Colorado Unit 90 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 90 sits in the southeastern plains country of the state, a low-elevation unit ranging from 3,447 to 4,452 feet across 239,317 acres. For hunters researching pronghorn opportunity in this part of Colorado, Unit 90 presents a classic eastern-plains scenario: a limited-quota draw structure, modest public land access, and a herd that has shown generally healthy buck:doe ratios across recent survey years. This article breaks down what the data actually shows for Unit 90 so hunters can decide whether it belongs on their application list.

Unit 90 is entirely a draw unit — there is no general season here. Every pronghorn hunt available in this unit, including hunts for antlered/either-sex animals, requires a successful draw application. That's an important starting point for anyone comparing this unit to OTC-style opportunities elsewhere in the West; hunters cannot simply buy a tag over the counter and show up. Every hunter in the woods (or more accurately, the sagebrush and shortgrass prairie) here drew their tag through Colorado's application system.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 90 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer depends heavily on what a hunter is after. The harvest numbers pulled from HuntPilot's historical data show real variability year to year, which is worth unpacking before deciding whether to burn an application here.

Looking at the most recent six years of harvest data, success rates have swung widely: 81% in 2020, down to 55% in 2021, 65% in 2022, 61% in 2023, a notable dip to 38% in 2024, and then a jump to 54% in 2025. The hunter numbers tell an equally important story — in 2020 through 2024, hunter counts in the unit ranged from roughly 53 to 106 per year, consistent with a small, tightly managed limited-quota unit. Then in 2025, hunter numbers jumped dramatically to 1,530 hunters with 832 harvested. That's a major structural shift in tag volume compared to the prior five years, and hunters should treat 2025 as reflecting a different allocation reality than the 2020-2024 window. Anyone using this unit's recent history to plan a hunt should look at both eras separately rather than averaging them together, since the unit clearly issued far more tags in 2025 than in prior seasons.

For herd health, survey data collected across six years (2018-2024) shows an average buck:doe ratio of 40:100. That's a solid, biologically normal ratio for pronghorn — it falls within a realistic range and doesn't carry the hallmarks of a small-sample anomaly. A 40:100 ratio suggests a buck segment of the population that is neither crashed nor artificially inflated, and it's a reasonable sign of a stable herd structure over the survey period.

On trophy potential, the data available for the counties overlapping Unit 90 points to a limited history of trophy-class record entries. That doesn't mean exceptional bucks never come out of this country, but hunters should not go into this unit expecting it to be a trophy destination. This is a unit better suited to hunters prioritizing opportunity, meat, and a solid draw-hunt experience over chasing a record-book buck. Given the modest trophy history, hunters with narrow trophy-only goals may want to look elsewhere, while hunters looking for a solid pronghorn hunt with a reasonable chance at harvest should find this unit reasonably attractive, especially in years with higher tag allocations.

Access & Terrain

Unit 90 is low-elevation prairie and plains country, consistent with the broader southeastern Colorado pronghorn range. The elevation band here — 3,447 to 4,452 feet — is on the lower end for Colorado hunting units generally, meaning hunters should expect flat-to-rolling terrain rather than mountainous country. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit, so none of Wyoming's wilderness-guide restrictions or similar concerns apply here — Colorado carries no state-mandated guide requirement for nonresidents in any case.

The critical access number for Unit 90 is public land: only 7% of the unit's 239,317 acres is public. That means the overwhelming majority of this unit — 93% — is private property. This is a serious consideration for any hunter without an existing landowner relationship or private-land access arrangement. DIY hunters relying purely on public ground will find very limited room to operate in Unit 90. Successfully hunting here as a walk-in public-land-only hunter is going to be the exception rather than the rule given how little public acreage exists across the unit's footprint.

Hunters without private land access should factor this heavily into their decision to apply. It's common in this part of Colorado for successful applicants to either secure landowner permission in advance, work with a local contact, or pursue access programs well before the season — waiting until a tag is drawn to figure out where to hunt is a recipe for frustration in a 93%-private unit.

Harvest Success Rates

Recaping the year-by-year data for clarity, since it's central to evaluating this unit:

• 2020: 53 hunters, 43 harvested — 81% success
• 2021: 106 hunters, 58 harvested — 55% success
• 2022: 83 hunters, 54 harvested — 65% success
• 2023: 62 hunters, 38 harvested — 61% success
• 2024: 63 hunters, 24 harvested — 38% success
• 2025: 1,530 hunters, 832 harvested — 54% success

The 2020-2024 window shows a small-quota unit with generally strong success rates, averaging in the mid-50s to mid-60s percentage range, with 2024 standing out as a weaker year at 38%. The dramatic hunter-count increase in 2025 — more than 14 times the hunter volume of any prior year in this dataset — changed the character of the hunt substantially, yet success still held at 54%, which suggests the terrain and herd were able to support a much larger harvest than in previous seasons. Hunters should view the 2025 season as a possible shift in how Colorado Parks and Wildlife is managing tag numbers in this unit, and should check HuntPilot's unit page for the most current quota information before assuming either the small-quota or large-quota pattern will hold going forward.

Trophy Quality

Available data indicates the counties overlapping Unit 90 carry a limited history of trophy-class pronghorn records. This points toward a unit where hunters should set realistic expectations: solid, representative bucks are achievable, but the record-book history in this part of the state is thin compared to some of Colorado's more noted pronghorn country. Hunters prioritizing trophy potential above all else should weigh this limited history carefully, while those focused on a quality, successful hunt with a fair opportunity at a representative buck will likely find the unit reasonable based on the harvest numbers above.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The six-year survey average of 40:100 buck:doe ratio is a meaningful data point. This ratio sits in a realistic, biologically sound range for pronghorn populations and does not show the inflated characteristics of a small survey sample. A consistent buck:doe ratio across six years of surveys (2018-2024) suggests the herd in this area has maintained a reasonably stable structure over time, which bodes well for continued hunt quality assuming habitat and weather conditions remain consistent. Hunters should still check for the most current survey year on HuntPilot's unit page, since herd composition can shift with drought, winterkill, or habitat changes that may post-date this survey window.

How to Apply

Because Unit 90 has no general season, every hunter pursuing pronghorn here — resident or nonresident — must go through Colorado's limited-quota draw system. There is no walk-in or OTC path into this unit's pronghorn hunts.

Colorado's draw structure separates resident and nonresident applicants into different allocation pools, and the state uses a preference point system where points accumulate for unsuccessful applicants and help improve position in future draws. Colorado's draw is a true preference system — unlike a weighted lottery, high enough point totals can effectively secure a tag over time, particularly in units with modest demand. Given the private-land-dominant nature of Unit 90, hunters should also begin working on landowner access or permission well in advance of actually applying, since drawing a tag with nowhere to hunt is a wasted opportunity.

Application structure in Colorado generally requires hunters to select unit and hunt-code preferences during the application window, with points awarded to unsuccessful applicants that carry forward to future application cycles. Because deadlines, fees, and point requirements change from cycle to cycle, hunters should consult HuntPilot's Colorado state page for the current application calendar, fee schedule, and unit-specific draw statistics before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 90? Unit 90 is low-elevation plains and prairie country, ranging from 3,447 to 4,452 feet in elevation. This is flat-to-rolling shortgrass prairie and sagebrush terrain typical of southeastern Colorado's pronghorn range, not mountainous terrain. There is no wilderness acreage in the unit.

What is harvest success like in Unit 90? Harvest success has varied meaningfully year to year. From 2020 through 2024, success rates ranged from a low of 38% (2024) to a high of 81% (2020), with hunter numbers typically in the 50-100 range. In 2025, hunter volume jumped sharply to 1,530 hunters with a 54% success rate. Hunters should check current-year data on HuntPilot before assuming either pattern will repeat.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 90? Available trophy-record data suggests the counties overlapping this unit carry a limited history of trophy-class entries. This is not considered a premier trophy pronghorn unit based on the available data; hunters focused heavily on trophy potential should weigh this against units with stronger documented trophy histories.

Is Colorado Unit 90 worth applying for? It depends on priorities. The herd shows a stable, biologically healthy buck:doe ratio of 40:100 averaged over six survey years, and harvest success has generally been solid in years with lower hunter volumes. However, only 7% of the unit is public land, meaning the vast majority of hunting here happens on private ground — hunters without access arrangements will struggle. This unit suits hunters focused on opportunity and a representative pronghorn rather than trophy potential, and who have a plan for private land access before they draw.

Is Unit 90 a good option for public-land DIY hunters? Not particularly, based on the access data. With only 7% public land across 239,317 acres, DIY hunters relying solely on public ground will find very limited room to hunt. Hunters without existing landowner relationships should strongly consider securing private access or permission before applying, since drawing a tag here doesn't guarantee a workable hunting spot.