GMU 60 GMU 60 — Mesa/Montrose Co.
Low-desert BLM winter range where deer and elk migrate in from the Utah line
West End of Montrose/Mesa County — Dolores River canyon & Paradox country · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
237
sq mi
Public land
65%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–8,600
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 60 is a compact (roughly 237-square-mile) unit crammed against the Utah border in the far West End of Montrose and Mesa counties, bounded by the Dolores River on the north and east, County Highway 90 on the south, and the state line on the west. It is overwhelmingly BLM canyon-and-mesa country dropping from around 8,600 feet near the Utah line to about 4,500 feet on the Dolores River, and it functions largely as winter range: much of the deer and elk herd migrates in from Utah's La Sal front, so harvest hinges heavily on early snow to push game onto the unit. Mule deer is the steadier draw here, with elk present but thinner and success weather-dependent.
Terrain
Rugged, low, broken high-desert country of mesas, rimrock, and deep river canyon, climbing westward from the Dolores River toward the Utah line and the La Sal foothills. The Paradox and Sinbad valleys are the signature features — collapsed salt-anticline valleys ringed by red sandstone walls.
Cover: Sagebrush, saltbush, and grass on the valley floors and benches, thickening into extensive pinyon-juniper on the mesas and slopes, with pockets of oakbrush and scattered ponderosa/aspen only on the highest western ground.
Landmarks: Dolores River canyon · Paradox Valley · Sinbad Valley · County Highway 90 · La Sal Mountains (Utah, to the west) · Bedrock
Access
Predominantly BLM public land on the mesas and canyon rims, but the valley floors around Paradox and Bedrock are private ranch ground — glass boundaries carefully before hunting the bottoms. Colorado State Trust lands are NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, so do not count them as huntable. Roads are rough dirt and two-track that turn to greasy, impassable clay when wet; high-clearance 4WD and patience with weather are essential.
Managers: BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, private ranch
Access points: CO-141 / CO-90 through Bedrock and Paradox · Dolores River corridor · BLM roads off the Paradox Valley rim · Divide Road approaches from the east
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe more reliable of the two big-game hunts and fully limited-draw. Bucks use the pinyon-juniper mesas and canyon breaks, and hunting improves markedly in the later seasons when snow pushes migrating deer down off the Utah high country toward the Paradox and Sinbad valleys. Recent buck success ran near 50%.
- →Hunt the later seasons if you can draw them — this is winter range, so the deer numbers and buck quality climb once early storms move animals in from Utah.
- →Grid-glass the pinyon-juniper benches and rimrock above the Paradox and Sinbad valleys at first and last light rather than road-hunting the flats.
- →Work the canyon breaks and mesa edges where bedding cover meets open feed; spot-and-stalk with good glass beats still-hunting the thick cedars.
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityA thinner, weather-dependent elk hunt with modest numbers and lower success (recently around 23%). Elk drift in from Utah and the higher western ground, so a good hunt depends on snow timing. Bull tags in this West End cluster are generally over-the-counter for archery and the 2nd/3rd rifle seasons, making it a low-pressure opportunity hunt — verify current OTC status in the CPW brochure before you buy.
- →Focus on the higher pinyon-juniper and oakbrush ground on the western edge of the unit near the Utah line where elk hold and migrate through.
- →Time a hunt to the first significant storms — dry, warm falls leave the unit largely empty of elk.
- →Glass the heads of canyons and north-facing timber pockets; elk here are patchy, so cover country with optics rather than sitting one spot.
Pro tips
- →Treat snow reports on the La Sal front like a fishing tide chart — a big early storm in Utah can turn a dead unit into a good one within days.
- →Later deer seasons are the play here; don't expect much on the early hunts.
- →Watch the clay roads — a wet forecast can strand a 2WD or even a 4WD for a day, so plan exits before storms hit.
- →Sort out the private valley bottoms versus BLM mesas on your mapping app before you hunt; the ranch ground is concentrated in Paradox and along the river.
Watch out for
- !Private ranch inholdings on the Paradox/Sinbad valley floors and along the Dolores — verify boundaries before entering bottoms.
- !State Trust lands are closed to hunting unless in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Roads turn impassable when wet; getting stuck deep in the canyons is a real risk.
- !A dry, snowless fall can leave the unit largely devoid of migrating game.
Logistics
Services are thin — Naturita and Nucla have fuel, groceries, and limited lodging, with more in Montrose (about 90 minutes east). Dispersed camping on BLM is the norm. Cell coverage is poor to nonexistent in the canyons; carry paper maps or a GPS and download offline layers before you leave pavement.
Nearest towns: Naturita, Nucla, Bedrock, Paradox, Gateway
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: HuntScore — GMU 60 (Mesa/Montrose Counties) · CPW Southwest Colorado Big Game Hunting Guide
FAQ
- How big is GMU 60 in Colorado?
- GMU 60 (GMU 60 — Mesa/Montrose Co.) covers about 237 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 8,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 60?
- Approximately 65% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, private ranch. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 60?
- 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 60 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.