Colorado Unit 681 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 681 is a limited-quota pronghorn destination that sits entirely within the draw system — there is no general season here, and every hunt available to hunters, including those for antlered animals, requires a successful draw application. Spanning 284,294 acres with elevation running from 7,675 feet up to 13,246 feet, this is a big, varied chunk of country that offers hunters a legitimate shot at a quality pronghorn experience, provided they understand how the draw works and what recent harvest trends tell them about their odds afield once they do draw.

With 92% of the unit in public ownership, Unit 681 stands out as one of the more accessible pronghorn units in Colorado. That's a meaningful figure for hunters weighing whether to attempt a DIY hunt versus seeking private-land access or guided options — high public land percentage means hunters aren't boxed out by fences and locked gates the way they are in many eastern plains units. Zero percent of the unit is designated wilderness, so there are no additional access restrictions tied to wilderness status, and hunters can move freely with vehicles and standard gear across the public ground that makes up the bulk of the unit.

This article breaks down what the data shows for Unit 681 — harvest trends across four recent seasons, what the limited wildlife survey data suggests about herd structure, and how the draw process works — so hunters researching this unit can decide whether it's worth their application points.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 681 Worth Applying For?

The short answer, based on the data available through HuntPilot, is that Unit 681 deserves serious consideration for hunters who want a genuine chance at pronghorn with a reasonably high likelihood of filling a tag once drawn — but the trend lines deserve a closer look before committing points.

Harvest success in this unit has been volatile across the last four recorded seasons. In 2025, 357 hunters took to the field and 263 harvested pronghorn, a 74% success rate — a strong number for any limited-quota hunt. That's a sharp jump from 2024, when 72 hunters posted a 61% success rate (44 harvested), and from 2023, when just 74 hunters saw a 43% success rate (32 harvested). In 2022, only 37 hunters participated with a 65% success rate (24 harvested).

The jump in hunter numbers from the 2022-2024 range (37 to 74 hunters) up to 357 hunters in 2025 is the most striking shift in the dataset, and it corresponds with a meaningful rise in success rate as well. Hunters should read this as a sign that tag allocations in this unit have expanded considerably in recent seasons, which is good news for draw odds but also means more hunters on the landscape competing for the same pronghorn. The success rate held strong at 74% despite the larger hunter pool, which speaks well to pronghorn density and huntability across the unit's open terrain.

The terrain itself — ranging from 7,675 feet at the low end to 13,246 feet at the high end — is unusually broad for a pronghorn unit. Most of Colorado's pronghorn habitat sits in lower-elevation grassland and sagebrush flats, so a unit with elevation reaching above 13,000 feet suggests Unit 681 includes significant high-country terrain in addition to the open basins where pronghorn concentrate. Hunters should expect to focus their efforts on the lower-elevation sagebrush and grassland flats where pronghorn are naturally found, rather than the mountainous upper reaches of the unit, which likely hold little to no pronghorn habitat.

Given the strong recent success rate and high public land percentage, Unit 681 is worth applying for — particularly for hunters focused on opportunity and a fair chance at filling a tag rather than chasing a specific trophy class.

Herd Health & Population Trends

HuntPilot's wildlife survey data for Unit 681 spans six survey years between 2018 and 2024, showing an average buck:doe ratio of 18:100. This is a notably low ratio compared to a healthy baseline for pronghorn herds, where ratios in the 30-50:100 range are more typical of a herd with a well-balanced buck component.

An 18:100 average across six survey years is a real signal, not a one-year anomaly, and it suggests this herd has historically carried a lower proportion of mature bucks relative to does than hunters might hope for. This is worth weighing carefully: a low buck:doe ratio generally means fewer bucks per doe on the landscape, which can translate to more hunting pressure concentrated on a smaller buck population, even when overall harvest success is strong (as the 2025 and 2024 data show).

Hunters should treat this ratio as the more reliable long-term indicator of herd structure in this unit, rather than placing too much weight on any single year's harvest success number. The combination of a modest buck:doe ratio with a sharply growing hunter pool in 2025 is something to watch going forward — more hunters pursuing a historically buck-light herd could pressure trophy-class bucks more heavily over time.

Trophy Quality

Trophy record data for the counties overlapping Unit 681 shows a moderate history of trophy-class pronghorn production. This points to a unit capable of producing solid, respectable bucks, though it's not among the standout units with an extensive or recent history of exceptional entries. Hunters should keep in mind that record-book entries are logged at the county level rather than the unit level, meaning any trophy history attributed to the counties surrounding Unit 681 is shared with neighboring units as well — the data doesn't tell us precisely which unit produced which animal.

Given the moderate trophy history combined with the lower buck:doe ratio reflected in the survey data, hunters chasing a specific trophy-class buck should temper expectations somewhat. This unit appears better suited to hunters prioritizing a solid, representative pronghorn and a good overall hunting experience rather than those exclusively hunting for a record-book entry. That said, moderate trophy history means quality bucks have come from this area, and with 92% public land access, hunters have ample room to scout and locate the better bucks that are out there.

Access & Terrain

Unit 681's defining access feature is its 92% public land, which puts it well ahead of many Colorado pronghorn units where private ownership and leased hunting access dominate the landscape. For DIY hunters, this is a major advantage — hunters are not reliant on landowner permission or paid access arrangements to cover the bulk of the unit's huntable ground.

The elevation range of 7,675 to 13,246 feet is wide enough that hunters need to be strategic about where they focus their efforts. Pronghorn are animals of open country — grassland, sagebrush flats, and rolling plains — so the lower end of that elevation spectrum is where hunters should expect to find huntable pronghorn habitat. The upper end of the range likely represents mountainous terrain within the broader unit boundary that holds little relevance to a pronghorn hunt specifically.

With zero percent of the unit designated as wilderness, there are no special wilderness-area access restrictions to account for when planning a hunt here. Hunters can use standard motorized access on existing roads and trails across the public land portions of the unit without additional permitting concerns tied to wilderness status.

Hunters planning to scout Unit 681 ahead of their hunt should take advantage of mapping tools — like those built into HuntPilot — to overlay public land boundaries and identify the lower-elevation open country most likely to hold pronghorn, rather than wasting scouting time in the unit's higher terrain.

How to Apply

Unit 681 operates entirely on a limited-quota draw basis — there is no general season or over-the-counter option here. Every hunter pursuing pronghorn in this unit, regardless of residency, must apply through Colorado's draw system and be awarded a license before hunting.

Colorado's draw structure uses a true preference point system for the species covered in this unit's hunts. This means the state's highest point holders are awarded tags first, ahead of lower-point applicants, for the available licenses in each draw hunt. Unlike a weighted lottery, preference points in Colorado function as a queue — accumulating points steadily improves a hunter's position, and a sufficiently high point total can effectively guarantee a tag on many hunts, though hunters should confirm current point requirements before counting on this for any specific hunt.

Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, and nonresidents should expect notably more competition for the same license pool given Colorado's overall popularity as a pronghorn destination among out-of-state hunters. Both resident and nonresident hunters accumulate preference points automatically in any year they apply but are not drawn, meaning hunters who don't draw a tag this cycle are not wasting their application — they're building toward future draws.

Application windows, license fees, and current point requirements change from year to year and are not static figures that belong in an evergreen guide. For the most current deadlines, fees, and draw odds for Unit 681, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page or the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website directly before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 681? Unit 681 spans a wide elevation range from 7,675 feet to 13,246 feet, which is unusually broad for a pronghorn unit. The huntable pronghorn habitat is concentrated in the lower-elevation open country — grassland and sagebrush flats typical of pronghorn range — while the unit's higher elevations likely represent mountainous terrain outside of core pronghorn habitat. With 92% public land, hunters have substantial room to explore and scout the lower-elevation portions of the unit without needing private land access.

What is harvest success like in Unit 681? Harvest success has varied significantly across recent seasons. In 2025, hunters posted a 74% success rate (263 of 357 hunters), the strongest of the four years on record. In 2024, success sat at 61% (44 of 72 hunters), in 2023 it dropped to 43% (32 of 74 hunters), and in 2022 it was 65% (24 of 37 hunters). The 2025 season also saw a substantial increase in total hunters compared to prior years, suggesting an expansion in available licenses.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 681? Trophy record data for the counties overlapping this unit shows a moderate history of trophy-class pronghorn, shared with neighboring units in those counties. Combined with a lower-than-average buck:doe ratio recorded across recent wildlife surveys, hunters should expect a reasonable chance at a solid, representative buck rather than betting heavily on drawing a tag specifically for trophy potential.

Is Unit 681 worth applying for? Yes, particularly for hunters prioritizing a strong chance at filling a tag. The 2025 harvest data showing 74% success alongside a large jump in available hunter opportunity makes this an attractive unit for opportunity-focused pronghorn hunters. The high 92% public land percentage also makes it one of the more DIY-friendly pronghorn units in the state. Hunters chasing trophy-class animals specifically should weigh the moderate trophy history and modest buck:doe ratio before prioritizing this unit over others.

Do I need a guide to hunt Unit 681? No. Colorado does not require nonresidents to hire a guide or outfitter in this unit — that requirement is specific to Wyoming wilderness areas and does not apply here. With zero percent wilderness designation and 92% public land, Unit 681 is well suited to an unguided, do-it-yourself hunt for both residents and nonresidents who successfully draw a license.