Colorado Unit 139 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 139 sits in the low-elevation desert country of the state, ranging from 3,572 to 4,656 feet across 768,784 total acres. For hunters researching mule deer hunting opportunities here, this unit presents a unique set of tradeoffs: a limited-quota structure that controls hunting pressure, but also extremely tight public access that shapes nearly every decision a hunter will make before applying.

Unlike many Colorado deer units that combine general season bucks with draw-only antlerless hunts, Unit 139 operates entirely on a limited-quota basis. There is no general season here — every hunt, including hunts for antlered and either-sex deer, requires drawing a tag. That structure alone tells hunters something important: wildlife managers are actively controlling pressure and harvest in this unit rather than letting it run as an open-access area. Whether that translates into a better hunt depends heavily on the access and herd data below.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 139 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is mixed, and hunters need to weigh the specifics before committing points or a season to this unit.

The single biggest factor working against Unit 139 is access. Public land accounts for just 5% of the unit's acreage, meaning the overwhelming majority of the 768,784 acres is privately held. This is not a unit where a hunter can show up, study a map, and expect to find ample public ground to explore. DIY hunters without existing landowner relationships, lease arrangements, or outfitter connections will find their options narrow considerably. Any hunter drawing a tag here needs a access plan in place well before the season — whether that means securing private land permission, booking with a local outfitter, or confirming exactly where the 5% of public parcels fall relative to huntable deer habitat.

Harvest data adds another layer to the picture. In the 2025 season, 2,997 hunters pursued deer in Unit 139 and 946 harvested animals, a 32% success rate. The prior year told a different story: in 2024, only 353 hunters hunted the unit and 170 harvested, a 48% success rate. That swing — nearly a tenfold increase in hunter numbers between 2024 and 2025, paired with a meaningful drop in success rate — suggests tag allocations or hunt structure changed significantly between those two years, and it's worth confirming current quota levels before assuming either year is representative of what to expect going forward.

On the herd health side, the available survey data shows a buck:doe ratio of 28:100 from the 2024 survey year. This is based on a single survey year, which limits how much confidence can be placed in it as a long-term indicator, but a ratio in this range is on the lower end compared to many Colorado deer units and suggests a herd with fewer mature bucks relative to does than hunters might hope for. Without multiple years of survey data to establish a trend, hunters should treat this as a data point of concern rather than a dealbreaker, but it does align with the generally tougher picture this unit presents.

Trophy history for the counties overlapping Unit 139 shows a moderate history of trophy-class record-book entries — not a standout trophy destination, but not devoid of history either. It's worth noting that record-book entries are logged at the county level, meaning any trophy-class bucks attributed to these counties could have come from anywhere within them, including neighboring units that share the same county boundaries. This qualitative picture — moderate trophy potential — should be read alongside the buck:doe ratio data rather than in isolation; a unit with fewer bucks per hundred does generally has a smaller pool of animals that live long enough to reach trophy class.

Putting it together: Unit 139 is a legitimate draw option for hunters who have confirmed access (private land arrangements or outfitter support) and who are not expecting a high-density buck herd. It is not a unit HuntPilot would recommend to a first-time Colorado DIY applicant hoping to self-guide on public ground — the 5% public land figure alone rules that out for most strategies. Hunters with existing access in the area, or those willing to book guided access, have a more reasonable case for applying.

Access & Terrain

Unit 139's terrain sits entirely in low desert elevation, from 3,572 to 4,656 feet — a modest elevation band that points to classic high-desert mule deer country: open basins, brush-covered flats, and drainages rather than high alpine terrain. There is no wilderness designation in this unit (0% wilderness), so hunters won't encounter the access restrictions or guide requirements that come with wilderness areas in other states.

The defining access characteristic, however, is the public land figure: just 5% of the unit's 768,784 acres is public. This places Unit 139 firmly in private-land-dominated territory. The vast majority of deer habitat and movement corridors in this unit cross private property, and hunters without arranged access will be confined to scattered, likely difficult-to-identify public parcels. This is a critical planning factor — hunters should use mapping tools to identify exactly where that 5% of public ground lies in relation to water sources, bedding cover, and travel corridors before assuming a parcel is huntable or accessible. HuntPilot's public land overlay tools are built for exactly this kind of unit-level scouting work, letting hunters pinpoint where that limited public footprint actually sits on the ground.

Given the low public land percentage, Unit 139 should not be considered a DIY-friendly unit in the way many Colorado public-land deer units are. Hunters need to go in with eyes open: either arrange private access ahead of time or budget for outfitted hunting.

Harvest Success Rates

The two most recent harvest years on record for Unit 139 show meaningfully different pictures. In 2025, 2,997 hunters pursued deer and 946 harvested, for a 32% success rate across the unit. In 2024, a much smaller pool of 353 hunters produced 170 harvests, a 48% success rate.

The sharp difference in hunter numbers between these two years — roughly 2,600 more hunters afield in 2025 than in 2024 — is the most important detail here. It suggests that tag quotas, hunt-code structure, or application dynamics shifted substantially between the two seasons. Hunters should not assume either year's success rate is a stable baseline; instead, they should check current-year quota information before using historical success rates to set expectations. A unit that drew 32% success with nearly 3,000 hunters afield behaves very differently on the ground than one with a 48% success rate and only a few hundred hunters.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records in the counties overlapping Unit 139 reflect a moderate history of trophy-class entries. This places the unit in the middle tier of Colorado deer units for trophy potential — not a renowned trophy factory, but also not a unit devoid of any history of quality bucks. Because record-book entries are tied to county boundaries rather than unit boundaries, any trophy-class bucks attributed to this area could technically have come from land inside Unit 139 or from neighboring units sharing the same counties.

Given the buck:doe ratio data showing 28:100 from the 2024 survey, hunters chasing a true trophy buck in Unit 139 should treat this as a unit where quality animals exist but are not abundant. The moderate trophy history combined with a lower buck:doe ratio suggests hunters are more likely to encounter a representative mix of age classes than a unit stacked with mature bucks. Patience, access to good private ground, and realistic expectations are the keys to a satisfying hunt here rather than an assumption of trophy density.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The only wildlife survey data available for Unit 139 comes from a single survey year, 2024, showing an average buck:doe ratio of 28:100. With just one year of data, it's not possible to establish a reliable population trend for this unit — hunters should be cautious about drawing firm conclusions from a single data point.

That said, a 28:100 ratio is on the lower end of what's typically seen in Colorado mule deer units, which commonly range higher. This may reflect genuine herd dynamics in this low-elevation desert unit, pressure from the high hunter numbers seen in the 2025 harvest data, or simply the limitations of a single survey year. Hunters considering Unit 139 should look for updated survey data as it becomes available and weigh it alongside harvest trends before finalizing expectations for buck encounters.

How to Apply

Colorado deer tags in Unit 139 are allocated entirely through the state's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season fallback here for any hunter. Both resident and nonresident hunters must apply and be selected in the draw to hunt deer in this unit, regardless of sex or hunt type.

Colorado's draw system uses a preference point structure in which the highest point holders are awarded tags first, meaning a sufficiently high point total can put a hunter in a strong position for a given hunt code, though actual outcomes vary by hunt and year. Residents and nonresidents apply within the same preference point framework, though nonresident tag numbers are typically more limited than resident allocations on a given hunt.

Because Unit 139 is a limited-quota-only unit with no general season options, hunters interested in applying should review current hunt codes, sex designations (antlered, either-sex, or antlerless), and point requirements directly through the state's application system. Application dates, fees, and current draw odds change every cycle — for the most current information, visit HuntPilot's Colorado page at /states/CO or the HuntPilot unit page for Unit 139.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 139? Unit 139 sits at relatively low elevation for a Colorado deer unit, ranging from 3,572 to 4,656 feet, consistent with high-desert terrain rather than alpine mountain country. There is no wilderness designation within the unit, meaning hunters won't face wilderness-specific access restrictions, but the defining terrain challenge is access rather than elevation — with public land covering only 5% of the unit's acreage.

What is harvest success like in Unit 139? Harvest success has varied significantly between recent years. In 2025, hunters saw a 32% success rate across 2,997 hunters afield, while in 2024 a much smaller group of 353 hunters posted a 48% success rate. The large swing in hunter numbers between these years suggests shifting quota levels, so hunters should check current-year tag numbers rather than relying on either season as a fixed expectation.

How big are the deer in Unit 139? Trophy records for the counties overlapping Unit 139 show a moderate history of trophy-class entries — not among Colorado's top trophy destinations, but with documented quality bucks taken from the broader county area over time. Combined with a lower buck:doe ratio in the available survey data, hunters should expect the possibility of a quality buck but shouldn't count on high trophy density.

Is Unit 139 worth applying for? It depends heavily on a hunter's access situation. With only 5% public land, Unit 139 is a difficult unit for unguided DIY hunters without existing landowner relationships. Hunters with private land access or outfitter arrangements have a more reasonable case for applying, particularly if they're comfortable with moderate trophy potential and are aware that harvest success has fluctuated significantly between recent seasons. For current draw odds specific to this unit, check HuntPilot's Unit 139 page before applying.

What should hunters know about deer numbers in Unit 139 before applying? The only available survey data, from 2024, shows a 28:100 buck:doe ratio — on the lower end for Colorado mule deer units. Because this reflects just one survey year, it shouldn't be treated as a definitive trend, but it is a signal worth weighing alongside the unit's harvest and access data. Hunters should look for more recent survey updates through HuntPilot or the state wildlife agency before finalizing their decision to apply.