GMU 59 GMU 59 — Pueblo/Fremont/El Paso/Teller Co.
Big transitional unit wrapping Fort Carson, from Pike NF timber down to prairie, with good public access
South-central Front Range — Pikes Peak foothills to the Pueblo plains · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
648
sq mi
Public land
50%
approx.
Elevation
4,593–14,112
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 59 spans Pueblo, Fremont, El Paso and Teller counties on the south flank of the Front Range, wrapping around the Fort Carson Military Reservation (which is the standalone GMU 591). It runs from the Pikes Peak massif and Pike National Forest timber in the northwest down through piñon-juniper foothills, Beaver Creek and Phantom Canyon country, to the grassland plains near Pueblo and Cañon City. Elk are the marquee draw and hold best in the higher Teller County timber; mule deer are the strongest big-game harvest and favor the foothills south of Gold Camp Road; a thin pronghorn presence hangs on the eastern plains edge. Roughly half the unit is public, giving genuine DIY access.
Terrain
Level prairie near Pueblo and Cañon City rising through piñon-juniper foothills, plateaus and canyons to steep, timbered mountains and the Pikes Peak massif on the northwest boundary.
Cover: Shortgrass prairie and sandsage on the eastern plains; piñon-juniper woodland and Gambel oak on the foothills and canyon country; ponderosa pine, aspen and spruce-fir in the higher Pike NF; riparian cottonwood along the creeks.
Landmarks: Pikes Peak (NW boundary) · Pike National Forest · Gold Camp Road · Phantom Canyon Road · Beaver Creek State Wildlife Area · Fort Carson boundary (GMU 591)
Access
Roughly 50% public, 50% private, with more than 200 square miles of Pike National Forest, BLM and state ground. Access to public land is good; access to private is fair. Reach the BLM Beaver Creek country through Beaver Creek State Wildlife Area, and the national forest off Gold Camp Road. Colorado State Trust Lands are generally NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program — verify each parcel. Note the Fort Carson Military Reservation is carved out as standalone GMU 591 and is not part of this unit.
Managers: USFS Pike-San Isabel NF, BLM (Royal Gorge Field Office), State Wildlife Areas (Beaver Creek), private ranch, Colorado State Trust Land (mostly closed)
Access points: Gold Camp Road (Pike NF access) · Beaver Creek State Wildlife Area (BLM access) · Phantom Canyon Road (Fremont County) · Highway 115 / Highway 67 corridors · county roads off Cañon City, Penrose and Cripple Creek
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityElk are the marquee species and hunt best in the higher, timbered Teller County portion of the unit. This is a limited-draw Front Range unit (no OTC); success is modest as elk work public timber, canyon breaks and private meadow edges.
- →Hunt the higher Teller County timber and Pike NF forest edges at dawn
- →Glass canyon heads and timbered draws where elk shelter
- →Push into quieter roadless pockets off Gold Camp Road
- →Watch private meadow and oak-brush edges morning and evening
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer are the strongest big-game harvest here and hunt best generally south of Gold Camp Road toward Highway 115, in the piñon-juniper and oak-brush foothills. Fully limited-draw, with solid success for the region.
- →Glass PJ and oak-brush foothill breaks at first and last light
- →Still-hunt the canyon rims and brushy draws mid-day
- →Focus south of Gold Camp Road toward Highway 115
- →Work the Beaver Creek SWA and BLM foothill country for undisturbed bucks
Pronghorn
limited opportunityA thin pronghorn presence hangs on the open grassland plains along the eastern and southern edges near Pueblo — total harvest is very low and much of the flat ground is private. A marginal, low-density opportunity.
- →Drive-and-glass the eastern grassland flats near the plains edge
- →Focus on the limited public and permission-access prairie
- →Hunt water and field edges in dry early seasons
- →Temper expectations — this is a low-density fringe pronghorn unit
Pro tips
- →Elk hunt best up high in the Teller County timber; deer hunt best in the foothills south of Gold Camp Road
- →Gold Camp Road (national forest) and Beaver Creek SWA (BLM) are your two best public-access keys
- →Fort Carson is a separate unit (591) — don't plan around it here
- →Confirm State Trust Land parcels are enrolled in Public Access before hunting them; most are closed
- →Weather timing matters — a hard front out of the high country makes the elk hunt
Watch out for
- !Roughly half the unit is private ranch — public access is good but respect boundaries and get permission where needed
- !Colorado State Trust Land is generally closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program
- !Do not stray onto the Fort Carson Military Reservation (GMU 591) — it is a separate, permit-controlled unit
- !Gold Camp and Phantom Canyon roads are narrow, rough and slow; carry recovery gear
- !PJ and grassland fire risk in dry, windy conditions
Logistics
Base from Cañon City or Penrose for the Beaver Creek / Phantom Canyon foothills, or Cripple Creek/Victor for the higher Teller County timber; Colorado Springs and Pueblo bookend the unit for supplies. Gold Camp Road and Phantom Canyon Road are the key public-access arteries — narrow, winding and rough in spots, so high clearance helps. Cell service drops off in the canyons and higher forest.
Nearest towns: Cañon City, Penrose, Cripple Creek, Colorado Springs, Pueblo West
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW Game Management Units (GMU) boundaries — Colorado Geodata · HuntScore — Colorado GMU 59 (Pueblo, Fremont, El Paso, Teller) · GOHUNT — Colorado Unit 59 profile
FAQ
- How big is GMU 59 in Colorado?
- GMU 59 (GMU 59 — Pueblo/Fremont/El Paso/Teller Co.) covers about 648 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,593 to 14,112 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 59?
- Approximately 50% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Pike-San Isabel NF, BLM (Royal Gorge Field Office), State Wildlife Areas (Beaver Creek), private ranch, Colorado State Trust Land (mostly closed). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 59?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 59 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.