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Military in the CPW Southeast Region
Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site: where and how to hunt
Military installation in Las Animas County (229,545 acres).
Photo: Paul Hurtado (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site
Entry requirements for Pinon Canyon
- Fort Carson / PCMS: register a free iSportsman account, read FC Reg 200-6 and the hold-harmless agreement, complete the annual downrange safety briefing(s), buy a Fort Carson DPW recreation permit (valid 1 April to 31 March), register firearms with the Provost Marshal (FC Form 66-E, can take 6 weeks), then check in daily through iSportsman for an open block and display the downrange pass.
- Colorado licenses required.
- Downrange is open only on days and blocks posted (mostly weekends in season, subject to training).
- Hunting is prohibited in Outdoor Recreation Management areas (Bird Farm, Turkey Creek Ranch) and in training areas with an active golden eagle eyrie.
From the agency source; checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site
What the agency says about Pinon Canyon
Going by the GIS area of the DoD MIRTA installation boundary, Pinon Canyon covers 229,545 acres. 3 military installations appear on this site, and by acres Pinon Canyon comes 1st.
Species are not listed for Pinon Canyon; any game in season in its GMUs may be hunted where the rules allow.
Note: PCMS recreation uses the same Fort Carson iSportsman permit, briefings and check-in; species are not listed separately on the fetched pages.
From the agency page (U.S. Army, Fort Carson Directorate of Public Works (Wildlife)); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Open seasons by unit on Pinon Canyon
In all, 30 public-land season rows apply in these GMUs. OTC options in these units: black bear, elk and wild turkey. Private-land-only and ranch rows (9) are not shown. Note: spring turkey shows 2026 dates until CPW prints 2027.
| Game | Method | Sex | Sale | Opens | Closes | GMUs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Plains rifle | either sex | OTC plains | Sep 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | 135, 147 |
| Elk | Archery | cow | OTC east of I-25 | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Archery | cow | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | OTC plains | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited, late | Oct 24, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | 142 |
| Elk | Second rifle | bull | OTC | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Third rifle | bull | OTC | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 142 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 142 |
| Deer | Archery | doe | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 147 |
| Deer | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 147 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 135, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 135, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 135, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 | 135, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 142, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 142, 147 |
| Deer | Rifle | either sex | Limited, late | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | 147 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Black bear | Plains rifle | – | OTC plains | Sep 2, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Mountain lion | All methods | – | Group harvest limit | Nov 23, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | OTC | Apr 11, 2026 | May 31, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | OTC | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | 135, 142, 147 |
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.
Which units cover Pinon Canyon
The CPW unit layer puts Pinon Canyon in 3 GMUs: GMU 135, GMU 142, GMU 147.
No antler point limit on bulls in the units of Pinon Canyon. Lion hunters check the quota for group 20 before going out.
| GMU | Counties | Flags |
|---|---|---|
| GMU 135 | Otero, Las Animas, Pueblo | lion group 20, spring turkey OTC, plains unit |
| GMU 142 | Las Animas | lion group 20, spring turkey OTC, plains unit |
| GMU 147 | Las Animas | lion group 20, spring turkey OTC, plains unit |
Read these as whole-unit numbers: the biggest 2024 total among them was 76 pronghorn in GMU 135.
| Unit | Game | 2024 harvest | Hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 135 | Elk | 26 | 188 | 14% |
| GMU 135 | Deer | 50 | 107 | 46% |
| GMU 135 | Pronghorn | 76 | 277 | 27% |
| GMU 142 | Elk | 33 | 114 | 29% |
| GMU 142 | Deer | 16 | 84 | 19% |
| GMU 142 | Pronghorn | 45 | 76 | 60% |
| GMU 147 | Elk | 26 | 100 | 26% |
| GMU 147 | Deer | 10 | 76 | 13% |
| GMU 147 | Pronghorn | 4 | 30 | 15% |
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.
Where Pinon Canyon is and how to get in
Its map point, 37.4976, -103.9181, comes from the boundary layer.
point from DoD MIRTA installation boundary (polygon centroid); checked November 5, 2026.
Towns and outfitters within reach of Pinon Canyon
Count on Hoehne, about 30 miles out, as the first town for supplies. Census 2024 counts 8,183 people in Trinidad, the largest nearby. The nearest CPW office is in Pueblo, 66 miles away.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoehne | Las Animas | – | 30 miles | southwest |
| Kim | Las Animas | 65 | 36 miles | southeast |
| Trinidad | Las Animas | 8,183 | 39 miles | southwest |
| La Junta | Otero | 6,986 | 39 miles | northeast |
| Walsenburg | Huerfano | 3,035 | 48 miles | west |
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.
Public places a short drive from Pinon Canyon
The closest other public ground is Bloom Hills STL, 11 miles to the north. Within the six nearest places are 5 trust land parcels and 1 national grassland.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloom Hills STL | State trust land | 676 | Otero | 11 miles | north |
| Red Rock STL | State trust land | 640 | Otero | 11 miles | north |
| Iron Springs STL | State trust land | 640 | Otero | 14 miles | north |
| North Devils Canyon STL | State trust land | 640 | Otero | 15 miles | north |
| Comanche National Grassland | National grassland | 443,642 | Baca | 16 miles | north |
| Bull Pasture STL | State trust land | 640 | Otero | 17 miles | north |
Point: DoD MIRTA installation boundary (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
A look at the country near Pinon Canyon
Shooting-light table for Pinon Canyon
In Pinon Canyon, the light goose conservation order and furbearer hunting both run to half an hour after sunset.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:27 a.m. | 7:26 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 7:56 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:35 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Second rifle opens | 7:12 a.m. | 6:09 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 6:39 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 6:09 p.m. |
| Oct 28, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:16 a.m. | 6:04 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:04 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:43 a.m. | 4:42 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:06 a.m. | 4:42 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 4:42 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.
Zeroing a rifle on the way to Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (U.S. Army, Fort Carson)
The closest CPW-listed range to Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (U.S. Army, Fort Carson) is Trinidad Lake Archery Range, roughly 43 miles off as the crow flies.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Pinon Canyon in brief, question by question
Which GMUs does Pinon Canyon overlap?
Units on the CPW layer: GMU 135, GMU 142 and GMU 147.
What counties does Pinon Canyon reach into?
Inside Las Animas County.
Do I need to draw for elk on Pinon Canyon?
Buy over the counter for 7 rows (plains rifle, OTC plains is one); the other elk hunts need the April draw.
Does Pinon Canyon limit species?
Go by the season tables on this page; no separate list exists.
Which town makes the best base for Pinon Canyon?
Hoehne, about 30 miles away in a straight line.
CWD and antler rules for Pinon Canyon?
No elk antler point restriction in these units. No mandatory CWD testing GMU here; deer testing is not mandatory in 2026.
What blaze orange rule applies on Pinon Canyon?
With any firearm license for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose or bear: 500 square inches of solid orange or pink above the waist plus an orange or pink hat.
Who can answer a question about conditions on Pinon Canyon?
Phone CPW Pueblo Office in Pueblo, (719) 561-5300 (66 miles away).
What clock times bound legal hunting on Pinon Canyon?
Half an hour either side of the sun for big game, which on November 7, 2026 means 5:56 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. in Las Animas County.
May I use food lures for bear on Pinon Canyon?
No. Food-scented sticks are illegal for bear, and knowingly luring bears with food breaks C.R.S. 33-6-131.
What license or pass gets me onto Pinon Canyon?
Yes, more than a license: an iSportsman account, briefings and a recreation permit, then daily check-in.
Where do I confirm the rules for Pinon Canyon?
Check the agency page run by U.S. Army, Fort Carson Directorate of Public Works (Wildlife).
How much room is there to roam on Pinon Canyon?
Listed size: 229,545 acres.
Other photos on this page: NPS Photo (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain).