GMU 3 GMU 3 — Moffat Co.
Trophy-class pronghorn and strong mule deer draws over a high-desert BLM basin
Far Northwest Colorado — Moffat County sage breaks north of Craig · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
849
sq mi
Public land
54%
approx.
Elevation
6,000–8,500
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
GMU 3 sprawls across the arid hills and breaks of northwest Moffat County, running to the Wyoming line north and west of Craig between the Little Snake and Yampa Rivers. Its calling cards are trophy-class pronghorn (recent buck success around 75%) and a genuinely strong limited-draw mule deer hunt (recent success around 64%) on wide-open sage country. Elk are the volume species and hunt over-the-counter in the general rifle seasons, drawing heavy pressure and lower success (around 21%) across the buttes and pinyon-juniper.
Terrain
Rolling high-desert hills, buttes, rimmed plateaus, and dry gullies cut by intermittent creeks and the Little Snake and Yampa river corridors. Long draws and stark sage basins give way to pinyon-juniper on the higher rims and breaks.
Cover: Sagebrush and sage-steppe dominate the lower elevations with saltbush flats; bitterbrush and short grasses fill the basins, and pinyon-juniper cloaks the upper hills and rims. Cottonwood and willow line the river and creek bottoms.
Landmarks: Little Snake River · Yampa River · Vermillion Bluffs · Powder Wash · Great Divide · Godiva Rim country · Sand Hills / sage breaks
Access
Roughly half public, and that public is overwhelmingly BLM administered by the Little Snake Field Office — but it is interwoven with large private ranches and a great deal of State Trust land that is NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program. Boundaries are the whole game here: map the BLM parcels and stay off posted private and trust ground. Camping is allowed on most BLM land during big game seasons. Roads are dirt and two-track that turn to impassable gumbo when wet — a high-clearance 4WD and dry-weather timing matter.
Managers: BLM Little Snake Field Office, private ranch, Colorado State Trust land (generally closed to hunting)
Access points: CO 13 north of Craig · Moffat County roads toward Powder Wash and the Wyoming line · Little Snake River access near Baggs, WY · BLM two-tracks off the Great Divide roads
Species notes
Pronghorn
common trophyThe standout hunt — trophy-class pronghorn on open sage country with excellent limited-draw success (recently around 75%). Bucks here run big, and tags require preference points. This is a destination antelope unit.
- →Glass long from the buttes and rims over the open sage flats at first light and locate bucks with does.
- →Use the terrain folds, draws, and gullies to close the distance in wide-open country where pronghorn see everything.
- →Water sources and two-track vantage points concentrate animals in the dry early seasons — set up and let them come.
Mule Deer
common qualityA strong limited-draw mule deer unit with high success (recently around 64%). Bucks use the sage draws, bitterbrush pockets, and pinyon-juniper edges of the breaks. Tags take preference points but pay off.
- →Grid-glass the pinyon-juniper edges and sage draws off the rims rather than the open flats.
- →Hunt the breaks and rimrock where bucks bed in the junipers and feed on the sage benches at the edges of day.
- →Later hunts improve as bucks concentrate and rut activity picks up in the sage country.
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityThe volume species and an over-the-counter general-season elk hunt — high hunter numbers and lower success (recently around 21%). The unit produces good numbers of five- and six-point bulls rather than top-end trophies, and rifle pressure makes mature bulls hard to pin down.
- →Break away from the road-accessed sage into the pinyon-juniper breaks and rougher rim country where pressured elk retreat.
- →Hunt the timbered pockets and steep draws that most road hunters bypass on the open flats.
- →An OTC archery or early hunt beats the crowded rifle seasons — glass the breaks at dawn before elk move to cover.
Black Bear
limited opportunityA limited black bear opportunity in the pinyon-juniper and river-bottom cover, thinner than in the high mountain units. Mostly incidental to deer and elk hunts.
- →Focus the river and creek bottoms and berry-bearing shrub pockets on the higher rims.
- →Glass the junipers and draws in the mornings and evenings when bears feed.
- →Treat it as a bonus tag alongside deer or elk scouting.
Pro tips
- →Pronghorn and mule deer are the reasons to draw GMU 3 — build preference points for those quality tags.
- →Elk is OTC and heavily hunted — expect crowds and hunt the pinyon-juniper breaks away from the roads.
- →Map BLM vs. private vs. State Trust before you go; Trust land is closed to hunting without CPW Public Access enrollment.
- →Watch the forecast — wet dirt roads become impassable gumbo and can strand a truck for days.
- →Water and rim vantage points concentrate animals in the dry early seasons; glass long and let terrain do the stalking.
Watch out for
- !Large private ranches and extensive State Trust land interwoven with the BLM — boundaries are easy to cross by mistake.
- !State Trust lands are closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Heavy rifle pressure on the OTC elk seasons.
- !Dirt/two-track roads turn to impassable gumbo when wet.
- !Remote, waterless country with no cell service — carry water, fuel, and a satellite communicator.
Logistics
Craig, south of the unit on US 40, is the hub — fuel, groceries, motels, and repair — with Maybell a small outpost to the west and Baggs, Wyoming a fuel stop to the north. This is remote, self-contained sage country: plan to camp on BLM ground, haul your own water, and carry extra fuel and recovery gear. The dirt roads become impassable gumbo when wet, so watch the weather. Cell service is nonexistent off the highways — carry a satellite communicator and leave an itinerary.
Nearest towns: Craig, CO, Maybell, CO, Baggs, WY, Dinosaur, CO
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: Colorado Parks & Wildlife — Big Game Hunting · GoHunt — Colorado Unit 3 Profile · BLM — Little Snake Field Office
FAQ
- How big is GMU 3 in Colorado?
- GMU 3 (GMU 3 — Moffat Co.) covers about 849 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,000 to 8,500 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 3?
- Approximately 54% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM Little Snake Field Office, private ranch, Colorado State Trust land (generally closed to hunting). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 3?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, 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 3 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.