Colorado

The ultimate high-country destination. OTC archery elk, steep mule deer draws, and endless national forest acreage.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Colorado

Official Regulatory Authority

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) manages over 350 designated State Wildlife Areas (SWAs) encompassing hundreds of thousands of acres of critical wildlife habitat statewide. In addition, Colorado features more than 23 million acres of federal public lands—including 11 National Forests and 8.3 million acres of BLM territory. A valid hunting or fishing license, or an SWA access pass, is required to enter all CPW State Wildlife Areas. Colorado is internationally recognized as the elk capital of the world, offering unmatched high-altitude hunting for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and mountain lion.

Clear Creek County | 3,438 Acres

Mount Evans State Wildlife Area

Located in Clear Creek County on the slopes of Mount Evans. Encompassing subalpine spruce-fir forests, willow wetlands, and alpine tundra from 8,400 to 10,600 feet. Managed strictly to protect elk calving areas and bighorn sheep habitat, providing exceptional early-season archery and muzzleloader hunting for elk, mule deer, and blue grouse.

Sangre de Cristo & Front Range | 3,000+ Acres Combined

North Lake & Beaver Creek State Wildlife Areas

North Lake SWA in Las Animas County offers pristine montane timber and lake access along the Purgatoire River for elk and mule deer hunting. Beaver Creek SWA (2,227 acres) in Fremont County features rugged red granite canyons and pinyon-juniper hills, renowned for bighorn sheep, mule deer, and black bear hunting.

Eastern Plains Shortgrass | 28,300+ Acres Combined

Karney Ranch & Jumping Cow State Wildlife Areas

Karney Ranch SWA (13,580 acres) in eastern El Paso County and Jumping Cow SWA (14,733 acres) in Elbert County protect massive tracts of shortgrass prairie, sand sagebrush, and spring draws. Access is managed through limited drawing permits for trophy mule deer, pronghorn, and scaled quail.

Southeast Canyons & Plains | 15,600+ Acres Combined

Two Buttes Reservoir & Sikes Ranch State Wildlife Areas

Two Buttes SWA (8,533 acres) in Prowers and Baca counties offers dramatic sandstone canyon breaks, cottonwood bottoms, and wetlands for waterfowl, bobwhite quail, pheasant, and whitetail deer. Sikes Ranch SWA (7,139 acres) features rugged pinyon-juniper canyons for elk and mule deer.

Front Range & South Platte | 1,900+ Acres Combined

Wellington & Shriver-Wright State Wildlife Areas

Wellington SWA (1,793 acres) in Larimer County provides prime agricultural and wetland cover for ring-necked pheasant, mourning dove, and waterfowl along the Front Range. Shriver-Wright SWA (120 acres) on the South Platte River provides walk-in waterfowl and archery whitetail deer hunting.