Colorado Unit 89 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 89 is a limited-quota pronghorn unit tucked into the eastern plains region of the state, where every hunt is issued through the draw — there is no general season here. For hunters researching Unit 89, the key facts are straightforward: this is exclusively a limited-quota draw unit spanning 495,065 acres, with only 12% public land, no wilderness acreage, and elevations running a relatively low and flat 3,863 to 5,093 feet — classic pronghorn plains country. Success rates have swung significantly year to year, and understanding why is critical before hunters spend points chasing a tag here.

Unit 89 draws attention from pronghorn hunters because Colorado's eastern plains units are known for producing solid, huntable herds on open, visible terrain — the kind of country pronghorn were built for. But with public land sitting at just 12%, this unit demands a hard look at access realities before hunters commit points to it.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 89 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is: it depends heavily on access strategy, and the recent harvest data tells an important story that hunters need to understand before applying.

Look at the five-year harvest trend. In 2021, 585 hunters pursued pronghorn in Unit 89 and posted a 51% success rate. In 2022, hunter numbers stayed similar at 420 hunters with a 44% success rate, and 2023 was nearly identical at 397 hunters and 47% success. Then in 2024, hunter numbers held steady at 416 with success ticking up slightly to 46%. That's a consistent, predictable unit across four full seasons — roughly 400-600 hunters per year, with success in the mid-to-high 40% range.

Then 2025 happened: only 72 hunters afield, but 63 harvested, for an 88% success rate. That's a dramatic shift in both hunter volume and success. A jump like this almost always signals a significant cut in tag quotas rather than a sudden explosion in herd quality or huntability — fewer tags issued concentrated success among a smaller, likely more experienced or better-positioned group of hunters. Hunters should not assume 88% success is the new normal for Unit 89; the 2020-2024 average (44-76% depending on year, with most years clustering in the mid-40% to low-50% range) is the more reliable baseline for planning purposes. 2020, notably, also posted a high 76% success rate on just 237 hunters — another year with reduced hunter numbers — reinforcing the pattern that success rates in this unit move inversely with the number of tags issued.

For herd health, the available survey data shows an average buck:doe ratio of 40:100 across six survey years from 2018-2024. That's a healthy, sustainable ratio for pronghorn and suggests a stable buck segment within the herd, supporting the idea that this unit can produce good hunting when tag numbers are managed conservatively.

The biggest limiting factor for Unit 89 is access. With only 12% public land, the overwhelming majority of this 495,065-acre unit is private property. That is a critical number for any hunter considering a DIY approach — public land access here is genuinely limited, not just modest. Successful hunters in this unit are typically doing one of three things: leveraging existing landowner relationships, hunting the specific public parcels that do exist (often BLM or state wildlife areas scattered through the unit), or paying for private land access, whether through a lease arrangement or a guided hunt on private ground. Hunters expecting to walk onto open public land and find abundant pronghorn habitat to roam should recalibrate those expectations against the 12% figure.

Trophy potential in the counties overlapping Unit 89 shows a moderate history of trophy-class records. This isn't a unit with an outsized trophy reputation, but it has produced trophy-class animals historically. Given the county-level nature of trophy record attribution, these records are shared with neighboring units in the same counties, and the specific animals may have come from anywhere within that broader geography — so hunters shouldn't assume Unit 89 alone is responsible for every entry attributed to its overlapping counties. For a hunter whose primary goal is antlers on the wall rather than a guaranteed high score, this unit offers a fair chance without being a marquee trophy destination.

Bottom line: Unit 89 is worth applying for if a hunter has a specific access plan — private land connections, a guide, or knowledge of the public parcels available — and is comfortable with success rates that historically run in the 44-51% range in normal tag-quota years. It is not a unit to draw blind and figure out access later, given how little public ground exists.

Access & Terrain

Unit 89 sits at a low elevation range of 3,863 to 5,093 feet, which is typical open plains and rolling grassland/sagebrush country associated with productive pronghorn habitat in eastern Colorado. The relatively flat, open terrain favors the long-range visibility pronghorn hunting is known for — glassing across big country and closing distance on animals in the open is the standard game plan here, rather than technical mountain hunting.

The critical access number, though, is the 12% public land figure. With the vast majority of Unit 89's 495,065 acres in private ownership, hunters need a plan for accessing huntable ground well before they draw a tag. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit, which is expected given the plains terrain — wilderness designations are essentially nonexistent in pronghorn country of this type. That absence of wilderness doesn't change the access equation; the challenge here isn't rugged terrain, it's private land boundaries.

Hunters without existing access to private ground in Unit 89 should scout available public parcels carefully well ahead of the season, using mapping tools that clearly delineate public versus private boundaries. HuntPilot's own public land overlays and mapping tools can help hunters identify exactly where the public 12% sits relative to private inholdings, which is essential in a unit like this where wandering onto private ground by mistake is a real risk given how fragmented the public parcels likely are.

Harvest Success Rates

The five most recent harvest seasons in Unit 89 paint a clear picture of a unit whose success rate is tightly linked to how many tags are issued:

• 2025: 72 hunters, 63 harvested — 88% success
• 2024: 416 hunters, 192 harvested — 46% success
• 2023: 397 hunters, 185 harvested — 47% success
• 2022: 420 hunters, 184 harvested — 44% success
• 2021: 585 hunters, 301 harvested — 51% success
• 2020: 237 hunters, 179 harvested — 76% success

Across the four years with hunter counts between roughly 400 and 600 (2021-2024), success held remarkably steady in the 44-51% range. That consistency is useful for planning purposes — a hunter drawing a tag in a typical quota year should expect roughly coin-flip-or-better odds of filling their tag, assuming reasonable access to huntable ground.

The two outlier years, 2020 and 2025, both saw hunter numbers drop sharply (237 and 72, respectively) alongside success rates spiking to 76% and 88%. This strongly suggests these were years with significantly reduced tag quotas. Fewer tags concentrated among presumably well-prepared hunters naturally pushes success rates higher — it does not mean the herd or hunting conditions improved dramatically in those specific years. Hunters should plan around the four-year baseline of 44-51% rather than anchoring expectations to the 2025 figure.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 89 show a moderate history of production. This places Unit 89 in the middle tier of Colorado pronghorn units — it has produced trophy-class bucks over time, but it isn't among the state's standout trophy destinations. Hunters should keep in mind that trophy entries are logged at the county level, meaning any records attributed to this area are shared with adjacent units that overlap the same counties, and the specific animals could have come from anywhere within that shared geography.

For most hunters applying to Unit 89, the more realistic expectation is a solid, representative pronghorn rather than a once-in-a-lifetime buck. That's consistent with a unit carrying moderate trophy history — genuine trophy potential exists, but it's not the primary draw compared to units with stronger, more concentrated trophy production.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data covers six years from 2018 through 2024 and shows an average buck:doe ratio of 40:100. That ratio is within a normal, healthy range for pronghorn herds and does not raise any red flags about buck availability or herd sex-ratio balance. A 40:100 average across six survey years is a reasonably reliable, multi-year data point rather than a single-season anomaly, and it supports the idea that Unit 89's pronghorn population has maintained a stable buck segment over the survey period.

Combined with the consistent harvest success rates seen in typical quota years, this points to a herd that, where huntable access exists, offers a fair and sustainable hunting opportunity — not a herd in decline, and not one showing unusual stress on the buck population.

How to Apply

Every pronghorn hunt in Unit 89 is issued through Colorado's limited-quota draw system — there is no general/OTC season available here. Hunters, both resident and nonresident, must apply through the state's draw process to have a chance at a tag in this unit.

Colorado's draw operates on a true preference-point system, meaning the highest point holders in a given applicant pool draw first. Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, so nonresident competition for tags does not directly reduce resident odds, though nonresident quotas are typically capped at a smaller share of total tags. Because Unit 89's harvest data shows meaningful year-to-year swings in the number of tags issued, hunters should check current-year quota information before assuming any past application strategy will hold up.

Given the significant private land presence in this unit, hunters should also begin working on access — whether through landowner contacts, leased ground, or a guide — well before applying, since drawing a tag with no access plan in a 12%-public unit can leave a hunter with very few places to actually hunt.

Application dates, fees, and current draw odds for Unit 89 change every cycle. For the most current information, see HuntPilot's Colorado state page for application deadlines, costs, and draw statistics specific to this unit and the current year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 89? Unit 89 sits at a low elevation range of 3,863 to 5,093 feet, consistent with open eastern plains terrain typical of Colorado pronghorn country. There is no wilderness acreage in the unit. The terrain favors long-distance glassing and open-country stalking rather than technical mountain hunting.

What is harvest success like in Unit 89? In years with typical tag quotas (roughly 400-600 hunters afield), success has run 44-51%, based on data from 2021 through 2024. Two recent years — 2020 and 2025 — saw much smaller hunter numbers and correspondingly higher success rates (76% and 88%), which likely reflects reduced tag allocations rather than a fundamental shift in hunting quality. Hunters should plan around the 44-51% range as the more representative baseline.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 89? Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 89 show a moderate history of trophy-class production. It's not among Colorado's premier trophy units, but trophy-class bucks have come from this general area over time. Most hunters drawing a tag here should expect a solid, representative pronghorn rather than a guaranteed exceptional buck.

Is Colorado Unit 89 worth applying for? It can be, but access planning is essential. With only 12% public land across the unit's 495,065 acres, the majority of huntable ground is private. Hunters with a private land connection, lease, or guide arrangement will find a unit with consistent, healthy harvest success in normal tag-quota years and a stable buck:doe ratio averaging 40:100 over six survey years. Hunters relying purely on public land access should scout available parcels carefully before applying, since public ground here is genuinely scarce.

Is Unit 89 a good option for a DIY public land pronghorn hunt? It's a difficult unit for a pure DIY public-land approach given the 12% public land figure. The vast majority of the unit is private, so DIY hunters need to identify the specific public parcels available and plan access carefully in advance using detailed land-ownership mapping, rather than assuming broad public access exists across the unit.