Colorado Unit 391 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 391 is a limited-quota mule deer unit covering 177,783 acres of terrain ranging from 5,150 to 9,121 feet in elevation. Hunters researching Unit 391 mule deer hunting will find a unit defined by two hard facts: every hunt here runs through the draw, and public land is scarce. With only 15% of the unit open to public access, this is a unit that rewards hunters who do their homework before committing points or applications.

Unlike units with general season structures where over-the-counter tags are available, Unit 391 operates entirely on limited-quota hunts. That includes hunts for antlered and either-sex deer, meaning there is no walk-in, buy-a-tag-at-the-counter option here. Every hunter in the woods in Unit 391 drew a tag to be there, which tends to concentrate pressure differently than a general unit and generally supports more consistent buck age structure — though the survey data below tempers that expectation somewhat.

Hunt Structure: A Draw-Only Unit

Hunters need to understand going in that Unit 391 has no general season option. Every hunt — including those targeting antlered and either-sex deer — requires a successful draw. This is a meaningful distinction from units where bucks are available over the counter and only antlerless tags require a draw. In Unit 391, hunters are drawing for the real thing: a shot at a buck, not just a doe tag. That makes the draw process itself the central strategic question for anyone targeting this unit, and it also means hunting pressure is capped by however many tags the state issues each year rather than by open-ended participation.

Harvest Success Rates

Harvest data for Unit 391 shows meaningful year-to-year variation, and a notable jump in both hunter numbers and harvest in the most recent season. In 2025, 2,134 hunters pursued deer in the unit and 975 were successful, a 46% success rate. That's a steep increase in hunter volume compared to prior years — 2024 saw just 526 hunters with 235 harvested (45% success), 2023 had 579 hunters with 208 harvested (36% success), and 2022 logged 672 hunters with 213 harvested (32% success).

The trend line here is worth sitting with. Success rates climbed steadily from 32% in 2022 to 45% in 2024, then held essentially flat at 46% in 2025 even as hunter numbers nearly quadrupled. That combination — rising success alongside a major jump in participation — suggests the unit either received a substantially larger tag allocation in 2025 or saw a structural change in how hunts are counted or distributed. Either way, a mid-40s percent success rate across the last two years is solid for a western mule deer unit and indicates hunters who draw a tag here have a real chance of connecting, not just an opportunity to walk around.

That said, success rate alone doesn't tell hunters what they're putting in the truck. A high success rate in a unit with a low public land percentage can also reflect hunters working private land or leased access rather than DIY public-land hunting. Hunters should weigh this harvest data against the access realities covered below before assuming a tag here guarantees an easy hunt.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 391 shows a moderate history of trophy-class buck production. This isn't a unit with an extensive or heavily decorated trophy record, but it isn't blank either — there's a real, if modest, history of quality bucks coming from the broader county area that overlaps this unit boundary. Because trophy records are logged by county rather than by hunt unit, those historical entries are shared across every unit that overlaps the same counties, so Unit 391 doesn't have an exclusive claim to them — but it does share in that moderate pedigree.

Given the unit's low public land percentage, hunters chasing a genuinely exceptional buck should treat this trophy history as a baseline indicator rather than a guarantee. Moderate trophy potential paired with limited public access generally means the better bucks are more likely to be found on private ground or through access arrangements, with public-land opportunities requiring more legwork and willingness to hunt harder-to-reach pockets of public ground within the unit's boundary.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data for Unit 391 comes from a single survey year (2024), showing an average buck:doe ratio of 28:100. This is a notably low ratio compared to healthy mule deer herds, which typically run in the 40:100-plus range for a buck:doe ratio to be considered strong. A ratio this low suggests either a herd under some pressure, a buck-heavy harvest history, or simply limited data depth — with only one survey year available, it's impossible to establish a trend.

Hunters should treat this 28:100 figure as a single data point rather than a definitive herd health verdict. It does, however, align with the picture painted by the harvest numbers: a unit where deer are being taken in meaningful volume, and where buck representation in the herd may be running thinner than hunters would like to see. Anyone drawing a tag here should go in with realistic expectations about buck density in the field, even if overall deer numbers (bucks and does combined) remain present enough to support the climbing harvest totals.

Access & Terrain

Access is the single biggest constraint on Unit 391. With only 15% of the unit classified as public land, the overwhelming majority of the 177,783 acres sits in private ownership. This is well below the threshold where a unit can be called DIY-friendly, and hunters need to plan accordingly — this is not a unit where a hunter can show up, pick a drainage off a map, and expect wide-open public access in every direction.

The unit has no wilderness acreage, so there are no wilderness-specific access restrictions to account for. Elevation in the unit runs from 5,150 feet up to 9,121 feet, a range that spans lower sagebrush and foothill country up into higher mixed terrain — enough vertical relief to offer seasonal movement between elevation bands, though hunters should scout based on specific terrain features within whatever public parcels they're able to access rather than assuming broad public corridors exist.

Given the public land percentage, hunters without an established private land connection, lease, or outfitter relationship should expect the practical hunting ground to be a fraction of the unit's total acreage. HuntPilot's mapping tools can help hunters identify exactly where that 15% of public ground sits relative to roads, terrain, and water before investing a point or a trip here.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 391 Worth Applying For?

Unit 391 presents a mixed picture. On one hand, the harvest data is genuinely encouraging — a 46% success rate in 2025 on a sample of over 2,000 hunters is a strong number for a mule deer unit, and the multi-year trend shows success climbing rather than declining. The trophy history, while moderate rather than exceptional, confirms this isn't a unit devoid of quality animals either.

On the other hand, the access situation is a real limiting factor. At 15% public land, most of Unit 391 is off-limits to hunters without private access, and the single available survey year showing a 28:100 buck:doe ratio raises some questions about buck density that a single data point can't fully answer. This is a unit better suited to hunters who have a private land connection, are willing to invest in an outfitter or leased access, or are prepared to work hard on the limited public ground available.

For hunters with access options already in place, Unit 391's rising harvest success and moderate trophy history make it a reasonable unit to prioritize. For strict DIY public-land hunters with no established access, the 15% public land figure should be a significant caution flag — this unit will require more pre-season legwork than units with higher public land percentages, and success here is likely tied heavily to where that access lies relative to the better deer habitat.

How to Apply

Because Unit 391 has no general season, every hunter pursuing deer here must go through Colorado's limited-quota draw process — there is no over-the-counter alternative for this unit. Colorado's draw system uses a preference point structure where the highest point holders draw first, meaning a high enough point total can functionally guarantee a tag on a given hunt code, depending on the specific hunt and demand that year.

Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, and nonresidents should expect more competition for the same hunt codes than residents face. Hunters accumulate preference points in years they apply but don't draw, and those points carry weight in future draws — but a successful draw consumes accumulated points, meaning hunters start rebuilding from zero after they draw a tag here.

Application structure, point requirements, and current draw odds for Unit 391's specific hunt codes change from year to year. For the most current deadlines, fees, and draw data, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page at /states/CO, which reflects the live application cycle rather than historical figures that may no longer apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Unit 391? Unit 391 spans an elevation range of 5,150 to 9,121 feet across 177,783 acres, offering a mix of lower and higher terrain within its boundary. The unit has no wilderness acreage, so there are no wilderness-specific access rules to navigate. The bigger terrain consideration for hunters is land ownership — with only 15% of the unit classified as public land, most of the available habitat sits on private ground, and hunters need to identify exactly where the public parcels fall before planning a hunt.

What is harvest success like in Unit 391? Harvest success in Unit 391 has trended upward in recent years, reaching 46% in 2025 (975 harvested out of 2,134 hunters) and 45% in 2024. That's up from 36% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. The jump in hunter numbers between 2024 and 2025 was substantial, suggesting a change in tag allocation, but the success rate held steady in the mid-40s percent range across both of the most recent seasons.

How big are the deer in Unit 391? Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 391 show a moderate history of trophy-class buck production — not an elite trophy unit, but one with a real track record of quality animals. Because these records are logged at the county level and shared with neighboring units, Unit 391 doesn't have exclusive claim to that history, but it benefits from the same regional trophy potential.

Is Unit 391 worth applying for? It depends on access. The harvest trend is genuinely positive, and the trophy history is moderate but real. However, with only 15% public land, hunters without a private land connection or guided access will be working a small fraction of the unit's total acreage. Hunters with access arrangements already in place should view this as a reasonably solid unit; strict DIY public-land hunters should weigh the access limitation carefully before committing points here.

What does the 28:100 buck:doe ratio mean for hunters in Unit 391? The available survey data (one year, 2024) shows a 28:100 buck:doe ratio, which is low relative to what's generally considered a healthy mule deer herd structure. With only one year of survey data available, this can't be treated as a confirmed trend, but it does suggest hunters should temper expectations about buck density on a day-to-day basis in the field, even in a unit producing solid overall harvest numbers.