Colorado Unit 137 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 137 sits on the eastern plains, a low-elevation unit ranging from 4,384 to 5,662 feet across 369,726 acres of mixed terrain. For mule deer hunters digging into the draw data, this unit presents a distinctive profile: every hunt here is limited-quota, public land is scarce, and the surrounding counties carry a strong trophy pedigree. That combination makes Unit 137 worth a hard look for hunters who have the points to spend and the patience to secure access on the ground.

This is not a unit a hunter stumbles into casually. With only 13% public land, most of Unit 137 is private agricultural and ranch ground, and the hunting experience here is shaped as much by landowner relationships and access logistics as it is by animal density. Hunters researching this unit on HuntPilot will find a unit that rewards preparation — both in the draw and in pre-season legwork to lock down a place to hunt.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 137 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is: it depends heavily on access planning, not just drawing the tag. Unit 137 is a 100% limited-quota unit — there is no general season fallback here, which means every hunter in the field has drawn a specific tag for antlered or either-sex deer. That alone signals a managed, lower-pressure unit relative to general-season country, and it explains why trophy potential in the surrounding counties is strong.

But the numbers tell a more nuanced story depending on the year. In 2025, harvest data shows 2,446 hunters afield with 875 deer harvested, a 36% success rate — a dramatically larger hunter pool than in the two years prior. Compare that to 2024, when just 174 hunters harvested 84 deer for a 48% success rate, and 2023, when 189 hunters harvested 108 deer for a 57% success rate. That's a massive swing in hunter volume with a corresponding drop in success rate, which suggests either a significant increase in tag allocation or a change in how hunts are being counted for this unit. Hunters should treat the 2023–2024 window as the more typical pattern for this unit — success rates in the high-40s to high-50s with a smaller, more exclusive hunter pool — while recognizing that 2025 represented a different animal entirely in terms of both pressure and success.

The access reality is the biggest variable HuntPilot's data highlights. With just 13% public land, the majority of Unit 137 is private, and DIY hunters without landowner access or a lease will be working a small fraction of the available ground. This isn't a unit where a hunter can show up, find a trailhead, and start covering miles of public dirt. Public land is genuinely limited here, and that scarcity should factor directly into a hunter's decision to apply — securing access should happen before the tag does, not after.

Given the strong trophy history tied to the surrounding counties, Unit 137 is worth applying for primarily by hunters who already have, or are willing to build, a private-land access plan. For a DIY hunter with no connections and no plan beyond public ground, the 13% public land figure should be a serious caution flag.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The only survey data available for Unit 137 comes from 2024, showing a buck:doe ratio of 28:100 across a single survey year. That ratio is on the low side for mule deer and, with only one year of data to draw from, it's difficult to call this a definitive trend. A single-year snapshot doesn't establish whether the herd's buck ratio is improving, declining, or holding steady — it simply reflects conditions observed in that specific survey. Hunters should treat this figure as a data point rather than a verdict on herd quality, and should look to HuntPilot's unit page for any updated survey years as they become available. Given the limited survey history, hunters applying here should weigh the harvest data and trophy history more heavily than this single buck:doe figure when forming expectations for buck density on the ground.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 137 reflect a strong history of producing trophy-class mule deer. It's worth noting that record-book entries are logged at the county level, not the unit level — meaning the records attributed to this area are shared with neighboring units that overlap the same counties, and any given record animal could have been taken in Unit 137 or in an adjacent unit. That caveat aside, the underlying signal is real: this is a part of Colorado with a documented track record of mature, big-antlered bucks coming out of it across multiple seasons.

Combined with the fact that every hunt here runs through limited-quota draw allocation rather than general season pressure, the trophy history makes sense. Lower hunter density per tag, combined with difficult access to much of the private ground, allows bucks in this area to age into their potential rather than getting pressured hard every year. Hunters chasing a genuinely mature buck — not just meat in the freezer — should view Unit 137's trophy pedigree as one of its strongest selling points, tempered by the reality that getting onto the right ground to connect with one of those bucks requires real access work.

Access & Terrain

Unit 137 is low-elevation plains country, ranging from 4,384 to 5,662 feet — a relatively modest elevation band that keeps terrain gentler than what hunters find in Colorado's mountain units. There's no wilderness designation in this unit, so there are no wilderness-specific access restrictions to plan around.

The defining access characteristic here is the public land figure: just 13% of the unit's 369,726 acres is public. That means roughly seven out of every eight acres in Unit 137 sit on private ground. For hunters accustomed to western public-land DIY hunts where double-digit percentages in the 40s, 50s, or higher are common, this unit is a different animal entirely. The majority of huntable ground requires either a landowner relationship, a lease arrangement, or a guided/outfitted hunt on private property.

Forum discussion among hunters who've drawn tags here consistently echoes this reality — hunters drawing Unit 137 tags report scrambling to find trespass permission or a guide after the fact, rather than planning around abundant public access. The lesson for anyone considering this unit is to flip that order: identify an access plan before applying, whether that means scouting private landowner contacts, researching lease options, or budgeting for a guided hunt. Showing up to a 13% public unit without a plan is a recipe for a frustrating season regardless of how many points were spent to draw the tag.

Terrain itself is characteristic of eastern Colorado plains country — rolling agricultural ground mixed with pockets of native grassland and brush, offering different cover and feeding patterns than mountain mule deer habitat. Hunters should expect to do their glassing and stalking in more open country, where visibility is good but concealment and water sources become the key variables in locating bucks.

Harvest Success Rates

Breaking down the three years of available harvest data shows meaningful year-to-year variation that hunters should factor into expectations:

• 2023: 189 hunters, 108 harvested, 57% success
• 2024: 174 hunters, 84 harvested, 48% success
• 2025: 2,446 hunters, 875 harvested, 36% success

The 2023 and 2024 figures represent a more typical limited-quota pattern — a relatively small number of hunters afield posting success rates in the high-40s to high-50s percent range, consistent with a well-managed, lower-pressure draw unit. The 2025 figures stand apart dramatically, with over ten times the hunter volume and a meaningfully lower success rate. Hunters evaluating this unit should recognize that success rate alone doesn't tell the whole story — the dramatic shift in hunter numbers between 2024 and 2025 suggests a change in tag quantities or how hunts are being tracked for this unit, and prospective applicants should check HuntPilot's current unit page for the most up-to-date breakdown before assuming either extreme represents a "normal" year.

How to Apply

Colorado mule deer tags in Unit 137 are allocated entirely through the state's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season option here, so every hunter pursuing antlered or either-sex deer in this unit must apply and draw a specific tag. Colorado's draw system is based on true preference points, meaning hunters who accumulate enough points over time can eventually reach a guaranteed draw level on many hunts, rather than functioning as a simple weighted lottery. This makes Unit 137 a unit where point strategy matters — residents and nonresidents alike should check current point requirements for this specific unit's hunts before planning an application strategy.

Colorado maintains separate resident and nonresident applicant pools, and nonresidents should expect this unit's trophy reputation combined with its limited public access to make it a sought-after, competitive draw. Given that every hunt in Unit 137 runs through the draw, hunters without points already built up should budget for a multi-year point-building strategy rather than expecting a first-year draw.

Application structure, point requirements, deadlines, and fees change from cycle to cycle, so rather than citing specific numbers here, hunters should go directly to HuntPilot's Colorado state page at /states/CO for the current application windows, point requirements, and draw odds specific to Unit 137's hunts. The official Colorado Parks and Wildlife website is also a reliable source for the published regulations and application calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 137? Unit 137 is low-elevation plains country, ranging from roughly 4,384 to 5,662 feet. It's gentler terrain than Colorado's mountain units, consisting of rolling agricultural ground, native grassland, and brush cover typical of the eastern plains. There is no wilderness designation in this unit.

What is harvest success like in Unit 137? Harvest success has varied significantly by year. In 2023, 189 hunters harvested 108 deer for a 57% success rate; in 2024, 174 hunters harvested 84 deer for a 48% success rate. In 2025, hunter numbers jumped sharply to 2,446 with 875 harvested, a 36% success rate. The 2023–2024 window is likely more representative of typical conditions in this limited-quota unit.

How big are the mule deer in Unit 137? Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping this unit point to a strong history of trophy-class bucks coming from the area, though those records are logged at the county level and shared with neighboring units. Combined with a 100% limited-quota hunt structure that reduces overall hunting pressure, the area has real potential to produce mature bucks for hunters who can secure quality access.

Is Unit 137 worth applying for? It's worth applying for if a hunter has, or can secure, a private-land access plan — with just 13% public land, the majority of this unit sits on private ground. The trophy history and fully limited-quota hunt structure make it appealing for hunters chasing a mature buck, but DIY hunters relying solely on public access will find very little ground to work with.

What is the buck:doe ratio in Unit 137? The most recent survey year, 2024, showed a buck:doe ratio of 28:100. That's based on a single year of survey data, so it should be viewed as a limited data point rather than an established trend — hunters should check HuntPilot's unit page for additional survey years as they become available.