Colorado Unit 38 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 38 is a limited-quota mule deer unit tucked into the high country west of the Front Range, spanning elevations from 5,140 feet up to 13,311 feet across 291,822 acres. There is no general season here — every mule deer hunt in Unit 38 is a draw hunt, which immediately sets it apart from OTC-style units where anyone can buy a tag over the counter. For hunters researching Colorado Unit 38 mule deer hunting, that draw-only structure is the first and most important fact to understand before digging into terrain, harvest trends, or trophy potential.

With 44% public land and a modest 6% wilderness designation, Unit 38 offers a mix of accessible public ground and high-elevation backcountry, but it also means more than half the unit sits in private hands. That combination of drastic elevation change, limited public access relative to some neighboring units, and a fully-controlled draw structure makes Unit 38 a unit that rewards careful planning rather than a spontaneous trip.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 38 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is: it depends on what a hunter is looking for. Recent harvest data pulled from HuntPilot shows success rates that are respectable but not extraordinary for a limited-quota unit. In 2025, 1,137 hunters harvested 280 deer for a 25% success rate. In 2024, a much larger pool of 2,258 hunters brought home 551 deer, also landing at 24% success. In 2023, 1,275 hunters harvested 261 animals for a 20% success rate. That's a fairly consistent band of 20-25% success across three seasons, with 2024 standing out for a notably higher hunter count — likely reflecting either additional tag allocations or multiple hunt codes drawing a larger combined pool that year.

What stands out is the stability of the success percentage even as hunter numbers swing widely. That consistency suggests the unit's deer population and hunting pressure are relatively balanced from year to year, rather than the kind of unit that gets "hunted out" in high-pressure seasons and rebounds in light ones.

On the trophy side, the counties overlapping Unit 38 carry a moderate history of trophy-class mule deer, based on record-book data reviewed on HuntPilot. That places Unit 38 in a middle tier — not a unit defined by a heavy trophy pedigree, but one where mature bucks have been documented over time. Combined with a herd survey buck:doe ratio of 44:100 from 2024, the unit shows a workable buck population, though hunters should note this ratio comes from a single survey year, which limits how much weight it can carry as a long-term indicator.

For a hunter chasing volume opportunity, Unit 38's draw-only status and moderate success rates make it a reasonable target, particularly for those willing to invest points and put in scouting time on the public ground that does exist. For a hunter chasing a wall-hanger above all else, the moderate trophy history means Unit 38 is a legitimate option but not a unit with an outsized track record compared to Colorado's elite trophy units. It's a solid, honest unit rather than a bucket-list unit — worth applying for if a hunter values consistency and is realistic about what "moderate" trophy potential means in practice.

Harvest Success Rates

Looking at the three most recent seasons of data:

• 2025: 1,137 hunters, 280 harvested, 25% success
• 2024: 2,258 hunters, 551 harvested, 24% success
• 2023: 1,275 hunters, 261 harvested, 20% success

The upward trend in success rate from 20% in 2023 to 24-25% in 2024 and 2025 is worth noting. Whether that reflects improved herd conditions, better weather timing, or simply better hunter effort is impossible to say definitively from harvest numbers alone, but the trend line is positive rather than negative — a meaningful data point for hunters weighing whether to spend points here.

The jump in hunter numbers in 2024 (2,258 compared to roughly half that in the surrounding years) is notable. A larger applicant pool that still maintained a 24% success rate suggests the unit absorbed additional pressure without a corresponding crash in success — a reasonably good sign for herd density and huntable habitat within the unit.

Trophy Quality

Based on record-book history reviewed on HuntPilot, the counties overlapping Unit 38 show a moderate trophy potential for mule deer. This isn't a unit with a heavy concentration of trophy-class entries, but it also isn't a unit devoid of history — mature bucks capable of making the record books have come from this general area over time. Hunters should treat that moderate designation as an honest middle ground: realistic odds of encountering a mature buck exist, especially in the high-elevation public pockets, but hunters chasing an elite-tier trophy should calibrate expectations accordingly and understand that record-book entries are logged at the county level, meaning any trophy history is shared across Unit 38 and its neighboring units rather than being unit-exclusive.

The 2024 survey data showing a 44:100 buck:doe ratio supports the idea of a functional, mature-buck-capable herd, though as a single-year data point it should be read alongside future survey years rather than treated as a definitive trend.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available wildlife survey data for Unit 38 covers one survey year, 2024, showing an average buck:doe ratio of 44:100. That ratio falls within a biologically normal range for a wild mule deer herd — it doesn't show the inflated numbers that typically signal a small or unreliable sample size, which lends it more credibility than an outlier reading would. That said, with only one year of data available, hunters should treat this as a snapshot rather than a multi-year trend, and watch for updated survey data in future seasons to see whether the ratio holds, improves, or declines.

A 44:100 ratio generally indicates a herd with a reasonable number of bucks relative to does, supporting both the harvest opportunity numbers and the moderate trophy potential discussed above. It's not an exceptional ratio, but it's a healthy, believable one.

Access & Terrain

Unit 38's terrain is defined by extreme elevation range — from 5,140 feet at the low end to 13,311 feet at the highest points, a span of more than 8,000 vertical feet within a single unit. That range means hunters can encounter everything from lower-elevation foothill terrain to true alpine high country within the same unit boundary, and it also means weather and deer location can shift dramatically depending on where and when a hunter is in the field.

Public land sits at 44% of the unit's 291,822 total acres, which means the majority of Unit 38 is privately held. Hunters relying on public access should expect real competition for the public ground that does exist, and should not assume broad, easy access across the unit. Wilderness acreage is minimal at 6%, meaning most of the public land is accessible without the more restrictive travel and access considerations that come with heavily-wilderness-designated units.

Forum discussion among hunters who've hunted Unit 38 consistently references the challenge of the public land sitting at higher elevations — often in the 9,000 to 10,000-foot-plus range — while lower-elevation terrain tends to be privately held. That pattern lines up with the elevation data: hunters chasing deer on public ground in Unit 38 should expect to be hiking into higher country, and should be prepared for that ground to hold deer differently depending on weather and time of year. Multiple hunters in unit discussions have also pointed to the importance of tracking migration corridors between public and private land, since deer using the unit's private ground for cover often move through public access points at predictable pinch points — though the specific corridors and timing aren't detailed in available data and should be scouted directly rather than assumed.

Given the 44% public land figure, DIY hunters do have a foothold in Unit 38, but they should go in with realistic expectations about competition for that ground and the physical demands of hunting at higher elevations for extended periods.

How to Apply

Unit 38 mule deer hunts are entirely draw-based — there is no general season option here, so every hunter pursuing deer in this unit, resident or nonresident, must go through Colorado's draw process to obtain a tag. This applies to antlered and either-sex hunt codes alike; there is no over-the-counter fallback in Unit 38.

Colorado's draw system uses a hybrid structure that allocates a portion of tags to the highest preference point holders and the remainder through a weighted random draw, with separate resident and nonresident applicant pools. A high enough preference point total has, on certain hunts across the state, functioned as a de facto guarantee in recent years, but hunters should check actual historical draw data for Unit 38's specific hunt codes rather than assuming a particular point level will succeed. Colorado's system is true preference at its core — accumulated points carry real weight — but nonresidents in particular should expect this to be a competitive, multi-year point-building process for the better hunt codes in this unit.

Application dates, fees, and current draw odds all change from cycle to cycle, so rather than citing numbers here that will go stale, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page at /states/CO for the current application windows, fee structure, and unit-specific draw odds before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 38?

Unit 38 covers a massive elevation range — from 5,140 feet to 13,311 feet — meaning hunters can encounter foothill terrain, mid-elevation timber, and true alpine high country all within the same unit boundary. Public land, which makes up 44% of the unit, tends to sit at higher elevations, often 9,000 feet and above, based on hunter reports, while lower-elevation ground is more likely to be privately held. Wilderness acreage is minimal at 6% of the unit, so most public access doesn't come with the added restrictions of heavy wilderness designation.

What is harvest success like in Unit 38?

Recent seasons show success rates of 25% in 2025, 24% in 2024, and 20% in 2023, based on harvest data reviewed on HuntPilot. That's a fairly consistent range for a limited-quota mule deer unit, and the upward trend from 2023 to 2025 is a positive signal, though hunters should treat any single season as one data point in a longer pattern.

How big are the mule deer in Unit 38?

The counties overlapping Unit 38 show a moderate history of trophy-class mule deer in the record books. This isn't a unit known for an outsized concentration of elite trophy entries, but mature, record-book-caliber bucks have come from the broader area. The 2024 survey buck:doe ratio of 44:100 supports the presence of a reasonably mature buck population, though hunters should calibrate trophy expectations toward "solid, honest" rather than "elite" based on available data.

Is Colorado Unit 38 worth applying for?

For hunters who value a consistent, draw-only unit with moderate trophy potential and workable success rates in the 20-25% range, Unit 38 is a reasonable unit to target. It's not a unit defined by exceptional trophy pedigree or sky-high success numbers, but the data shows a stable, functioning herd and a unit that hasn't seen success rates collapse even in higher-pressure seasons like 2024. Hunters chasing a top-tier trophy unit above all else may want to compare Unit 38's moderate trophy history against other Colorado units with stronger track records before committing points.

Is Unit 38 a good DIY unit given the public land percentage?

With 44% public land, DIY hunters have real access in Unit 38, but the majority of the unit remains private. Hunters should expect competition for the public ground that exists and should be prepared for that ground to sit at higher elevations, requiring more physically demanding hunts than lower-elevation private terrain might offer.