Colorado GMU 21 deer hunting: 2024 harvest and hunter numbers
Unit 21 covers about 890 square miles in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties.
In 2024, an estimated 420 deer hunters hunted Game Management Unit 21 across all seasons and took 333 deer, a success rate of 79%. The statewide rate that year was 43%.
That is 10 fewer hunters than 2023, when success was 85%.
2nd rifle was the busiest rifle season, with 275 hunters, about 31 for every 100 square miles of the unit.
3rd rifle had the highest rifle success at 86%.
Among the 138 units with at least 100 rifle deer hunters, unit 21 ranked 2 for rifle success and 41 for fewest rifle hunters per square mile.
2024 deer harvest in unit 21, by season
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Bucks / Does / Fawns | Success 2024 | Success 2023 | Hunters per 100 sq mi | Days per hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd rifle | 275 | 233 | 233 / 0 / 0 | 85% | 92% | 31 | 4.5 |
| 3rd rifle | 86 | 74 | 74 / 0 / 0 | 86% | 82% | 10 | 3.8 |
| All rifle seasons | 361 | 308 | 308 / 0 / 0 | 85% | 89% | 41 | 4.4 |
| Archery | 46 | 22 | 22 / 0 / 0 | 48% | 57% | 5 | 9.3 |
| Muzzleloader | 13 | 3 | 3 / 0 / 0 | 23% | 57% | 1 | 5.5 |
| All seasons and methods | 420 | 333 | 333 / 0 / 0 | 79% | 85% | 47 | 4.9 |
Hunters per 100 square miles uses the whole unit, private land included, so real crowding on public ground is higher. Season rows include limited and over-the-counter licenses together.
2026 rifle season dates
- 2nd rifle: Oct 24-Nov 1
- 3rd rifle: Nov 7-15
- 4th rifle: Nov 18-22
Dates are from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Whether a license for unit 21 is over-the-counter or limited depends on the hunt code: check the brochure before you buy.
Hunting unit 21 this fall?
Numbers tell you how busy a unit is. They do not tell you where to park, camp and sit. FilledTag builds one exact plan for your tag, with every pin checked against public land and road rules. It is free for 25 testers this season.
Get a free plan for unit 21Nearby units
Unit 22 Unit 10 Unit 30 Unit 31 Unit 11 Unit 32 Unit 21 elk All deer units
Where these numbers come from
Colorado Parks and Wildlife surveys license holders after each season and publishes estimates of hunters, harvest and days hunted for every unit. This page uses the 2024 Colorado Deer Harvest Estimates and the 2023 report in the same series. They are estimates from a survey, not counts, and they cover the whole unit.