Purgatoire River SWA: hunting rules and access
Purgatoire River SWA is 960 acres of State Wildlife Area in Colorado, in game management unit 130. CPW lists bobwhite quail, deer, dove, pheasant, rabbit, scaled quail, squirrel and waterfowl for it, and prints no restrictions of its own for the property beyond who may enter.
| Kind | State Wildlife Area |
|---|---|
| Game management unit | 130 |
| Size | 960 acres |
| Coordinates | 38.0140, -103.2334 (middle of the boundary CPW maps) |
| Map | Open Purgatoire River SWA on the map |
| Among CPW properties in unit 130 | 2nd largest of 7 by the acres on CPW's pages, 15% of their 6,358 acres together |
| CPW's page read | October 8, 2026 |
A State Wildlife Area has its own rules on top of the statewide season rules. How the kinds of public land differ.
What CPW lists for hunting here
Bobwhite quail, Deer, Dove, Pheasant, Rabbit, Scaled quail, Squirrel, Waterfowl.
A species on this list is one CPW names for the property. It still needs an open season, the right license for the unit, and nothing in the restrictions below against it on your dates.
Who may enter
A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing this state wildlife area.
Restrictions on CPW's page for this property
None printed on the property's page.
In CPW's regulations
The regulations for CPW properties carry no section of their own for this one. The rules that apply to every State Wildlife Area still apply.
Read it at the source before you go
The rules above are CPW's words, copied from CPW's page for Purgatoire River SWA as it read on October 8, 2026 and from the regulations for CPW properties. CPW can change them or close the property at any time, signs on the ground count, and a rule that names a season moves with that season each year.
Unit 130, around Purgatoire River SWA
- Elk in unit 130, 2024: 66 hunters in all seasons took 5 elk, 8% success. The rifle seasons alone: 63 hunters, 8%. Unit 130 elk by season
- Deer in unit 130, 2024: 84 hunters in all seasons took 48 deer, 57% success (2023: 40% from 100 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 56 hunters, 61%. Unit 130 deer by season
- Unit 130: 482 square miles in Otero and Bent Counties, 7% national forest and 0.4% BLM land, from 3,900 to 4,600 feet.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife survey estimates for the whole unit, private land included. They are not figures for this property, and whether elk or deer may be hunted here is in CPW's list above.
Nearest CPW properties to Purgatoire River SWA
| Property | Distance | Direction | Mapped acres | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lyon SWA | 5.8 miles | north-east | 523 | 125 |
| Keller STL | 6.7 miles | north-east | 2,154 | 146 |
| Dawn Pond SWA | 7.0 miles | north-west | 30 | 125 |
| Oxbow SWA | 9.8 miles | west | 410 | 125, 130 |
| La Junta STL | 12.9 miles | west | 6,739 | 125 |
Straight-line miles between the middles of the boundaries CPW maps, not road miles. A property can be much nearer at its edge.
More CPW properties in unit 130
Alkali Arroyo STLCarrica STLDixie Bluffs STLHigbee Canyon STLSetchfield SWA
All 721 State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands
Have a tag for this fall?
A FilledTag plan checks the rules of any CPW property it uses against your species and your dates, and gives you one exact plan: where to park, camp and sit, with every pin checked against public land and road rules.