Colorado Unit 68 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 68 is a limited-quota pronghorn unit spanning 385,966 acres, with elevations ranging from 7,583 to 13,822 feet — a spread that hints at the varied terrain hunters will encounter, from open sage-flat basins to higher country fringes. With 90% of the unit in public ownership, Unit 68 offers a strong access foundation for hunters willing to put in the legwork, and its draw-only structure keeps hunting pressure managed compared to units that mix in general-season opportunity.

This is not a unit where hunters walk up and buy an over-the-counter tag. Every pronghorn hunt in Unit 68 runs through Colorado's limited-quota draw system, covering antlered and either-sex hunts alike. That structure, combined with a high percentage of public land, makes Unit 68 worth a close look for hunters building a Colorado application strategy — but the data also paints a nuanced picture on herd composition that hunters need to understand before they commit points here.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 68 Worth Applying For?

The harvest numbers out of Unit 68 tell a story of a productive, if inconsistent, pronghorn unit. Recent seasons show real volatility: the 2025 season produced 20 harvested animals from 33 hunters (61% success), while 2024 saw 32 harvested from 48 hunters for a strong 67% success rate. Go back further and the swings get more dramatic — 2021 posted a 91% success rate (42 of 46 hunters), and in the small-sample 2020 season, all 7 hunters who drew tags connected, for 100% success.

Even the lower years in this stretch are respectable. The 2023 season came in at 51% success (22 of 43 hunters), and 2022 landed at 70% (23 of 33 hunters). Across the full six-year window, success rates never dropped below the low 50s, and multiple years cleared 65-90%. For a limited-quota unit, that's a consistently strong harvest picture — hunters who draw a tag here have a good statistical chance of filling it.

Where the picture gets more complicated is herd composition. Survey data collected across six years (2018-2024) shows an average buck-to-doe ratio of just 18:100. That is a low ratio by pronghorn standards, and it signals a herd that skews heavily toward does relative to bucks. Hunters chasing volume of opportunity in a doe/either-sex context may not be bothered by this, but hunters specifically targeting mature bucks should treat this ratio as a meaningful caution flag — it suggests buck density is thin relative to the overall herd, which can make locating a mature buck more time-consuming even in a unit with strong overall harvest success.

Trophy history in the counties overlapping Unit 68 is best described as moderate — there's some trophy pedigree in the record books tied to this broader area, but it isn't concentrated in a way that signals headline-caliber production. This is a county-level data point, not a unit-exact one, since record-book entries are logged by county and shared across every neighboring unit that overlaps that county. Hunters should read this as "some potential exists" rather than "this unit reliably produces record-class bucks."

Put together, Unit 68 looks like a solid unit for hunters prioritizing a filled tag over trophy inches. The harvest success numbers back that up clearly. Hunters holding out for a genuinely exceptional buck should weigh the low buck:doe ratio carefully against that expectation.

Access & Terrain

Unit 68's 90% public land is a major asset — the vast majority of the unit's 385,966 acres is open to hunters without needing to negotiate private access, which stands in contrast to many other Colorado pronghorn units where private land dominates key water sources and travel corridors. That level of public access gives DIY hunters real room to work.

The elevation range of 7,583 to 13,822 feet is unusually wide for a pronghorn unit — most of the actual pronghorn habitat will sit toward the lower end of that range, in the open sage and grassland flats pronghorn favor, while the upper elevations likely represent higher terrain features within the unit boundary rather than core pronghorn range. Hunters should plan their scouting around the lower-elevation basins and flats where pronghorn concentrate, using HuntPilot's public land and terrain overlays to identify accessible stretches of that habitat before the season.

Wilderness coverage in Unit 68 sits at 6%, which is low enough that it shouldn't meaningfully restrict access or require special planning — the vast majority of the unit's public land is likely accessible by standard means rather than locked behind wilderness travel restrictions.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 68's harvest data over the past six years shows some of the more favorable success numbers a hunter will find in a Colorado pronghorn draw unit:

• 2025: 33 hunters, 20 harvested — 61% success
• 2024: 48 hunters, 32 harvested — 67% success
• 2023: 43 hunters, 22 harvested — 51% success
• 2022: 33 hunters, 23 harvested — 70% success
• 2021: 46 hunters, 42 harvested — 91% success
• 2020: 7 hunters, 7 harvested — 100% success

The average success rate across these six seasons lands comfortably above 70%, which is a strong number for any limited-quota big game unit. Hunter numbers have also fluctuated meaningfully, from just 7 in 2020 to 48 in 2024, suggesting tag quotas have shifted year to year — another reason to check current-year quota numbers directly rather than relying on historical hunter counts to predict a given season's crowding.

The consistency of success above 50% even in the "worst" recent year (2023) suggests this is a unit where pronghorn are genuinely available to hunters who draw a tag, rather than one where tags are handed out but animals are scarce or difficult to locate.

Trophy Quality

Trophy potential in Unit 68 is best categorized as moderate. The counties overlapping this unit carry some history of trophy-class pronghorn in the record books, but that history is not deep or heavily concentrated — hunters should not expect Unit 68 to be a unit defined by frequent record-book production. It's worth remembering that record-book entries are attributed at the county level, meaning the same historical entries tied to Unit 68's overlapping counties are also shared by neighboring units, and the specific animals may have originated anywhere within those county boundaries.

Combined with the low observed buck:doe ratio from the survey data, hunters targeting a genuinely exceptional buck should treat Unit 68 as a unit with some trophy history rather than a unit built around trophy production. Hunters focused on a representative, mature pronghorn buck — rather than a chart-topping animal — will find the moderate trophy background reasonable, especially paired with the unit's strong harvest success rates.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data spans six years (2018-2024) and shows an average buck:doe ratio of 18:100. This is a notably low ratio and indicates a herd structure weighted heavily toward does. For context, healthy pronghorn herds with strong buck representation typically run well above this level. A ratio this low, sustained as an average across six survey years, suggests this is a consistent herd characteristic in Unit 68 rather than a one-year anomaly or small-sample artifact.

Hunters should interpret this as a signal that while pronghorn numbers overall may be healthy — supported by the strong harvest success data — the buck segment of that population is comparatively thin. This doesn't necessarily reduce a hunter's odds of filling a tag (the harvest numbers show otherwise), but it does mean hunters glassing specifically for mature bucks may need to cover more ground and be patient before finding a shooter animal, since bucks make up a smaller share of the herd relative to does.

How to Apply

Every pronghorn hunt in Unit 68 runs through Colorado's limited-quota draw — there is no general-season, over-the-counter option here. Hunters, resident and nonresident alike, must apply through Colorado's draw system and be selected for a tag before hunting this unit.

Colorado's draw system uses true preference points, meaning hunters with the highest point totals for a given hunt code are awarded tags before the remaining pool is filled. This is not a weighted lottery — a sufficiently high point total can effectively guarantee a tag on many hunt codes, though this varies by specific hunt and residency category. Resident and nonresident applicants apply through separate pools, and nonresidents should expect to need a meaningfully higher point total than residents to reach a similar draw position, given the smaller nonresident tag allocation typical of Colorado pronghorn units.

Because Colorado points are consumed upon a successful draw, hunters who draw a Unit 68 tag will return to zero (or near-zero) points afterward and need to rebuild for future applications. Hunters should also note that point totals and draw structures can shift from year to year as Colorado adjusts quotas, so reviewing the current draw odds before submitting an application is essential.

Application dates, fees, and current draw odds for Unit 68 change every cycle. For the most current numbers, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page at /states/CO, which pulls the live application windows, costs, and draw statistics directly from the state's published data.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 68? Unit 68 covers 385,966 acres with an elevation range from 7,583 to 13,822 feet, indicating a mix of lower-elevation sage and grassland habitat — the terrain pronghorn favor — alongside higher-elevation features within the unit's boundaries. With 90% of the unit in public ownership and only 6% designated wilderness, most of the accessible ground should be reachable without wilderness travel restrictions, though hunters should focus scouting efforts on the lower-elevation flats and basins where pronghorn concentrate.

What is harvest success like in Unit 68? Harvest success has been strong and fairly consistent over the past six years, ranging from a low of 51% in 2023 up to 100% in the small-sample 2020 season, with most years landing between 60-90%. The 2024 season saw 32 pronghorn harvested by 48 hunters (67% success), while 2025 produced 20 harvests from 33 hunters (61% success). This is a unit where drawn tag holders have consistently filled tags at above-average rates for a limited-quota pronghorn hunt.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 68? Trophy potential in Unit 68 is moderate. The surrounding counties carry some history of trophy-class entries in the record books, but production isn't concentrated or frequent enough to call this a trophy-focused unit. Combined with a low observed buck:doe ratio (averaging 18:100 across six survey years), hunters should expect a herd with fewer mature bucks relative to does, meaning trophy hunters will need to be selective and patient rather than expecting abundant mature buck sightings.

Is Colorado Unit 68 worth applying for? For hunters prioritizing a high likelihood of filling a tag, yes — the harvest data supports that conclusion clearly, with success rates consistently above 50% and frequently much higher. Combined with 90% public land access, Unit 68 offers a genuinely DIY-friendly hunting experience. Hunters specifically chasing a trophy-class buck should weigh the moderate trophy history and low buck:doe ratio before investing points here, as this unit appears better suited to hunters seeking a reliable, accessible pronghorn hunt than one chasing a wall-hanger.

Do I need a guide to hunt Unit 68? Wilderness coverage in Unit 68 is only 6%, which is well below the thresholds where Colorado or federal wilderness regulations would meaningfully restrict unguided access. Unlike Wyoming, Colorado does not require nonresidents to hire a guide for hunting wilderness areas, so DIY hunters — resident or nonresident — can hunt Unit 68 without a guide requirement based on the available data.