Colorado Unit 138 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 138 is a limited-quota pronghorn unit in the eastern plains region of the state, and it's one that demands careful research before a hunter commits points or an application to it. With only 2% public land across its 199,477 acres, this unit presents a unique access challenge that every applicant needs to understand before drawing a tag. HuntPilot's data on Unit 138 shows a unit with real harvest activity, but also significant hurdles that separate it from easier, more public-land-heavy pronghorn country elsewhere in Colorado.

This unit sits at a relatively low elevation band of 4,272 to 4,884 feet, consistent with classic eastern plains pronghorn habitat — open grassland and agricultural ground that pronghorn favor for both forage and visibility. There's no wilderness designation here (0%), which isn't unusual for prairie pronghorn units, but the public land figure is what hunters need to internalize first. At just 2% public land, Unit 138 is overwhelmingly private ground, and that single fact should drive almost every decision a hunter makes about this unit — from whether to apply at all to how to plan access if drawn.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 138 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is that Unit 138 is worth applying for only if a hunter has a specific plan for accessing private land — through lease arrangements, landowner relationships, or an outfitter connection. With 2% public land on nearly 200,000 acres, this is not a unit where a nonresident or even a resident DIY hunter can show up with a tag and expect to find huntable public ground without serious pre-season legwork. Public land hunters looking for open-access pronghorn country should look elsewhere in Colorado's plains units where the public percentage is substantially higher.

That said, the harvest data tells a story of a unit that does produce pronghorn consistently for hunters who do get out. Success rates have fluctuated year to year, from a low of 25% in 2022 to a high of 51% in 2024. The 2025 season saw a notable jump in both hunter numbers and harvest — 1,011 hunters afield with 380 animals harvested for a 38% success rate — a significant increase in total hunter participation compared to prior years, which ranged from 72 to 127 hunters between 2020 and 2023. That spike in applicants suggests either expanded tag allocations or increased draw interest in this specific unit, and it's a trend worth watching on HuntPilot's unit page for the most current numbers.

Trophy potential in the counties overlapping Unit 138 is limited based on available trophy records. This isn't a unit with a notable pedigree for producing record-book pronghorn, and hunters chasing a wall-hanger should weigh that against units with a deeper trophy history. For hunters focused on a quality meat hunt or an accessible pronghorn experience rather than trophy inches, Unit 138 remains a reasonable consideration — provided the access question is solved first.

The buck:doe ratio data adds another layer of context. Across six survey years from 2018 to 2024, the average ratio sits at 23:100, which is a relatively low buck-to-doe ratio for pronghorn herds. This suggests hunting pressure or buck harvest has kept the ratio skewed toward does, which can mean more competition for mature bucks and fewer older-age-class animals in the population relative to units with higher ratios. It's not a dealbreaker, but it reinforces that this unit is better suited to hunters prioritizing opportunity over trophy quality.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 138's harvest numbers over the past six years paint a picture of moderate, variable success:

• 2025: 1,011 hunters, 380 harvested, 38% success
• 2024: 125 hunters, 64 harvested, 51% success
• 2023: 72 hunters, 26 harvested, 36% success
• 2022: 103 hunters, 26 harvested, 25% success
• 2021: 127 hunters, 50 harvested, 39% success
• 2020: 94 hunters, 29 harvested, 31% success

The six-year average success rate hovers in the mid-to-high 30% range, with 2024 standing out as an especially strong year at 51%. The dramatic increase in hunter numbers in 2025 — nearly eight times the hunter count of any prior year in this dataset — is the most striking data point here. Whether that reflects a change in tag allocation, hunt structure, or unit boundaries, it's a meaningful shift that prospective applicants should investigate further on HuntPilot's unit page before assuming historical success rates from the smaller-sample years will hold going forward.

For a unit with such limited public access, these success numbers suggest that hunters who draw tags here generally have lined up access in advance — whether through private land arrangements or landowner relationships — because walking onto random private ground without permission isn't a realistic path to filling a tag on 2% public land.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records for the counties overlapping Unit 138 show a limited history of record-book entries. This doesn't mean quality bucks don't exist in the area, but it does mean hunters shouldn't apply to this unit with trophy expectations as the primary goal. Given the low public land percentage, most pronghorn taken here come off private ground, and trophy quality on any given property depends heavily on management practices by individual landowners rather than broad unit-wide herd characteristics.

Hunters serious about pursuing a trophy-class pronghorn should compare Unit 138 against other Colorado units with deeper, more consistent trophy production before committing points here. For a meat hunt or a first-time pronghorn experience with a legitimate shot at a mature buck, Unit 138 can still deliver — the harvest data supports that — but it shouldn't be the pick for hunters chasing score.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data shows an average buck:doe ratio of 23:100 across six surveys conducted between 2018 and 2024. This is a relatively low ratio by pronghorn standards and suggests either consistent buck harvest pressure or a population structure skewed toward does. A lower buck:doe ratio generally means fewer bucks per doe in the population, which can translate to more hunting pressure on the available buck segment and potentially younger age structures among harvested animals.

Without doe-specific survey trends or fawn recruitment data in this dataset, it's difficult to characterize the overall herd trajectory beyond the buck ratio itself. Hunters considering this unit should treat the 23:100 ratio as context for buck availability rather than a definitive herd health indicator, and should check HuntPilot's unit page for any more recent survey updates before applying.

Access & Terrain

Access is the defining challenge of Unit 138. With public land at just 2% of the unit's 199,477 acres, the overwhelming majority of this unit is private property. This is well below the threshold where a unit can be considered DIY-friendly, and hunters should not expect to find meaningful walk-in public access here. Any hunter planning to apply for Unit 138 needs a private land access plan — whether that's a landowner relationship, a lease, or hiring a local outfitter — before the draw results even come back.

The elevation range of 4,272 to 4,884 feet is low and consistent with classic eastern Colorado plains terrain: open grassland, agricultural fields, and the kind of flat-to-rolling country pronghorn are built for. There's no wilderness designation (0%) affecting this unit, which is typical for prairie pronghorn ground and means there are no wilderness-specific access restrictions to navigate. The terrain itself is pronghorn-friendly — long sightlines and open country are the norm for eastern plains units — but the land ownership pattern is the real obstacle, not the landscape itself.

Hunters who do draw a tag here and have access lined up will be hunting in open, huntable pronghorn country. The limiting factor is entirely about who owns the ground, not whether pronghorn can be found or stalked effectively once access is secured.

How to Apply

Colorado pronghorn tags in Unit 138 are allocated entirely through the state's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season available in this unit, meaning every hunter pursuing pronghorn here, regardless of residency, must apply through the draw and be selected before hunting.

Colorado's draw operates on a true preference point system, which means the state's highest point holders are awarded tags first in each draw category, followed by the remaining tags distributed through the applicant pool. This is not a weighted lottery — residents and nonresidents accumulate points year after year when they apply and aren't drawn, and those points carry real weight in determining draw sequence. Colorado maintains separate resident and nonresident applicant pools, so nonresident point requirements and competition levels typically run higher than resident requirements for the same unit.

Given Unit 138's low public land percentage, hunters applying here should factor in not just the draw itself but their access strategy well before results are released. A drawn tag with no private land access plan in a 2%-public unit is a tag that may be very difficult to fill.

Application structure, point requirements, and current draw statistics for Unit 138 change every cycle. For up-to-date deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Colorado page at /states/CO and the specific Unit 138 page on HuntPilot for the latest figures before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 138? Unit 138 sits at a low elevation range of 4,272 to 4,884 feet, typical of eastern Colorado plains country — open grassland and agricultural ground well-suited to pronghorn. There's no wilderness within the unit (0%), so terrain-based access restrictions aren't a factor. The primary challenge isn't the landscape itself but land ownership, since public land makes up only 2% of the unit's total acreage.

What is harvest success like in Unit 138? Success rates over the past six years have ranged from 25% (2022) to 51% (2024), with the most recent 2025 season posting a 38% success rate across a much larger pool of 1,011 hunters. The six-year trend shows moderate, variable success that depends heavily on hunters having secured private land access given the unit's limited public ground.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 138? Trophy records for the counties overlapping this unit show a limited trophy history, meaning Unit 138 isn't known for producing record-book pronghorn with any regularity. Hunters focused on trophy quality should look at units with a stronger documented trophy pedigree; those focused on a solid meat hunt or general opportunity will find more realistic alignment with what this unit offers.

Is Colorado Unit 138 worth applying for? It depends entirely on access planning. The harvest data shows hunters here fill tags at reasonable rates, particularly in years like 2024 with a 51% success rate, but with only 2% public land, success is closely tied to having private land access arranged in advance. Hunters without a landowner connection, lease, or outfitter relationship should think twice before applying, regardless of point status, since a drawn tag without ground to hunt is of little value.

What is the public land access situation in Unit 138? Public land accounts for just 2% of the unit's 199,477 acres, meaning the vast majority of this unit is private property. This is not a DIY-friendly unit in the traditional sense — hunters need a private access plan before applying, since walk-in public opportunities are extremely limited across this unit's footprint.