Unit 771, Colorado

Elevations range from approximately 6,500 feet in the lower valleys and foothills near the New Mexico border up to roughly 12,000 feet on the northern edge near the San Juan Mountains (HuntScore); the GoHunt profile cites 6,000–8,500 ft as the primary range for most huntable terrain. The topography consists of rolling pinyon-juniper foothills, broad agricultural valleys, and steep canyons cut by the San Juan River and its tributaries. Approximately 80 percent of the unit has slopes of 20 degrees or less. Four-wheel-drive or ATV access is recommended for primitive roads off main forest routes.

Primary highway access is US Highway 160, forming the northern boundary between Pagosa Springs and points west. Colorado Highway 84 runs south from Pagosa Springs toward Chama, NM, bisecting the eastern portion of the unit and providing the main corridor for reaching southern public lands. The Pagosa Ranger District (San Juan National Forest) manages the public USFS lands within the unit; the district office is in Pagosa Springs. Public USFS land is limited (approximately 18% of unit area) and concentrated in isolated parcels. Chimney Rock National Monument (~4,726 acres of USFS land designated 2012) lies within the unit's western area. Southern Ute tribal land covers a large portion of the southern half of the unit and is closed to non-tribal hunting. State hunters must obtain paid crossing permits in person at the Southern Ute DNR Lands Division in Ignacio, CO (970-563-0125) to cross tribal lands to reach landlocked USFS parcels. Permits are currently required for the Chimney Rock area, Haystack Mountain area, Turkey Creek Road, and Washington Flats Road; permits are NOT required for Archuleta Creek Road or Devil Mountain Road. Hunters crossing with horses must obtain separate equine permits. Parking is prohibited on tribal lands. Navajo State Park at Navajo Reservoir in southern Archuleta County (~35 miles southwest of Pagosa Springs near Arboles) provides additional public hunting access for deer, elk, and bird hunting. October 2025 flooding on the Pagosa Ranger District damaged multiple roads and bridges; verify current SJNF road conditions before any trip. San Juan NF roads typically open May/June and close December/January seasonally.

Lower elevations (6,500–7,500 ft) support sagebrush flats, grasslands, pinyon pine, and juniper woodland, with cottonwood and riparian brush along the San Juan River, Piedra River, Blanco River, and tributary drainages. Mid elevations transition to ponderosa pine, Gambel oak brush, and aspen groves. Higher terrain in the northern portion carries subalpine spruce-fir (Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir) forest and open grassland ridge tops. Agricultural hay meadows and irrigated valleys at lower elevations provide important winter forage for migratory deer and elk herds moving out of adjacent higher units.

Mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk are the primary big-game species. The unit functions predominantly as transitional winter range — most deer and elk present during hunting seasons are migratory animals moving through or staging before pushing south onto the Southern Ute Reservation or across the New Mexico state line. By late rifle seasons (3rd and 4th), the bulk of the herd has typically left the unit. Black bears range throughout the forested mid elevations, concentrating in berry patches and riparian areas in late summer and fall. Mountain lions are present. Wild turkey inhabit the pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine zones. Pronghorn occur in small numbers in the lower sagebrush-grass valleys. Elk antler restriction applies: bull elk taken in all seasons must have four points or more on one antler, or a brow tine of at least 5 inches.

1. PUBLIC LAND: 366 sq mi / ~234,000 acres confirmed; 21% public (18% USFS, ~2% other public including Chimney Rock NM acreage administered by USFS), 79% private+tribal. Chimney Rock National Monument is USFS-administered, not NPS — the draft's '2% NPS' label is incorrect; Chimney Rock (~4,726 acres) is USFS land. 2. ELEVATION: HuntScore cites 6,500–12,000+ ft; GoHunt cites 6,000–8,500 ft for primary range. The upper end (12,000+) likely reflects the northern unit edge. 3. HARVEST DATA: No unit-specific elk or deer harvest statistics for GMU 771 were accessible from public CPW documents. 4. NONRESIDENT ARCHERY: Confirmed eliminated as OTC starting 2025; nonresidents must now draw archery elk licenses west of I-25. 5. ANTLER RESTRICTION: Confirmed — bull elk in GMU 771 must have 4+ points on one antler or a brow tine of at least 5 inches. 6. SEASON DATES: 2025 Colorado season dates under 2025–2029 structure; verify unit-specific hunt codes with CPW Big Game Brochure for 2026.