34
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Oct 24–Nov 1Limited71
Deer
Rifle buck
private land only
Oct 24–Nov 1Private only17
Deer
Rifle doe
limited
Oct 24–Nov 1Limited34
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Nov 7–15Limited71
Deer
Rifle buck
private land only
Nov 7–15Private only17
Deer
Rifle doe
limited
Nov 7–15Limited35
Deer
Rifle buck
limited
Nov 18–22Limited59
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
Rifle either sex
private land only
Sep 2–30Private only20
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
OTC (2026)
Apr 11–May 31OTC—
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.

GMU 421 hunt codes by species

The brochure tables carry 36 codes good in GMU 421 (15 elk, 10 deer, 3 moose and 8 black bear). Some were drawn for a neighbouring unit and simply include this one.

Draw pressure varies: 0 of the 36 codes are marked 6+ points, 8 are private-land-only.

Elk archery, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
E-E-041-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
249 of 1,999
E-E-041-P1-AEither sexPrivate land only
Sep 2–30
A
32 of 135

Elk muzzleloader, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
E-F-041-O1-MCowLimited
Sep 12–20
B
31 of 297
E-M-041-O1-MBullLimited
Sep 12–20
A
117 of 499

Elk rifle, 11

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
E-F-421-P5-RCowPrivate land only
Sep 1–Dec 31
B
69 of 280
E-E-041-P1-REither sexPrivate land only
Oct 14–18
A
87 of 158
E-F-041-O1-RCowLimited
Oct 14–18
B
27 of 185
E-M-041-O1-RBullLimited
Oct 14–18
A
258 of 923
E-F-421-O2-RCowLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
B
24 of 298
E-M-000-U2-RBullOTC
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
4,558 of 23,668
E-F-421-O3-RCowLimited
Nov 7–15
B
14 of 93
E-M-000-U3-RBullOTC
Nov 7–15
A
2,096 of 17,371
E-E-041-P4-REither sexPrivate land only
Nov 18–22
A
48 of 117
E-F-421-O4-RCowLimited
Nov 18–22
B
2 of 19
E-M-041-O4-RBullLimited
Nov 18–22
A
31 of 250

Deer archery, 1

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
D-E-041-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
A
118 of 303

Deer muzzleloader, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
D-F-041-O1-MDoeLimited
Sep 12–20
B
4 of 9
D-M-041-O1-MBuckLimited
Sep 12–20
A
101 of 232

Deer rifle, 7

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
D-F-041-O2-RDoeLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
B
4 of 8
D-M-041-O2-RBuckLimited
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
372 of 581
D-M-041-P2-RBuckPrivate land only
Oct 24–Nov 1
A
146 of 180
D-F-041-O3-RDoeLimited
Nov 7–15
B
5 of 8
D-M-041-O3-RBuckLimited
Nov 7–15
A
507 of 731
D-M-041-P3-RBuckPrivate land only
Nov 7–15
A
104 of 143
D-M-041-O4-RBuckLimited
Nov 18–22
A
88 of 149

Moose muzzleloader, 1

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
M-F-041-O1-MCowLimited
Sep 12–20
A
0 of 1

Moose rifle, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
M-F-041-O1-RCowLimited
Oct 1–14
A
0 of 8
M-F-041-L1-RCowLimited, late
Oct 14–18
Oct 24–Nov 1
Nov 7–15
Nov 18–22
A
3 of 5

Black bear archery, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
B-E-041-O1-AEither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
B
13 taken
B-E-041-U1-AEither sexOTC
Sep 2–30
B
14 taken

Black bear muzzleloader, 2

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
B-E-041-O1-MEither sexLimited
Sep 12–20
B
1 taken
B-E-041-U1-MEither sexOTC
Sep 12–20
B
3 taken

Black bear rifle, 4

CodeAnimalLicenseDaysList2025 take
B-E-041-O1-REither sexLimited
Sep 2–30
B
109 taken
B-E-041-P1-REither sexPrivate land only
Sep 2–30
C
8 taken
B-E-041-P5-REither sexPrivate land only
Oct 1–Nov 22
C
4 taken
B-E-041-U5-REither sexOTC
Oct 14–18
Oct 24–Nov 1
Nov 7–15
Nov 18–22
B
10 taken

Code harvest for 2025 is shown as taken of hunters; bear rows show bears taken.

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 421 success rates

Elk: 657 taken by 3,432 hunters in GMU 421 during 2024 (19%).

934 deer hunters in the unit took 406 deer, 43% of them filling a tag.

72 black bears were taken in GMU 421.

14,840 elk is the 2025 post-hunt figure for the herd made of GMUs 41, 411, 42, 421, 52, 521.

The 2025 elk hunt codes with 421 in the code took 109 over 5,296 days.

Last lion season the group containing GMU 421 reached 17.

2024 take in GMU 421 by species0200400600800deer: 406406deerelk: 657657elkbear: 7272bear
GameHarvestMake-upHuntersSuccessRec. days
Deer406384/22/093443%4,609
Elk657327/300/303,43219%21,049
Black bear7252/20——243

Herd unit figures, 2025

SpeciesDAUHarvestHuntersSuccessPost-huntSex ratio
DeerD-121,5042,47361%19,03029
ElkE-142,08611,74518%14,84020

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 421 SWAs, trust land and forests

Across GMU 421 there are 6 public land listings, from 2 state wildlife areas to 0 state trust parcels.

National forest and BLM pieces follow federal rules; state parcels need a license or SWA pass for anyone 16 or over.

State wildlife areas, 2

BLM offices, 1

National forests, 1

Ranger districts, 1

State parks, 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.

Close to GMU 421

The nearest listed towns are over 10 miles from GMU 421.

These GMUs share at least one county with GMU 421; the nearest are listed first with their 2024 take.

GMUCommon countiesSq miElk harvestDeer harvestCodes
GMU 411
Mesa
23013319635
GMU 41
Mesa
32834828839
GMU 40
Mesa
74430826831
GMU 31
Garfield
Mesa
70245325333
GMU 30
Mesa
Garfield
86925012937
GMU 32
Garfield
30116511132
GMU 42
Garfield
Mesa
60665945336
GMU 33
Garfield
41631142938

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.

When hunting light starts in GMU 421

In GMU 421, the light goose conservation order and furbearer hunting both run to half an hour after sunset.

DayMomentFirst sunLast sunRifle hoursShotgun hours
Aug 15, 2026Pronghorn archery opens6:26 a.m.8:11 p.m.5:56 a.m. to 8:41 p.m.5:56 a.m. to 8:11 p.m.
Sep 2, 2026Elk/deer archery6:43 a.m.7:45 p.m.6:13 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.6:13 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Sep 12, 2026Muzzleloader opens6:51 a.m.7:29 p.m.6:21 a.m. to 7:59 p.m.6:21 a.m. to 7:29 p.m.
Oct 3, 2026Duck season opens7:10 a.m.6:55 p.m.6:40 a.m. to 7:25 p.m.6:40 a.m. to 6:55 p.m.
Oct 24, 2026Second rifle opens7:31 a.m.6:24 p.m.7:01 a.m. to 6:54 p.m.7:01 a.m. to 6:24 p.m.
Nov 23, 2026Lion season opens7:05 a.m.4:56 p.m.6:35 a.m. to 5:26 p.m.6:35 a.m. to 4:56 p.m.
Dec 21, 2026Shortest day7:29 a.m.4:54 p.m.6:59 a.m. to 5:24 p.m.6:59 a.m. to 4:54 p.m.

Furbearer night rules are in the CPW small game brochure.

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.

GMU pages near unit 421

The four closest GMU pages, then statewide guides.

GMU 411

230 sq mi

GMU 52

265 sq mi

GMU 41

328 sq mi

GMU 40

744 sq mi

All GMUsHunting seasonsCWD testing
Desert bighorn sheep standing among red rocks and junipers in Mesa County
Desert bighorn sheep standing among red rocks and junipers in Mesa CountyPhoto: james michael thomas (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mount Garfield and the gray Book Cliffs above the Colorado River valley near Grand Junction, Mesa County
Mount Garfield and the gray Book Cliffs above the Colorado River valley near Grand Junction, Mesa CountyPhoto: Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains beyond pines and a valley in central Colorado
Snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains beyond pines and a valley in central ColoradoPhoto: U.S. Department of Agriculture (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

GMU 421 questions

Which towns sit in GMU 421?

None on our list.

Which counties does GMU 421 cross?

GMU 421 covers 541 square miles in Mesa and Garfield; Mesa County has 100% of it.

Which species have hunt codes in GMU 421?

Elk, deer, moose and black bear, across 36 codes.

Is there a 4-point rule in GMU 421?

Yes, in all seasons, on public and private land.

Is GMU 421 a CWD testing unit?

Yes, GMU 421 is one of 64 units on the 2026 list.

Can I hunt lions in GMU 421?

Yes, November 23, 2026 to March 31, 2027, until group 6 reaches 31.

Can I buy an OTC turkey license for GMU 421?

Spring: OTC. Fall: OTC.

How many elk were taken in GMU 421?

657 in 2024, 19% success.

Where can I hunt public land in GMU 421?

The biggest are BLM Grand Junction Field Office and Grand Valley Ranger District (Grand Mesa National Forest, Uncompahgre National Forest).

What population estimate covers GMU 421?

14,840 (2025 post-hunt, units 41, 411, 42, 421, 52, 521).

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