Hunting Near Denver

Mapped public tracts by Denver

Distances are straight-line miles from the Denver town point to the nearest edge of each area; driving distance is longer, especially in the mountains. The 25-mile ring around Denver takes in 3 state parks, 3 state wildlife areas, 1 national wildlife refuge, 1 national forest, 1 ranger district and 1 BLM field office area.

Distances and acres from places.json and lands.json (CPW Managed Properties layer, PAD-US 4.1, BLM and USFS layers; GIS measures, not surveyed acreage), CPW SWA finder and STL finder. Checked November 5, 2026.

Hunt codes valid near Denver

Before applying, match the GMU you plan to hunt near Denver to a hunt code that lists it.

At 1,453 square miles, GMU 104 stretches across Adams, Douglas, Arapahoe, Elbert and Denver. Every elk hunt code that lists GMU 104 is limited (11 codes), so elk near Denver means applying in the draw or finding a leftover. GMU 104 sits in lion group 20, with a harvest limit of 22. The 2025 post-hunt counts list the elk herd E-51 at about 3,480, deer herd D-49 at about 5,250 and pronghorn herd A-35 at about 3,800. About 230 elk came out of GMU 104 in 2024, from 432 hunters afield. Across a unit line sits GMU 38, which takes in Jefferson, Gilpin and Clear Creek; deer codes there number 15. GMU 391 spreads over Jefferson, Arapahoe and Denver; its 2026 lists hold 8 limited elk codes and 8 limited deer codes.

Read the code columns as limited licenses / over-the-counter licenses for 2026.

Unit-wide 2024 harvest, with hunter success in brackets where CPW gives it.

Hunt codes and valid GMUs from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure; elk antler point GMUs (CPW), CWD testing GMUs (CPW), lion groups (2026-2027 Mountain Lion brochure), turkey units (2026 Turkey brochure); 2024 harvest (CPW harvest statistics); 2025 herd estimates (CPW); GMU areas from the CPW GMU layer. Checked November 5, 2026.

Openers and closers for Denver hunters

119 dated seasons for 41 species reach the GMUs around Denver or Denver County; 76 of them are big game rows tied to units.

From the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the 2026 Turkey brochure and the 2026-2027 Mountain Lion brochure; hunt codes and exact GMU lists are in the brochure tables. Checked November 5, 2026.

Denver CPW contacts

For district wildlife managers, licenses and reports, Denver hunters use the CPW Northeast Region and its Area 5 office.

CPW offices and areas from the CPW Contact Us page and the CPW Area Boundary layer; ranger district and BLM office towns from the USFS and BLM office layers (places.json). Checked November 5, 2026.

Denver area hunting events

Thirty crow-flight miles out there are 13 listings ahead as of November 4, 2026. 6 of the classes were full or closed to sign-up when checked; the button shows the live status.

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Neighbouring bases for Denver hunters

Hunters often compare Denver with these nearby towns.

Map out a Denver season

From Denver, the next stops are the county guide and the GMU pages.