Colorado mule deer tags in the Gunnison Basin are some of the toughest draws in the West — hunters plan years, sometimes decades, around these units. There’s a reason for that: this is genuine trophy mule deer country, and the hunt waiting at the end of those preference points is one of the best the state has to offer.
The country is worth the wait. Units 55, 54, 551, and 67 sit in the heart of the Gunnison Basin, where Colorado Parks & Wildlife deliberately manages for high buck-to-doe ratios so bucks reach full maturity. The result is a legitimate chance at a 165″+ B&C-class buck every season — and bucks over 200″ have come out of this program.
The Hunt
Every hunt is a 5-day, fully-guided 1×1 — one guide dedicated to you the entire week. You pick the season that fits how you hunt:
- Archery (September) — high-country velvet and early-season patterns. Guides scout through late summer, so you start opening morning already on bucks.
- Muzzleloader — mid-September in the same high country, a short-range hunt at the best time of year to be in the mountains.
- 3rd & 4th Rifle (late season) — the deer have migrated out of the high country into lower-elevation BLM ground and the rut is on. Mature bucks are on their feet chasing does in open country, and the outfit hunts them on BLM low-country permits.
Early and late-season packages include 6 days of food and lodging around your 5 hunting days.
The Country & Trophy Quality
This is the same base camp country as our GMU 55 Colorado elk hunt — Taylor Park at 10,000 feet in the Gunnison National Forest, with clean log cabins and home-cooked meals waiting at the end of every day. In September you’ll glass alpine basins and aspen edges for velvet bucks; in the late rifle seasons the hunt shifts down into sage and BLM breaks where rutting bucks are visible and moving. CPW’s conservative tag allocations across these units are exactly why the buck age structure is what it is — this basin is managed for mature deer, not opportunity numbers. If you’d rather hunt private ground in the southwest corner of the state, our Southwest Colorado private-land trophy mule deer hunt is worth a look too.
Licenses & the Draw
Tags for these units come through the Colorado limited draw. Applications run March 1 through the first Tuesday of April, and based on recent draw data, non-residents roughly need:
- Unit 55: 11 points for archery, 13 for muzzleloader, 17–22 for the late rifle seasons
- Unit 54: 15–17 points for 3rd and 4th rifle
- Unit 551: 17 points for 4th rifle
- Unit 67: 19–21 points for 3rd and 4th rifle
Residents get in far sooner — roughly 2–14 points depending on unit and season. If you apply and don’t draw, your booking rolls over to the following year, so you never lose your spot or your money. We’ll walk you through the application so it’s done right.
Pricing
- 5-day fully-guided 1×1 hunt: $8,000 USD
Rates are confirmed for your season when you book.
What’s Included
- 5 full days of 1×1 guiding — one guide dedicated to you
- Lodging in clean log cabins
- Home-cooked meals in camp
- Field dressing and pack-out of your buck
- 6 days of food & lodging on early and late-season packages
What’s Not Included
- Colorado hunting license and tag fees
- Gratuity for guides (15–20% customary)
WO Trip Protection
For 5% of your trip cost, we guarantee your hunt. If the outfitter cancels, goes out of business, or a wildfire shuts down the area — we rebook you on a comparable hunt at no extra cost.
Ask your consultant about adding trip protection when you book.
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