Colorado Unit 117 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 117 is a limited-quota pronghorn unit that demands careful research before hunters invest application points or travel plans. With only 4% public land across its 287,307 acres, this unit presents a fundamentally different hunting proposition than the sprawling public pronghorn country found elsewhere on Colorado's eastern plains. Hunters searching for Colorado Unit 117 pronghorn hunting information need to understand this access reality before anything else.

Sitting at a modest elevation range of 3,803 to 4,349 feet, Unit 117 sits in classic low-relief pronghorn habitat — open, flat-to-rolling terrain typical of the plains where pronghorn thrive. But terrain suitability for the species is only half the equation. The other half is who controls the ground, and in this unit, private landowners hold the overwhelming majority of it.

Hunt Structure: A Draw-Only Unit

Unit 117 has no general season. Every pronghorn hunt here, including those for antlered (buck) animals, is allocated through Colorado's limited-quota draw system. This is an important distinction for hunters coming from states or units where over-the-counter tags are the norm — there's no walk-in option here. Hunters must successfully draw a tag through Colorado Parks and Wildlife's application process before they can hunt this unit at all, regardless of residency.

Because every hunt category is limited-quota, understanding draw odds for the specific hunt code and residency type a hunter is targeting is essential before applying. Colorado operates a true preference point system, meaning the highest point holders draw first — a high enough point total can functionally guarantee a tag in many units. Current draw odds and point requirements change every cycle, so hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado page for the specific hunt codes available in Unit 117 and the most recent draw statistics tied to them.

Harvest Success Rates

Harvest data for Unit 117 shows meaningful year-to-year variation, which is worth examining closely before hunters decide whether to spend points here.

• 2025: 601 hunters, 336 harvested — 56% success
• 2024: 120 hunters, 40 harvested — 33% success
• 2023: 80 hunters, 28 harvested — 35% success
• 2022: 69 hunters, 22 harvested — 32% success
• 2021: 148 hunters, 69 harvested — 47% success
• 2020: 205 hunters, 68 harvested — 33% success

The jump in 2025 — both in hunter numbers (601, nearly five times the 2024 total) and success rate (56%) — stands out sharply against the prior five years, which hovered in the 32-47% range with far fewer hunters afield. That kind of swing typically reflects a significant change in tag allocation or hunt structure for that season rather than a sudden shift in herd behavior. Hunters should not assume the 56% figure represents the "new normal" for this unit; the 2020-2024 average, clustered in the low-to-mid 30s with a 2021 outlier near 47%, is a more conservative baseline for planning purposes.

What's consistent across all six years is that success rates generally sit in a moderate range rather than the near-automatic success seen on some easy-draw pronghorn hunts elsewhere in the state. Hunters drawing a tag in Unit 117 should expect a real hunt, not a formality — scouting, time afield, and the ability to work with whatever access is available will matter.

Herd Health & Population Trends

Survey data covering six years between 2018 and 2024 shows an average buck:doe ratio of 37:100 for Unit 117. This is a workable ratio for pronghorn — not exceptional, but within a normal range for a unit that supports consistent buck harvest. It does not suggest an unusually buck-heavy or doe-heavy population, and it doesn't carry any of the red flags (artificially inflated single-year spikes, for example) that would suggest a small sample-size anomaly. Taken as a multi-year average across six survey cycles, 37:100 is a reasonably stable indicator that the herd structure in this unit has held steady rather than trending sharply in either direction.

Hunters should keep in mind that a 37:100 ratio reflects herd composition broadly, not an index of mature buck availability specifically. It's a useful data point for understanding general herd health, but it doesn't substitute for scouting or trophy-specific research.

Access & Terrain

This is the section that matters most for anyone considering Unit 117: public land accounts for just 4% of the unit's 287,307 acres. There is no wilderness designation here (0%), so there are no backcountry access restrictions to worry about — but that's a minor consideration next to the overwhelming private land reality.

A 4% public land figure means the vast majority of huntable ground in Unit 117 is privately owned. This is not a unit where DIY hunters can expect to show up, find a Forest Service or BLM parcel, and go to work. Successful hunts here will typically require one of a few paths: owning or leasing private land, securing landowner permission well in advance of the season, booking with an outfitter who holds private land access, or being prepared to hunt the small percentage of public ground that does exist — which will likely see concentrated pressure from the handful of other hunters drawing tags for the same limited public acreage.

The terrain itself, based on the unit's elevation band (3,803–4,349 feet), is consistent with the open, low-relief plains and rolling grassland typical of eastern Colorado pronghorn country. That terrain type suits pronghorn well and generally allows for long-range spotting and stalking — but with so little public access, the terrain's suitability for pronghorn doesn't translate into terrain's suitability for unrestricted hunter access. Hunters should budget real time and effort into lining up access before they ever draw a tag, not after.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 117 Worth Applying For?

Unit 117 is a mixed bag, and the honest answer depends entirely on a hunter's access situation and goals.

The case against applying without access lined up: With only 4% public land, this unit is not a realistic DIY destination for the large majority of hunters who don't already have a landowner relationship, a lease, or an outfitter connection in the area. Drawing a tag here without a hunting plan already in place risks ending up in the same situation described by hunters elsewhere on Colorado's plains — public pronghorn concentrated on small parcels, competing with other hunters for the same limited ground, while the best habitat and water sources sit behind fences on private land.

The case for applying: For hunters who already have private land access secured — whether through family connections, a purchased lease, or a guide service with existing landowner relationships — Unit 117 offers a genuine limited-quota pronghorn opportunity with moderate, consistent success rates in most years and a stable herd structure based on available survey data. The 2025 harvest numbers, while possibly an outlier, do suggest the unit can produce solid results when conditions and hunter effort align.

The bottom line: Unit 117 is not a unit to blind-draw and figure out access later. It's a unit to pursue only after a hunter has a concrete access plan. Hunters without that plan should look toward units with substantially higher public land percentages, even if it means accepting a longer point-building timeline elsewhere. HuntPilot's data on this unit makes clear that the access constraint, not the herd or harvest numbers, is the deciding factor here.

No trophy record data is available for this unit, so no qualitative trophy assessment can be made. Hunters focused primarily on trophy potential should not use this article as a basis for expecting (or ruling out) exceptional bucks from Unit 117 — that data simply isn't present.

How to Apply

Because Unit 117 has no general season, every pronghorn hunter — resident or nonresident — must apply through Colorado's limited-quota draw to hunt this unit. There is no over-the-counter fallback option specific to this unit.

Colorado uses a true preference point system for its big game draws, including pronghorn. Points accumulate for hunters who apply and don't draw, and the state allocates a portion of tags to the highest point holders each cycle before filling the remainder through a weighted random process. This means a hunter's application history matters directly — the more cycles a hunter has applied without drawing, the stronger their position becomes relative to other applicants in future years. Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, so point requirements and competitiveness will differ based on residency.

Hunters should also decide up front which specific hunt code and sex designation they're applying for, since limited-quota units like this one may offer multiple hunt options with different point requirements and different numbers of tags available.

Application structure, point requirements, and current draw statistics change every cycle. For the most current deadlines, fees, and draw odds specific to Unit 117, see HuntPilot's Colorado page for up-to-date application details before submitting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 117? Unit 117 sits at a relatively low elevation range of 3,803 to 4,349 feet, consistent with open plains and rolling grassland habitat typical of eastern Colorado pronghorn country. There is no wilderness designation in this unit, so terrain access isn't restricted by backcountry regulations — the primary access challenge is land ownership, not terrain ruggedness.

What is harvest success like in Unit 117? Harvest success has varied meaningfully year to year, ranging from 32% to 56% between 2020 and 2025. Most years fall in the low-to-mid 30% range, with a notable exception in 2021 (47%) and a sharp jump in 2025 (56%) that coincided with a large increase in hunter numbers. Hunters should plan around the more typical 30s-percent range rather than assuming the 2025 figures will repeat.

Is Colorado Unit 117 worth applying for? It depends almost entirely on access. With just 4% public land, Unit 117 is a difficult unit for hunters without an existing private land connection, lease, or outfitter relationship. For hunters with access already secured, the unit offers consistent, moderate success rates and a stable herd structure. For hunters without access, the limited public ground will likely see concentrated pressure, and other units with higher public land percentages may be a better use of application points.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 117? Trophy record data is not available for this unit, so no assessment of buck size or trophy quality can be made based on current data. Hunters interested in trophy potential should treat this as an open question rather than assuming either strong or weak trophy production.

Do I need a guide or outfitter to hunt Unit 117? Colorado does not have a state-mandated guide requirement for pronghorn hunting on public or private land. However, given that 96% of the unit is private land, many hunters without existing landowner relationships will find that hiring an outfitter with established private land access is the most practical way to secure a quality hunt here.