GMU 101 GMU 101 — Washington/Yuma Co.
Private-land pronghorn and mixed mule deer/whitetail on the high plains
Northeast Colorado plains — Washington/Yuma County sandsage and farm country · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
685
sq mi
Public land
3%
approx.
Elevation
3,900–4,500
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
GMU 101 sits on Colorado's far northeastern plains, a rolling mosaic of dryland and center-pivot farm ground, CRP grass, and sandsage prairie broken by the shallow Arikaree River drainage. Deer are the marquee tag here — mule deer work the grass breaks and crop edges while whitetails hold the wooded river bottoms — with a solid pronghorn component out on the open shortgrass. Elk are only occasional wanderers off the herds farther west. This is overwhelmingly private ranch and farm country, so access, not game, is the limiting factor.
Terrain
Gently rolling high plains dropping toward shallow, sandy drainages; no relief to speak of beyond river breaks and blowout dunes.
Cover: Sandsage prairie and shortgrass, extensive dryland wheat/corn/milo and center-pivot circles, CRP grassland, and cottonwood/willow bottoms along the Arikaree.
Landmarks: Arikaree River drainage · Yuma · Otis · Cope
Access
This unit is almost entirely private agricultural and ranch land. Colorado State Trust Lands are NOT open to public hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, so do not treat the checkerboarded trust sections as huntable. Realistic public opportunity comes from CPW's Walk-In Access (WIA) leases and a few small State Wildlife Areas; otherwise you must secure landowner permission or lease access.
Managers: private ranch, private farm, Colorado State Trust Land (access-restricted), CPW State Wildlife Areas / Walk-In Access
Access points: County road grid off US 34 and US 385 · CPW Walk-In Access properties (annual atlas) · Public roads bordering CRP and river-bottom parcels
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe core deer resource — bucks use grass breaks, sandsage draws, and crop edges. Fully limited-draw in Colorado; good-quality mature bucks come off the plains in years with permission on the right ground.
- →Glass sandsage draws and CRP edges at first and last light
- →Watch travel between bedding grass and crop fields
- →Focus effort where you've secured private permission or a WIA lease
Whitetail Deer
common qualityWhitetails hold the wooded Arikaree bottoms and shelterbelts, overlapping mule deer at the field edges. A genuine far-eastern-plains whitetail opportunity.
- →Hunt river-bottom cottonwoods and shelterbelts
- →Set up on field-to-cover travel routes
- →Rut hunts in the bottoms can be productive
Pronghorn
common opportunityAntelope scatter across the open sandsage and shortgrass; success is moderate and tags are limited-draw. Numbers and access both concentrate the hunt.
- →Glass wide-open shortgrass and fallow ground
- →Use terrain folds and windmills to close distance
- →Spot-and-stalk or ambush water on hot early-season days
Rocky Mountain Elk
transient lowElk are incidental on this unit — occasional plains wanderers rather than a resident herd. Very low harvest.
- →Not a target species here; treat any elk encounter as opportunistic
Pro tips
- →Line up landowner permission or a lease months ahead — access is the whole game out here
- →Pull the current CPW Walk-In Access atlas; WIA parcels change year to year
- →Split your effort: whitetails in the Arikaree bottoms, mule deer and antelope on the open breaks and sandsage
- →Do not plan on State Trust sections unless they're specifically enrolled in the Public Access Program
Watch out for
- !Overwhelmingly private land — trespass risk is real; know your boundaries
- !State Trust Lands are closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program
- !Muddy clay roads after rain/snow can strand vehicles
- !Standing crops can hide deer until harvest; timing matters
Logistics
Yuma and Wray offer fuel, lodging, and groceries; Akron to the west is another supply point. Roads are a well-graded county grid, easily traveled by 2WD except after heavy rain or snow when clay turns greasy. Cell coverage is generally decent near towns and highways.
Nearest towns: Yuma, Otis, Wray, Akron
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: Colorado Parks & Wildlife — GMU boundary descriptions · CPW Big Game Harvest Statistics
FAQ
- How big is GMU 101 in Colorado?
- GMU 101 (GMU 101 — Washington/Yuma Co.) covers about 685 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,900 to 4,500 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 101?
- Approximately 3% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch, private farm, Colorado State Trust Land (access-restricted), CPW State Wildlife Areas / Walk-In Access. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 101?
- Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Pronghorn, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 101 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.