GMU 130 GMU 130 — Otero/Bent Co.
Pronghorn on the prairie, deer in the canyons, a whisper of elk — but you'll need private access
Southeast Colorado — Arkansas River shortgrass plains · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
483
sq mi
Public land
10%
approx.
Elevation
3,900–4,800
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 130 spreads across the shortgrass plains of Otero and Bent counties, bounded on the north by the Arkansas River and running south to the Bent county lines. This is pronghorn country first — open prairie and rolling farmland where speed goats are the marquee tag — with mule deer and whitetails tucked into the Arkansas and Purgatoire river bottoms and a handful of elk drifting the canyons. The unit is roughly 90% private ranch and farm; public opportunity is limited to the Timpas Unit of the Comanche National Grassland.
Terrain
Flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie broken by moderately steep plateaus, breaks and canyons, with cottonwood-lined river bottoms cutting across the north.
Cover: Shortgrass prairie and dryland/irrigated farm ground, with cottonwood riparian along the rivers, pinon-juniper on the plateau breaks, and sagebrush and yucca on the flats.
Landmarks: Arkansas River · Purgatoire River · Comanche National Grassland — Timpas Unit · Colorado Highway 109 · canyon breaks south of La Junta
Access
About 90% of the unit is private ranch and farmland, so access is the central challenge — most quality hunting requires landowner permission or a ranch lease. The public foothold is the ~23,000-acre Timpas Unit of the Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta and east of Colorado 109. Colorado State Trust Lands are generally closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program and should not be counted as open. Access is rated good for pronghorn, fair for deer.
Managers: private ranch and farm, USFS Comanche National Grassland (Timpas Unit)
Access points: Comanche National Grassland — Timpas Unit (public) · Colorado Highway 109 corridor · county roads off Highway 50 near La Junta and Las Animas
Species notes
Pronghorn
common opportunityThe signature species — pronghorn concentrate south of Highway 50 and toward the east on open prairie and farm edges; draw-only, with the unit's best success and harvest of the three big-game tags.
- →Glass wide across the open flats and farm edges
- →Set up on water tanks and fence crossings in dry stretches
- →Use terrain folds and draws to close for a stalk
Mule Deer
common opportunityMule deer hold in the canyon breaks, pinon-juniper plateaus and along the river bottoms; draw-only, with fair access given the private ground.
- →Hunt the pinon-juniper canyon breaks at first and last light
- →Glass river-bottom edges and farm draws
- →Work the Comanche Grassland canyons for public-land bucks
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityWhitetails inhabit the cottonwood riparian corridors of the Arkansas and Purgatoire rivers, overlapping with mule deer in the bottoms — a true eastern-plains river-bottom whitetail.
- →Focus on cottonwood bottoms and brushy river edges
- →Watch travel between crop fields and cover mornings and evenings
- →Secure private river-bottom access where possible
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityA small number of plains elk frequent the canyons and Comanche National Grassland; draw-only and low harvest — an opportunistic, not primary, target here.
- →Glass canyon country and grassland breaks
- →Follow sign near water and secluded draws
- →Treat as a bonus alongside deer or pronghorn effort
Pro tips
- →Line up private access or a lease early — 90% private ground defines this unit
- →Pronghorn south of Highway 50 and to the east is the highest-odds hunt
- →Work the Timpas Unit canyons of the Comanche National Grassland for public deer and grassland pronghorn
- →River bottoms hold both whitetail and mule deer — glass the cottonwood edges
Watch out for
- !Roughly 90% private ranch and farmland — access is the limiting factor
- !State Trust Lands are closed unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program
- !Limited public ground concentrates on the Comanche National Grassland Timpas Unit
- !Open-plains heat and water scarcity early in the season
Logistics
La Junta and Las Animas along Highway 50 provide fuel, lodging, groceries and processing. Terrain is easy driving on county roads, but leasing or landowner permission is the practical key to most of the unit; plan for private-access logistics well ahead of the season.
Nearest towns: La Junta, Las Animas, Rocky Ford, Lamar
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: HuntScore — GMU 130 (Otero & Bent Counties) · GoHunt — Colorado Unit 130 Profile · Comanche National Grassland — Wikipedia
FAQ
- How big is GMU 130 in Colorado?
- GMU 130 (GMU 130 — Otero/Bent Co.) covers about 483 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,900 to 4,800 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 130?
- Approximately 10% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch and farm, USFS Comanche National Grassland (Timpas Unit). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 130?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, 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 130 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.