Colorado GMU 135 elk hunting: 2024 harvest and hunter numbers
Unit 135 covers about 743 square miles in Las Animas, Pueblo and Otero counties.
In 2024, an estimated 188 elk hunters hunted Game Management Unit 135 across all seasons and took 26 elk, a success rate of 14%. The statewide rate that year was 20%.
Among the 130 units with at least 100 rifle elk hunters, unit 135 ranked 106 for rifle success and 5 for fewest rifle hunters per square mile.
2024 elk harvest in unit 135, by season
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Bulls / Cows / Calves | Success 2024 | Success 2023 | Hunters per 100 sq mi | Days per hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All rifle seasons | 178 | 26 | 15 / 10 / 0 | 15% | 12% | 24 | 5.5 |
| Archery | 10 | 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | 0% | 0% | 1 | 2.7 |
| All seasons and methods | 188 | 26 | 15 / 10 / 0 | 14% | - | 25 | 5.3 |
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
- 1st rifle: Oct 14-18
- 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 135 is over-the-counter or limited depends on the hunt code: check the brochure before you buy.
Hunting unit 135 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 135Nearby units
Unit 142 Unit 136 Unit 147 Unit 129 Unit 130 Unit 141 Unit 135 deer All elk 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 Elk Harvest Estimates and the 2023 report in the same series. They are estimates from a survey, not counts, and they cover the whole unit.