GMU 512 GMU 512 — El Paso Co.
A tiny permit-only deer unit lying entirely inside the Air Force Academy reservation
Front Range — El Paso County (U.S. Air Force Academy, north Colorado Springs) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
28
sq mi
Public land
—
approx.
Elevation
6,000–7,900
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
GMU 512 is a very small (roughly 28-square-mile) unit that sits almost entirely on the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds on the north side of Colorado Springs, tucked against the foot of the Rampart Range. It is bounded by the Academy boundary on the north, south, and west and by Interstate 25 on the east. This is not a walk-up public unit: all hunting here runs through the Academy's own special-license and access-permit program, and the payoff for drawing is a high-success mule deer hunt on lightly pressured, well-managed ground. Elk are only incidental — a handful pass through — so this is a mule deer unit first and foremost.
Terrain
Rolling foothills and grassy draws climbing off the Colorado Springs floor toward the eastern base of the Rampart Range, cut by drainages and dotted with timbered pockets. The country is gentle by Colorado standards — foothill benches and shrubby swales rather than steep mountain.
Cover: Ponderosa pine and Gambel oak on the higher benches and Rampart foothills grading into grassland, mountain-mahogany, and shrub in the draws and along the drainages, with cottonwoods in the wetter bottoms.
Landmarks: U.S. Air Force Academy · Rampart Range (eastern foothills) · Interstate 25 (east boundary) · Monument Creek · Pine Valley
Access
The unit lies almost entirely on the U.S. Air Force Academy — federal land that is NOT open to general public hunting. Access is controlled entirely through the Academy's own program: drawing a CPW license for this unit is only the first step; hunters must also obtain a USAFA access permit and complete the Academy's mandatory safety/orientation requirements before hunting. Do not treat this as open public land, and note that Colorado State Trust lands elsewhere are likewise closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program. Interstate 25 forms the hard eastern edge.
Managers: U.S. Air Force Academy (federal military reservation)
Access points: U.S. Air Force Academy controlled entry gates · Interstate 25 corridor (east boundary)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe headline species and the whole reason to apply. Because pressure is tightly controlled through the Academy permit system, hunters who draw see a high fill rate — recent buck success has run near 90% on a small tag allotment. Deer use the oak-and-pine foothill benches and grassy draws at the base of the Rampart Range.
- →Glass the Gambel oak and ponderosa edges on the foothill benches at first and last light where bucks bed and feed.
- →Later hunts can catch the rut, which on the Front Range can start as early as late October and run into December — hunt the oak brush and draws where bucks trail does.
- →This is a managed, low-pressure hunt: still-hunt slowly and let the light do the work rather than covering ground fast.
Rocky Mountain Elk
transient opportunityIncidental at best. Very few elk hold in the unit, and the small harvest reflects that — a lucky, opportunistic tag rather than a reason to apply. Success on the few tags is high simply because the deck is small.
- →Treat any elk opportunity as a bonus tied to a deer hunt, not a standalone plan.
- →Watch the timbered pockets and Rampart-foothill fringe where the occasional animal moves through.
- →Work through the Academy's access program the same as for deer — there is no general-access elk option here.
Pro tips
- →Drawing the CPW tag is only half the process — you must also secure the Air Force Academy access permit and complete their mandatory safety orientation before you can hunt.
- →This is a mule deer unit; do not apply expecting elk.
- →High buck success makes this a strong choice for a mellow, close-to-town managed hunt if you can navigate the Academy's access rules.
- →Confirm current Academy entry and vehicle procedures early — a federal installation is not a place to improvise access.
Watch out for
- !The unit is a federal military reservation — no general public hunting access; entry and hunting are controlled by the Academy.
- !Colorado State Trust lands are not open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Interstate 25 and the urban edge mean safety zones and closed areas — know the huntable boundaries precisely.
- !Very few elk — apply for deer.
Logistics
This is an urban-edge unit right against Colorado Springs, so logistics are the easiest of any Colorado hunt: full services, lodging, fuel, and gear are minutes away in Colorado Springs and Monument, and I-25 runs the eastern boundary. The complication is not the backcountry but the paperwork — plan around the Academy's access permit and mandatory orientation, and confirm entry procedures well ahead of your hunt.
Nearest towns: Colorado Springs, CO, Monument, CO, Air Force Academy, CO
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW — Colorado Parks & Wildlife Big Game Hunting · Colorado GMU boundary data (CPW / Colorado Geospatial) · HuntScore — GMU 512 (El Paso County) deer/elk overview
FAQ
- How big is GMU 512 in Colorado?
- GMU 512 (GMU 512 — El Paso Co.) covers about 28 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,000 to 7,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 512?
- Mule 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 512 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.