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Ranger district in the CPW Northeast Region
South Platte Ranger District, Pike NF hunting access and seasons
National forest ranger district in Park County and 4 more counties, 408,365 acres.
Photo: Michael Kwok (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to South Platte Ranger District, Pike NF
What the agency says about South Platte Ranger District
South Platte Ranger District takes in 408,365 acres according to the USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics. Size places it 15th out of 32 ranger districts in Colorado. 4 ranger districts touch Park County, and South Platte Ranger District is one of the set.
Hunting opportunities on record: Deer, Pronghorn, Elk.
From the agency page (USDA Forest Service); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around South Platte Ranger District, Pike NF
What South Platte Ranger District allows and forbids
State licenses and CPW seasons govern hunting on the federal land of South Platte Ranger District. 36 CFR 261.10(d) sets a 150-yard buffer around dwellings, camps and developed sites and forbids shooting across roads or water. Check the Motor Vehicle Use Map before driving any forest road or trail.
The USFS page says: Hunting, fishing and shooting opportunities of all kinds can be found on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands.
Hunting opportunities include small game birds or waterfowl on the grasslands and hunting deer, pronghorn or elk on the forested districts.
Cast your line from the banks or a boat for some great fishing! Fishing opportunities include lake and pond fishing, river and stream fishing and ice fishing.
In general, recreational shooting is allowed on most National Forest System lands. However, discharging a firearm is always prohibited within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area; into or within a cave; across or on a National Forest System road or a nearby body of water or in any manner or place where any person or property is exposed to injury or damage (36 CFR 261.10(d)).
From the agency source; checked November 5, 2026.
South Platte Ranger District route and map files
South Platte Ranger District is plotted at 39.3509, -105.3249 on the statewide map.
point from CPW Hunting Atlas Land Management (COMaP) Forest Service polygons inside the USFS EDW Ranger Districts boundary (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside) of the largest part); checked November 5, 2026.
GMUs and unit rules on South Platte Ranger District
Big game licenses here are sold by unit, and South Platte Ranger District touches 6 GMUs: GMU 46, GMU 51, GMU 461, GMU 500, GMU 501, GMU 511.
Elk antler point restrictions apply in GMU 511. Mandatory free CWD testing applies to listed rifle elk hunt codes in GMU 500 and GMU 501. For lions, the units fall in harvest-limit groups 5 and 11.
| Unit | Where | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| GMU 46 | Park, Clear Creek, Jefferson | lion group 5, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 51 | Douglas | lion group 5, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 461 | Jefferson, Park | lion group 5, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 500 | Park | elk CWD testing, lion group 5, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 501 | Park, Jefferson | elk CWD testing, lion group 5, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 511 | Teller, El Paso, Park | elk antler point rule, lion group 11, spring turkey OTC |
CPW publishes harvest by GMU, not by property. In 2024, GMU 51 led these units with 330 deer taken.
| GMU | Animal | Taken | Hunters | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 46 | Elk | 54 | 241 | 22% |
| GMU 46 | Deer | 147 | 376 | 39% |
| GMU 46 | Black bear | 1 | – | – |
| GMU 51 | Elk | 188 | 623 | 30% |
| GMU 51 | Deer | 330 | 559 | 59% |
| GMU 51 | Black bear | 13 | – | – |
| GMU 461 | Elk | 26 | 132 | 20% |
| GMU 461 | Deer | 128 | 277 | 46% |
| GMU 461 | Black bear | 4 | – | – |
| GMU 500 | Elk | 234 | 777 | 30% |
| GMU 500 | Deer | 20 | 108 | 18% |
| GMU 500 | Pronghorn | 2 | 19 | 12% |
| GMU 501 | Elk | 125 | 378 | 33% |
| GMU 501 | Deer | 216 | 368 | 59% |
| GMU 501 | Pronghorn | 4 | 9 | 44% |
| GMU 511 | Elk | 95 | 1,425 | 7% |
| GMU 511 | Deer | 296 | 534 | 55% |
| GMU 511 | Pronghorn | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| GMU 511 | Black bear | 3 | – | – |
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.
South Platte Ranger District season calendar by GMU
The units of South Platte Ranger District carry 34 big game seasons this year. You can buy an OTC license for elk here; other rows are limited. We dropped 8 rows valid only on private land or enrolled ranches. The table follows the species list for South Platte Ranger District, which removes 20 rows.
| Species | Season | Sex | Kind | From | To | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Archery | cow | Limited, nonresident | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Archery | cow | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited, nonresident | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | bull | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 511 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Second rifle | bull | OTC | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Third rifle | bull | OTC | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 511 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited, late | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Deer | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 511 |
| Deer | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 501 + |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 46, 501, 511 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 500 + |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 46, 501, 511 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 46, 51, 461, 501 + |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 46 |
| Pronghorn | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Aug 15, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Pronghorn | Archery | doe | Limited draw | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 500, 501 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 500, 501 |
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.
Counties of South Platte Ranger District
South Platte Ranger District belongs to Pike National Forest.
| County | NFS acres |
|---|---|
| Park County | 178,112 |
| Douglas County | 108,271 |
| Jefferson County | 101,240 |
| Clear Creek County | 14,086 |
| Teller County | 6,656 |
From the agency source, USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics; checked November 5, 2026.
Mapped neighbours of South Platte Ranger District
Mcarthur Gulch STL sits 12 miles west of the South Platte Ranger District point. Nearby public places include 4 SWAs and 2 trust land parcels. Neighbours closed to hunting: Staunton State Park (no hunting designation), Roxborough State Park (no hunting designation) and Chatfield State Park (no hunting designation).
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcarthur Gulch STL | State trust land | 480 | Park | 12 miles | west |
| Four Mile SWA | SWA | 362 | Douglas | 13 miles | southeast |
| Crooked Top STL | State trust land | 400 | Park | 13 miles | northwest |
| Sharptail Ridge SWA | SWA | 699 | Douglas | 16 miles | northeast |
| Tarryall Reservoir SWA | SWA | 711 | Park | 18 miles | southwest |
| Mount Evans SWA | SWA | 3,438 | Clear Creek | 20 miles | northwest |
Point: CPW Hunting Atlas Land Management (COMaP) Forest Service polygons inside the USFS EDW Ranger Districts boundary (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside) of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
South Platte Ranger District: nearby towns, shops and the CPW office
Measured in a straight line, Westcreek is 16 miles from South Platte Ranger District. For a full-size grocery run, Lakewood (156,868 people) is the pick. You can reach the Littleton CPW office in about 21 miles of straight line.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westcreek | Douglas | – | 16 miles | southeast |
| Littleton | Arapahoe | 44,879 | 23 miles | northeast |
| Castle Rock | Douglas | 83,213 | 25 miles | east |
| Lakewood | Jefferson | 156,868 | 26 miles | northeast |
| Englewood | Arapahoe | 35,238 | 27 miles | northeast |
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.
South Platte Ranger District: when the legal day starts and ends
Big game light near South Platte Ranger District starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; turkeys, small game and ducks end at sunset.
| Day | Marker | Sun up | Sun down | Elk and deer | Turkey and ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Pronghorn bow opener | 6:15 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 5:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. | 5:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:32 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:40 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:48 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck season opens | 6:59 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Second rifle opens | 7:21 a.m. | 6:13 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 6:43 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 6:13 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:54 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:18 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 4:43 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.
Landscape and game around South Platte Ranger District
Range stops on the way to South Platte Ranger District (Pike National Forest)
Staunton State Park Archery Range (a state parks pass) is 10 miles from South Platte Ranger District (Pike National Forest). 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.
South Platte Ranger District: questions hunters ask
What game can be hunted on South Platte Ranger District?
The agency lists deer, pronghorn and elk.
Is elk on South Platte Ranger District draw only?
Yes, for part of the elk calendar: 4 rows, including archery (OTC, residents). Leftover licenses went on sale August 4.
Which special elk rules cover South Platte Ranger District?
Free mandatory CWD tests apply to some rifle elk codes in GMU 500 and GMU 501. GMU 511 carry the elk antler point restriction.
Where do I buy gas and ice near South Platte Ranger District?
Westcreek is 16 miles from the record point.
Where do I report trouble on South Platte Ranger District?
CPW Littleton Office in Littleton, (303) 791-1954 (21 miles away); CPW offices close on state holidays.
Must I wear blaze orange or pink on South Platte Ranger District?
Yes for firearm big game: 500 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink on the upper body and a matching head covering. Camo orange does not count.
Can deer or elk be baited on South Platte Ranger District?
No. Deer and elk may not be hunted over bait; migratory bird hunters also follow the federal 10-day baited-area rule.
When does big game light begin and end on South Platte Ranger District?
Big game 6:06 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. on November 7, 2026 at the Park County centre; turkey, small game and ducks stop at sunset.
Which agency page should I check for South Platte Ranger District?
The USDA Forest Service page has the current rules.
What does it take to hunt South Platte Ranger District legally?
No extra permit; buy the Colorado license for the GMU and season.
What acreage does the record give for South Platte Ranger District?
All told it takes in 408,365 acres.
What part of Colorado holds South Platte Ranger District?
Look in Park County, Douglas County, Jefferson County, Clear Creek County and Teller County.
What hunt code unit applies to South Platte Ranger District?
It overlaps GMU 46, GMU 51, GMU 461, GMU 500, GMU 501 and GMU 511.
Wrap-up for South Platte Ranger District
Property rules, closures and reservation needs on South Platte Ranger District can change mid-season; posted signs and the agency page have the last word.
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 Mountain Prairie (Public domain).