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Paonia State Park: where and how to hunt
State park in Gunnison County, about 1,250 acres.
Photo: Sean Bartell (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Paonia State Park
Paonia State Park: licenses, dates and restrictions
A parks pass, by the day or the year, is the price of entry to Paonia State Park. Only designated parts of the park are huntable, and only in season (#100.b.3).
Park-specific rules for Paonia State Park that touch hunting:
- During any hunting season all year, lawful methods of hunting may be used in areas not prohibiting such use.
From the agency source, 2026 State Park Land and Water Regulations; checked November 5, 2026.
Paonia State Park at a glance
Measured by the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure, Paonia State Park runs to 1,250 acres. A GIS measure of the boundary gives 1,575 acres instead; this page prints the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure figure. Sorted by acreage, Paonia State Park sits at number 19 of the 31 state parks with hunting in this guide. On the CPW map it sits in Area 16 (Southwest Region) and the Paonia district.
Paonia State Park has no published species list; the season tables on this page fill that gap.
From the agency page, 2026 Recreation Lands brochure, p. 64 (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
2026-27 seasons in the units of Paonia State Park
For Paonia State Park the season list holds 31 lines across its GMUs. OTC here means black bear, elk and wild turkey; everything else is by limited license. Rows that need private land (10) stay off this table. The spring turkey rows are the 2026 season; CPW has not yet published spring 2027 dates.
| Game | Weapon | Sex | Type | First day | Last day | GMUs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 521 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited, nonresident | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | bull | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Second rifle | bull | OTC | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Third rifle | bull | OTC | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Deer | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Moose | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 521 |
| Moose | Season choice | bull | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | 53 |
| Moose | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | 521 |
| Moose | Rifle | cow | Limited, late | Oct 14, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 521 |
| Black bear | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Black bear | Archery | either sex | OTC | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Black bear | Rifle | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | either sex | OTC | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Black bear | Rifle | either sex | OTC | Oct 14, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Mountain lion | All methods | – | Group harvest limit | Nov 23, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 53, 521 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | OTC | Apr 11, 2026 | May 31, 2026 | 53, 521 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | OTC | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | 53, 521 |
Season rows and hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; property access dates still apply; checked November 5, 2026.
GMU rules that reach Paonia State Park
GMU overlay for Paonia State Park (2 units): GMU 53, GMU 521.
GMU 53 and GMU 521 carry the elk antler point restriction. Elk CWD testing GMUs here: GMU 521 (selected rifle hunt codes). Group 9 set the lion harvest limit here.
| Unit | Counties | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| GMU 53 | Gunnison, Delta | elk antler point rule, lion group 9, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 521 | Gunnison, Delta | elk antler point rule, elk CWD testing, lion group 9 |
GMU totals from 2024 give a sense of the game: GMU 521 produced 407 elk.
| Unit | Game | 2024 harvest | Hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 53 | Elk | 326 | 2,033 | 16% |
| GMU 53 | Deer | 280 | 387 | 72% |
| GMU 53 | Black bear | 72 | – | – |
| GMU 521 | Elk | 407 | 2,197 | 19% |
| GMU 521 | Deer | 213 | 463 | 46% |
| GMU 521 | Black bear | 58 | – | – |
GMU overlay from the CPW Big Game GMU layer; unit rules from the 2026 Big Game brochure; 2024 elk harvest by GMU, 2024 deer harvest by GMU, 2024 pronghorn harvest by GMU, 2024 bear harvest by GMU; checked November 5, 2026.
Route and map files for Paonia State Park
Coordinates used on this page: 38.9595, -107.3456.
point from CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid); checked November 5, 2026.
Supply towns and CPW help near Paonia State Park
The handiest town is Paonia, 15 miles off in a straight line. A bigger stop is Glenwood Springs: population 10,311 in 2024. CPW Gunnison Office is the closest CPW office, about 36 miles.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paonia | Delta | 1,464 | 15 miles | southwest |
| Carbondale | Garfield | 6,758 | 31 miles | north |
| Aspen | Pitkin | 6,556 | 32 miles | northeast |
| Gunnison | Gunnison | 6,821 | 36 miles | southeast |
| Glenwood Springs | Garfield | 10,311 | 41 miles | north |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); CPW offices from the CPW Contact Us page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 5, 2026.
Paonia State Park and the land around it
If Paonia State Park is busy, Roeber SWA lies 14 miles to the southwest. Close by you will find 3 SWAs, 1 state park and 1 trust land parcel. No hunting at Beaver Lake State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting).
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roeber SWA | SWA | 11 | Delta | 14 miles | southwest |
| McCluskey SWA | SWA | 1,600 | Delta | 17 miles | southwest |
| Crawford State Park | State park | 381 | Delta | 24 miles | southwest |
| Whetstone Mountain STL | State trust land | 640 | Gunnison | 24 miles | southeast |
| Gunnison National Forest | National forest | 1,666,609 | Gunnison | 26 miles | south |
| Miller Ranch SWA | SWA | 1,604 | Gunnison | 27 miles | southeast |
Point: CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
Game and terrain near Paonia State Park
Shooting-light table for Paonia State Park
Walk-In Access properties open an hour before sunrise and close an hour after sunset, two hours for waterfowl, deer, elk and pronghorn hunters.
| Day | Moment | First sun | Last sun | Rifle hours | Shotgun hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Pronghorn bow opener | 6:22 a.m. | 8:05 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:37 a.m. | 7:39 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 8:09 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 7:39 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:46 a.m. | 7:23 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:05 a.m. | 6:50 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Second rifle opens | 7:25 a.m. | 6:19 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:49 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:19 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:59 a.m. | 4:51 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:22 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
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.
Range stops on the way to Paonia State Park
Basalt State Wildlife Area Shooting Range (a Colorado hunting or fishing license or an SWA pass) is 33 miles from Paonia State Park. Beside it sit the closest club ranges inside 30 miles.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Paonia State Park in brief, question by question
Is there an entry fee or permit for Paonia State Park?
Daily or annual parks pass, Colorado license, designated areas only.
Roughly how much country does Paonia State Park take in?
About 1,250 acres in all.
What part of Colorado holds Paonia State Park?
Look in Gunnison County.
Which game management units cover Paonia State Park?
The CPW GMU layer gives GMU 53 and GMU 521.
Does Paonia State Park limit species?
Go by the season tables on this page; no separate list exists.
Is there OTC elk on Paonia State Park?
Not entirely; 3 OTC rows apply, such as archery (OTC, residents), and the rest need the draw.
Is CWD testing required for elk from Paonia State Park?
GMU 521: mandatory CWD sampling for listed rifle elk hunt codes. Antler point rule: GMU 53 and GMU 521.
Which town makes the best base for Paonia State Park?
Paonia, about 15 miles away in a straight line.
Which CPW contact handles Paonia State Park?
CPW Gunnison Office in Gunnison, (970) 641-7060 (36 miles away). Poaching tips can go to CPW Turn In Poachers.
Orange or pink on Paonia State Park?
Solid orange or pink, at least 500 square inches above the waist, and a hat, for firearm deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and bear.
May I use food lures for bear on Paonia State Park?
No. Food-scented sticks are illegal for bear, and knowingly luring bears with food breaks C.R.S. 33-6-131.
What legal shooting hours apply on Paonia State Park in November?
Big game: half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. On November 7, 2026 that works out to 6:11 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. in Gunnison County (NOAA solar formula).
Is there an official website for Paonia State Park?
Yes, run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife: the official page.
Paonia State Park: double-check list
Confirm your hunt code, GMU and the open dates for Paonia State Park before you load the truck.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Checked November 5, 2026.
Other photos on this page: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).