Colorado Unit 20 Moose Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 20 sits in the northern part of the state and offers one of the more sought-after moose hunting opportunities in Colorado's limited-entry system. With elevations ranging from 4,824 to 14,226 feet across 772,318 acres, this unit combines high alpine terrain with lower-elevation river drainages and willow bottoms that make up classic moose habitat. For hunters researching Colorado Unit 20 moose hunting, this guide breaks down what the available harvest, application, and trophy data actually show — not speculation, but the numbers themselves.

Moose hunting in Colorado is fundamentally different from elk or deer hunting in the state. Tags are scarce, the application costs run high compared to other species, and the draw process typically requires years of point accumulation for nonresidents and often for residents as well. Unit 20 is one of the units within that system, and understanding its specific harvest trends and access characteristics is critical before investing in points or dollars toward this hunt.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 20 Worth Applying For?

The harvest data for Unit 20 moose tells a story of a genuinely limited-entry hunt with very small hunter numbers year over year. In 2025, 10 hunters harvested 8 animals for an 80% success rate — a strong outcome. But zoom out and the picture is more nuanced: 2024 saw just 5 hunters with 2 harvested (40%), 2023 had 5 hunters with only 1 harvest (20%), 2022 produced 2 harvests from 4 hunters (50%), and 2021 showed 2 harvests from a single hunter (a 200% figure that reflects how tiny these hunter counts are, not a meaningful trend). Both 2020 and 2019 recorded just 1 hunter in the unit.

These are small-sample numbers, and hunters should treat any single year's success percentage with caution. What the multi-year pattern does show is that Unit 20 moose tags are extremely limited in volume — we're talking about a handful of hunters per year, not dozens — and that success rates have fluctuated significantly, ranging from 20% up to 80% depending on the year. That volatility is typical of low-sample-size hunts where one or two hunters' outcomes swing the percentage dramatically.

For hunters willing to commit to the long game of building points, Unit 20 is worth serious consideration. The terrain diversity — from lower-elevation drainages near 4,800 feet up to alpine terrain above 14,000 feet — gives moose plenty of habitat variety, and the trophy history for the surrounding counties supports genuine trophy potential. Counties overlapping this unit carry a strong history of trophy-class moose entries, which places Unit 20 among the more credible options in Colorado's moose units. That said, this is not a hunt for someone chasing quick opportunity — it is a long-term investment play, both in points and in application fees.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 20 indicates strong trophy potential for moose. This isn't a fluke or a one-off — the qualitative trophy history in this region has been consistent enough to be considered one of the stronger trophy areas within Colorado's moose program. Hunters should remember that trophy records are logged at the county level, not unit-exact, meaning entries attributed to counties overlapping Unit 20 are shared with neighboring units as well. Still, the presence of a strong trophy record in this geography is a meaningful signal for hunters weighing whether to commit years of points toward this specific unit versus another moose unit in the state.

Given the low hunter volume each year, animals in Unit 20 likely see limited pressure relative to more accessible units, which can allow bulls to reach maturity. Combined with the varied elevation band and habitat, this unit has the ingredients to produce genuine trophy-class bulls for hunters who draw.

Access & Terrain

Unit 20 spans a massive elevation gradient — from 4,824 feet at its lowest points to 14,226 feet at its highest — across 772,318 total acres. That range means hunters could be working sagebrush and river-bottom terrain at lower elevations early in a hunt, then push into high alpine basins and timbered slopes as they work toward peak country later on. This kind of vertical diversity is exactly what productive moose habitat requires: willow-choked riparian corridors for feeding and bedding, interspersed with timber for cover.

Public land accounts for 61% of the unit, which gives DIY hunters a solid base to work with, though private ground still makes up a substantial share of the landscape. Hunters should plan routes carefully around land ownership boundaries, particularly in the lower-elevation river drainages where private ranches are common in this part of the state. Wilderness acreage is limited within the unit, at just 3% of total acreage, meaning most of the public access here is not designated wilderness — an important distinction for hunters weighing pack-in strategies versus more standard access via roads and trails into the higher country.

Forum discussion around Unit 20 confirms there is ample public land within the unit boundaries for hunters willing to do their homework using mapping tools. As one hunter noted when asked about public access, "OnX is a great tool for locating public in a hunting unit" — and the same logic applies to HuntPilot's own mapping tools, which let hunters overlay public land boundaries, review terrain, and pin areas of interest before ever setting boots on the ground. Given the unit's size and elevation range, scouting digitally before a hunt is a practical necessity — this isn't a small unit that can be fully learned in a single weekend.

How to Apply

Colorado's moose draw runs through the state's centralized application system, and the numbers for Unit 20 fall under the broader statewide moose application windows and fees rather than unit-exclusive dates.

Fee structure differs by residency and includes several layers hunters need to budget for:

Note that the license fee is a prerequisite cost — hunters must hold this qualifying license before they're even eligible to submit a moose application, separate from the application fee itself. This means the true up-front cost of applying is the application fee plus the license fee, with the tag fee only becoming due if the hunter actually draws.

Given the point fee structure, hunters planning to apply in future years without drawing should factor in the annual point fee cost as part of a long-term strategy for accumulating preference toward Unit 20 or similar moose units. Because Colorado is a true preference-point state for moose, higher point holders draw before lower point holders — meaning a sufficient point level can position a hunter to be competitive for this unit over time, though hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page for current point-level guidance specific to Unit 20.

Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Colorado page at /states/co.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 20?

Unit 20 covers an extreme elevation range from 4,824 feet up to 14,226 feet, giving the unit everything from lower-elevation river and willow-bottom habitat to high alpine basins near tree line. This vertical diversity supports strong moose habitat, particularly in riparian corridors where willows provide both feed and cover. Public land makes up 61% of the unit's 772,318 acres, with only 3% falling within designated wilderness, so most access is via standard public roads and trails rather than deep wilderness pack-in country.

What is harvest success like in Unit 20 for moose?

Harvest numbers in Unit 20 are small-sample by nature since so few tags are issued each year. Recent data shows success rates swinging widely — 80% in 2025 (8 of 10 hunters), 40% in 2024, 20% in 2023, and 50% in 2022 — reflecting how a handful of hunters each year can create large percentage swings. Hunters should view these figures as directional rather than precise predictors, since even a single additional harvest or miss changes the percentage dramatically at this scale.

How big are the moose in Unit 20?

Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 20 show a strong history of trophy-class moose production. Because these records are logged at the county level rather than unit-exact, the trophy history reflects the broader region rather than Unit 20 exclusively, but the consistency of that record supports genuine trophy potential for hunters who draw this unit. Given the low annual hunter volume, bulls in this unit likely experience limited pressure, which can allow more animals to reach mature age classes.

Is Unit 20 worth applying for as a moose hunter?

For hunters willing to commit to Colorado's preference point system over multiple years, Unit 20 is a legitimate option worth serious consideration. It combines a strong regional trophy history with varied terrain and majority public land access (61%). Hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado unit page for current draw odds by point level before committing to this unit as a primary point-building strategy.

Is there public land access for moose hunting in Unit 20?

Yes — 61% of the unit's 772,318 acres is public land, giving DIY hunters a solid foundation to plan a hunt without relying entirely on private ranch access. Forum feedback from hunters familiar with the unit confirms there is "plenty" of public ground available, though it's spread across a large and topographically diverse unit. Hunters are encouraged to use mapping tools — including HuntPilot's public land overlays — to identify specific access points and plan routes around the private inholdings that are common in the unit's lower-elevation drainages.