Unit 20, Colorado

Elevation ranges from approximately 5,000 feet along the eastern foothills border to over 14,000 feet at Continental Divide peaks. The terrain is classic steep Front Range topography: deep river canyons, long forested drainages, rocky ridgelines, open south-facing slopes, alpine meadows, and broad subalpine benches. Game use is concentrated between roughly 6,500 and 9,000 feet depending on season and species. The unit transitions from rolling shortgrass prairie and agricultural land in the east through foothills shrubland and mixed forest to dark subalpine timber and alpine tundra in the west. Approximately 80% of public land has slopes at 26 degrees or less. Notable terrain features include the Mummy Range (Comanche Peak at 12,702 ft) in the north and Continental Divide peaks in the Indian Peaks area of the southern Boulder County portion.

Primary access highways are US-34 (Trail Ridge Road/Big Thompson Canyon), US-36 (Estes Park Road through Boulder and Lyons), SH-7 (connecting Lyons to Allenspark and RMNP south entrance), SH-72 (Peak-to-Peak Highway through Ward), and SH-14 (Poudre Canyon, northern unit access). Roosevelt National Forest — Canyon Lakes Ranger District (2150 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80526; 970-295-6600) manages the majority of huntable public land. The district contains two wilderness areas partially or fully within the unit: Comanche Peak Wilderness (66,791 acres, 121 miles of trails, located in Larimer County along the northern boundary of RMNP, accessed via Stormy Peaks Trailhead off CR-63E/Pingree Road from SH-14; trails connect via Big South Trail along Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic River) and Indian Peaks Wilderness (73,931 acres, spanning Grand and Boulder counties, accessed via Brainard Lake Recreation Area off SH-72; mechanized vehicles and motorized equipment prohibited in both wildernesses). Significant BLM land is minimal (approximately 1,024 acres). State land totals about 2,560 acres. Rocky Mountain National Park (approximately 265,000 acres total; eastern portion within unit) is strictly closed to hunting. Private land makes up roughly 44% of the unit and is heavily intermingled with public land near Estes Park, Allenspark, and the lower foothills; landowner permission and boundaries must be verified carefully. Many large bulls use RMNP and Estes Park town limits as refugia. Starting December 1 annually, access on Forest Service roads past specific locked gates is restricted to foot, horseback, or OHVs with TRAX (no standard ATVs on restricted roads), limiting vehicle access to some winter-range hunting areas.

Cover types span a broad elevational gradient. Below 8,000 feet: croplands and irrigated pastures near Lyons and Allenspark, shortgrass and native grass prairie, sage and rabbitbrush shrublands, cottonwood and willow riparian corridors along the St. Vrain, Big Thompson, and Cache la Poudre River tributaries, and scattered ponderosa pine. Above 8,000 feet: Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine stands, mixed aspen groves, and dense spruce-fir forest up to treeline near 11,500 feet. Above treeline: open alpine tundra, talus, and snowfield terrain. Overall land cover is approximately 43% evergreen forest, 12% cultivated crops, 12% grassland/herbaceous, 11% shrub/scrub, and 4% barren.

Elk are the primary big game species; CPW manages the herd to a bull-to-cow ratio target of approximately 45:100, one of the higher ratios among Front Range units. Resident elk use the public forest year-round, with bulls summering in high subalpine basins. As hunting pressure builds in fall, mature bulls move into RMNP and Estes Park town limits as refugia. Beginning just after the rut (late October) and continuing through December and January as snowpack accumulates, elk from RMNP migrate eastward and downslope onto huntable Forest Service land — a significant movement that drives late-season hunting opportunity. The largest documented bull taken from the unit scored 401 inches B&C gross (386 inches net official B&C, 2005); a few bulls scoring 350 inches or better are taken annually across all seasons. Mule deer summer throughout the unit at various elevations and winter on lower foothills and private lands; average antler size is 140–160 inches with trophy potential to 170+ inches. Black bear are present throughout the forested drainages. Mountain lion inhabit the rugged canyon and cliff terrain. Shiras moose are present in small numbers in willow-lined riparian corridors in the northwestern portions. Pronghorn occur in small numbers in the eastern plains/foothills transition. Wild turkey are present at lower elevations near agricultural land.

Public land pct 56% as reported by HuntScore (25% USFS general + 23% USFS Wilderness + 1% State + ~7% other including NPS); RMNP acreage within unit is closed to hunting so huntable public land is ~34% USFS+State. Elk tag quota of ~170 is approximate (archery ~110 + muzzleloader ~35 + rifle ~25) from Comanche Wilderness Outfitters — treat as approximate. Hunter success 20.3% from HuntScore; CPW official harvest PDFs not extracted. Preference point estimates from outfitter and Drawn West — consult CPW draw recap reports for precise figures. 2026 season dates confirmed from Raghorn Outfitters and eRegulations. 3rd Rifle corrected to November 7–17 (draft had Nov 15). Indian Peaks Wilderness corrected to span Grand and Boulder counties (draft said Boulder only). Mule deer rut corrected to late Oct–late Nov (draft said late Dec). RMNP total acreage ~265,000 acres per outfitter source.