GMU 17 GMU 17 — Jackson Co.
Southeast North Park under the Never Summers and Rabbit Ears — pronghorn plus limited-draw elk in high timber
North-central Colorado — southeast North Park (Jackson County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
282
sq mi
Public land
50%
approx.
Elevation
8,100–11,500
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 17 occupies the southeast corner of North Park in Jackson County, where the sagebrush basin south of Walden runs up against the timbered high country of the Rabbit Ears Range and the Never Summer Mountains (Arapaho/Medicine Bow-Routt NF). It blends open sage flats and river bottoms — including ground near the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge along the Illinois River — with steep conifer and aspen on the mountain rise. Pronghorn hunts the basin with good success, elk is a fully limited-draw hunt (no over-the-counter in North Park) using the surrounding forest, and mule deer is draw-only across the transition.
Terrain
Sage basin floor near 8,100 ft climbing sharply southeast into the Rabbit Ears Range and Never Summer Mountains, with high forested ridges, parks and headwater drainages of the Illinois and Michigan rivers. Open and rolling below, steep and timbered above.
Cover: Sagebrush steppe and grassland with willow river bottoms on the floor, transitioning to dense lodgepole, spruce-fir and aspen with high mountain parks on the Rabbit Ears/Never Summer slopes.
Landmarks: Rabbit Ears Range · Never Summer Mountains · Illinois River headwaters · Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (Illinois River bottoms) · Rand
Access
Higher public-land share than the open basin units thanks to contiguous national forest on the southeast mountain front, plus BLM tracts on the basin floor and private ranches along the rivers. Colorado State Trust (State Land Board) sections are generally NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program — do not count them as public. The Arapaho NWR is federally managed with its own restrictions — verify any hunting access separately. Public-land percent is an estimate.
Managers: USFS Arapaho NF / Medicine Bow-Routt NF, BLM (Kremmling Field Office), private ranch, Colorado State Land Board
Access points: CO Hwy 14 toward Rabbit Ears/Muddy Pass and forest access · County roads off CO Hwy 125 near Rand · National forest trailheads on the Rabbit Ears/Never Summer front
Species notes
Pronghorn
common opportunityPronghorn hold on the open southeast basin flats with solid tag success — the most attainable draw in the unit, best on the sage ground away from the mountain timber.
- →Glass open sage flats and low benches at first and last light
- →Hunt BLM tracts and the sage/forest fringe rather than private ranch cores
- →Spot-and-stalk using drainages and terrain rolls
- →Fence lines and water concentrate bucks in dry early seasons
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityElk use the extensive Rabbit Ears/Never Summer forest that rims the unit, giving GMU 17 good public elk habitat — but it is fully limited-draw (no OTC) and per-hunter success stays modest as elk work timber, high parks and private meadow edges.
- →Hunt the timber-to-park transitions and high parks in the national forest
- →Get up onto the Rabbit Ears/Never Summer front for public bulls
- →Work timber edges at dawn/dusk where elk feed toward meadows
- →Snow pushes elk down into more accessible, huntable country
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer range the sage-willow bottoms and the aspen/timber transition on the mountain front; draw-only, letting bucks mature where tags are limited.
- →Work willow bottoms and river breaks early
- →Glass sage benches and the aspen/timber edge on the southeast rise
- →Late-season rut moves bucks into open country
Moose
limited qualityMoose from North Park's founding herd frequent the willow bottoms and high beaver complexes of the Illinois and Michigan headwaters. Tags are once-in-a-lifetime and very limited.
- →Hunt willow carrs and beaver ponds along the Illinois/Michigan drainages
- →Glass riparian and high-park willow at dawn and dusk
- →Drawing a tag takes years of luck
Black Bear
limited opportunityBlack bear inhabit the aspen and timber of the Rabbit Ears and Never Summer front on the unit's forested southeast, at lower density than the West Slope.
- →Focus on aspen stands, berry patches and serviceberry/oak pockets in the forest
- →Hunt the timbered mountain front, not the open basin
- →Early fall targets bears on natural forage
Pro tips
- →GMU 17 has the best public elk habitat of the three southeast North Park units — get onto the Rabbit Ears/Never Summer forest
- →Pronghorn on the open basin is the highest-odds tag if you can draw
- →Verify Arapaho NWR access separately — it's federally managed with its own rules
- →State Trust sections are closed unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program
- →Willow headwater bottoms hold moose and the better mule deer
- →Be ready for early mountain snow on the forest roads
Watch out for
- !Private river-bottom ranches border much of the basin ground
- !State Trust lands generally closed to hunting (Public Access Program only)
- !Arapaho NWR has federal restrictions — not general open hunting land
- !Forest roads hold early snow; basin roads slick when wet
Logistics
Walden is the nearest hub for fuel, food, lodging and licenses; Rand and Gould offer minimal services. Steamboat Springs (~1 hr west over Rabbit Ears/Muddy Pass) has full services and the closest airport. CO Hwy 14 crosses the southwest corner toward Rabbit Ears; forest roads climb steeply and can snow in early.
Nearest towns: Walden, Rand, Gould, Steamboat Springs (over Rabbit Ears Pass)
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW — Big Game Hunting Statistics (harvest & success by GMU) · USFS — Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest (Rabbit Ears/Never Summer) · USFWS — Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
FAQ
- How big is GMU 17 in Colorado?
- GMU 17 (GMU 17 — Jackson Co.) covers about 282 square miles, ranging from roughly 8,100 to 11,500 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 17?
- Approximately 50% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Arapaho NF / Medicine Bow-Routt NF, BLM (Kremmling Field Office), private ranch, Colorado State Land Board. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 17?
- Pronghorn, Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, Black Bear. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 17 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.