GMU 89 GMU 89 — Weld/Logan Co.
Prairie pronghorn with muleys and river-bottom whitetails
Northeast Colorado plains — South Platte prairie and breaks · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
775
sq mi
Public land
12%
approx.
Elevation
4,300–5,100
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 89 lies on the eastern edge of Weld County reaching into Logan County, prairie ground that grades toward the South Platte River corridor. It's a more private, farm-and-ranch-dominated unit than the grassland-heavy units to its west, with the eastern Pawnee tracts and river bottoms defining the huntable geography. Pronghorn are the primary draw across the open plains and ag; mule deer are a solid limited-draw target in the breaks, and whitetails hold in the cottonwood bottoms along the South Platte. Elk are all but absent.
Terrain
Rolling shortgrass plains that step down eastward into the South Platte lowlands, with shallow draws, sandy breaks, and a defined river corridor of timber and farmland.
Cover: Shortgrass prairie and sage, extensive dryland and irrigated ag, sandsage on rougher ground, and cottonwood/willow riparian timber along the South Platte and its tributaries.
Landmarks: South Platte River corridor · Pawnee National Grassland (eastern tracts) · Crow Creek / Pawnee Creek confluences · Sterling and Fort Morgan farm country
Access
This is a predominantly private unit — irrigated and dryland ag with scattered ranches — so landowner permission or a walk-in/Public Access Program enrollment is usually the key to hunting it. Limited eastern Pawnee grassland sections offer public ground but are checkerboarded and require a boundary map. The South Platte bottoms are largely privately held. State Trust Lands here are generally leased and NOT open to public hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
Managers: private ranch and farm, USFS Pawnee National Grassland (eastern sections), Colorado State Trust Land (mostly leased, closed)
Access points: County roads off US-6 and CO-14 · Eastern Pawnee grassland tracts (designated roads) · River-corridor access near Crook / Sterling (permission-dependent)
Species notes
Pronghorn
abundant qualityThe unit's headline hunt — good pronghorn numbers on open prairie and ag, with respectable buck quality; limited-draw tags.
- →Glass from any available high ground and drive county roads to locate herds
- →Spot-and-stalk through terrain folds; decoy the rut
- →Focus on green ag and stock water in warm weather
- →Prioritize units of private permission before the season
Mule Deer
common qualityLimited-draw plains mule deer work the sandy breaks, draws, and ag edges — modest tags but mature bucks available.
- →Hunt draws and sandsage breaks at dawn and dusk
- →Glass CRP-to-crop transitions
- →Check shelterbelts and cover fingers
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityWhitetails inhabit the cottonwood bottoms and ag along the South Platte on the unit's eastern edge — a genuine but access-limited river-corridor opportunity.
- →Focus on South Platte cottonwood timber and adjacent crops
- →Hunt travel corridors between bedding timber and feed
- →Secure river-bottom permission early — most is private
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a permission-driven unit — nail down private or Public Access Program ground before you apply logistics
- →Work the South Platte bottoms specifically if a whitetail is on your list
- →Carry an ownership layer for the eastern Pawnee checkerboard sections
- →Glass and drive to cover the wide-open pronghorn country efficiently
- →Verify state-trust sections — most are leased and closed to hunting
Watch out for
- !Heavily private unit — access is the main challenge
- !Colorado State Trust Land generally closed to public hunting unless in the Public Access Program
- !Checkerboard boundaries on eastern grassland tracts
- !River-bottom whitetail ground is almost all private
- !Open-prairie heat, wind, and wildfire risk
Logistics
Sterling and Fort Morgan provide full services, lodging, and gear along the I-76 corridor; Crook and smaller river towns offer fuel and basics. Public camping is limited — plan on town lodging or dispersed grassland sites to the west. Cell coverage is generally good near the highways and towns, weaker in the backcountry ag blocks.
Nearest towns: Sterling, Fort Morgan, Crook, Greeley, Grover
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW Big Game Hunting Statistics · USFS Pawnee National Grassland · HuntScore Colorado GMU 89 Profile
FAQ
- How big is GMU 89 in Colorado?
- GMU 89 (GMU 89 — Weld/Logan Co.) covers about 775 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,300 to 5,100 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 89?
- Approximately 12% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch and farm, USFS Pawnee National Grassland (eastern sections), Colorado State Trust Land (mostly leased, closed). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 89?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 89 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.