GMU 691 GMU 691 — Custer/Fremont Co.
A canyon-and-foothills deer unit tucked between Cañon City and the Wet Mountain Valley
South-Central Colorado — Wet Mountains east of the Sangres (Custer/Fremont counties) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
253
sq mi
Public land
48%
approx.
Elevation
6,100–8,700
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 691 is a roughly 253-square-mile unit west of Cañon City, bounded by US 50 and the Arkansas River on the north and east, Grape Creek on the south, and County Highway 69 (toward Westcliffe) on the west. It is fundamentally a mule deer unit — deer produce the great majority of the harvest and success is solid — with a resident but limited elk herd holding in the middle and western third, and a thin scatter of pronghorn on the open benches. The country climbs from the Arkansas River canyon up onto the eastern flank of the Wet Mountains and the San Isabel National Forest, but only about half the unit is public, so knowing where the boundaries fall is the whole game.
Terrain
Rolling foothills and grassy benches broken by steep, rocky canyons, rising from the Arkansas River and Royal Gorge country on the northeast up onto the timbered eastern shoulder of the Wet Mountains and Gem Mountain on the west.
Cover: Pinyon-juniper and mountain shrub (oak brush, mountain mahogany) on the mid-elevation benches and canyon rims, grading into ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and pockets of aspen on the higher San Isabel National Forest ground toward the west end; open grassland on the lower benches.
Landmarks: Arkansas River · Royal Gorge · Grape Creek · Gem Mountain · Webster Park · DeWeese Reservoir · Cañon City
Access
Roughly half the unit is public, and it is unevenly distributed: the best blocks of USFS and BLM ground sit on the western/higher end toward the Wet Mountains, while the lower benches and the river corridor are a checkerboard of private ranches where permission is genuinely hard to come by. Colorado State Trust lands are NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program, so do not count them as huntable. Study a layered land-ownership map before you commit — a lot of the deer live on private ground here.
Managers: USFS San Isabel National Forest, BLM Royal Gorge Field Office, private ranch
Access points: US Highway 50 west of Cañon City · County Highway 69 (toward Westcliffe) · Grape Creek / Temple Canyon Road · San Isabel National Forest roads off the west end
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe headline species and the reason to draw a tag here. Deer are found throughout the unit with slightly higher densities toward the west end, and recent buck success ran near 44% — strong for Colorado. Fully limited-draw. Bucks use the pinyon-juniper benches and canyon breaks, with summer concentrations on the higher San Isabel ground.
- →Glass the pinyon-juniper and oak-brush edges along the canyon rims at first and last light rather than the open grass.
- →Push toward the higher, timbered west end where deer densities run best and more of the ground is public.
- →As weather cools, deer slide down off the mountain onto the mid benches — hunt the transition zones between timber and sage.
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityA resident but modest elk herd that holds mostly in the middle and western third of the unit in the early seasons. Harvest and success are low (roughly one in ten tags), and tags are limited-draw rather than over-the-counter. Treat elk as a genuine but secondary opportunity built around finding the pockets of public timber they use.
- →Focus the higher, timbered San Isabel ground on the west end where elk summer and hold early.
- →Work canyon heads and north-facing timber pockets — elk here are patchy, so glass and still-hunt the dark timber edges.
- →Scout access hard before season; much of the elk country butts private ground and legal entry points are limited.
Pronghorn
limited opportunityA very thin pronghorn opportunity on the open grass benches, with only a handful of tags and low success (roughly one in four recently). Much of the antelope ground is private, so this is an incidental, hard-to-access species rather than a reason to come.
- →Glass the open grassland benches on the lower, eastern side of the unit where the country opens up.
- →Chase permission early — a lot of the pronghorn live on ranch ground here.
- →Treat a tag as a bonus paired with scouting deer rather than a standalone hunt.
Pro tips
- →This is a deer unit first — build your plan around mule deer and treat elk and pronghorn as secondary.
- →Only about half the unit is public and it skews to the timbered west end; buy and study a layered land-ownership map.
- →Private-land permission is genuinely difficult here — line it up long before season or plan to hunt the public west end.
- →Colorado State Trust lands are not huntable unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program — don't count them.
- →Watch weather on the west-end forest roads; they turn slick fast with rain or early snow.
Watch out for
- !Extensive private ranch ground on the lower benches and river corridor — permission is hard to obtain.
- !Colorado State Trust lands are closed to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Checkerboarded ownership makes boundary mistakes easy — carry a GPS land-ownership layer.
- !Steep, rocky canyons and slick roads after weather in the Royal Gorge / Grape Creek country.
- !Fire restrictions are common in this dry pinyon-juniper country during warm, dry falls.
Logistics
Cañon City sits right on the northeast corner with full services — fuel, groceries, motels, and outfitters — and Pueblo is a short drive east for anything larger. Westcliffe anchors the west side toward the Wet Mountain Valley. Most hunting is day-trip accessible from a Cañon City base, though the west-end forest roads reward high-clearance vehicles and can get greasy when wet. Cell coverage is decent near the highway and thins out in the canyons.
Nearest towns: Cañon City, CO, Westcliffe, CO, Florence, CO, Pueblo, CO
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW Big Game Hunting · GOHUNT — Colorado Unit 691 Profile · HuntScore — GMU 691 (Custer/Fremont Counties)
FAQ
- How big is GMU 691 in Colorado?
- GMU 691 (GMU 691 — Custer/Fremont Co.) covers about 253 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,100 to 8,700 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 691?
- Approximately 48% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS San Isabel National Forest, BLM Royal Gorge Field Office, private ranch. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 691?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 691 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.