Colorado Deer — GMU 38
Colorado GMU 38 covers 291,822 acres and lies 10 miles north-west of Golden. 30% of it is public land, mostly national forest (21%) and county or city land (5%). In 2024, 1,129 people hunted deer here and took 275 — 24% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 325 tags here for 6 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):1,265
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:26
Hunter success (2024):24%
Public land:30%
Size:291,822 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 38, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
DE038L1R deer either-sex rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County portion only] 133 tags · 2 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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DE038L2R deer either-sex rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County Centennial Cone Open Space portion only] 1 tags · 3 applicants · needed 3 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice
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DF038L1R deer female rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County portion only] 180 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Cut level
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DF038L2R deer female rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County Centennial Cone Open Space portion only] 1 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Cut level
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Cut level
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DF038P5R deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 38 [38- Those portions bounded on the north by Colo Hwys 72, 93 and 128; on the east by Interstate 25; on the south by Inter] 302 tags · 0 applicants · Standard100% No first-choice applicants
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0% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 17% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 43% as 2nd choice
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DM038P5R deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 38 [38 – Those portions bounded on the north by Colo Hwys 72, 93 and 128; on the east by Interstate 25; on the south by Inte] 325 tags · 6 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE038L1R ↗ deer either-sex rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County portion only] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 133 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| DE038L2R ↗ deer either-sex rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County Centennial Cone Open Space portion only] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 steady since 2023 | 1 / 3 | Standard | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| DE038O1A ↗ deer either-sex archery season 1 GMU 38 [38] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 25% | — | 5 / 3 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| DF038L1R ↗ deer female rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County portion only] Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 180 / 0 | Standard | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| DF038L2R ↗ deer female rifle late season GMU 38 [38 Jefferson County Centennial Cone Open Space portion only] Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 1 / 0 | Standard | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| DF038O1M ↗ deer female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 38 [38] Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| DF038O2R ↗ deer female rifle season 2 GMU 38 [38] Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DF038O3R ↗ deer female rifle season 3 GMU 38 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — steady since 2021 | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DF038O4R ↗ deer female rifle season 4 GMU 38 Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 1 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| DF038P5R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 38 [38- Those portions bounded on the north by Colo Hwys 72, 93 and 128; on the east by Interstate 25; on the south by Inter] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 302 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| DM038O1M ↗ deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 38 [38] Muzzleloader | 0% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 23 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| DM038O2R ↗ deer male rifle season 2 GMU 38 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 31 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DM038O3R ↗ deer male rifle season 3 GMU 38 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 17% | — | 89 / 6 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DM038O3R ↗ deer male rifle season 3 GMU 38 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 82 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DM038O4R ↗ deer male rifle season 4 GMU 38 [38] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 43% | — | 92 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| DM038P5R ↗ deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 38 [38 – Those portions bounded on the north by Colo Hwys 72, 93 and 128; on the east by Interstate 25; on the south by Inte] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 325 / 6 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 30, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Colorado lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $636.03 |
| Youth license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $636.03 |
Application window: opens Mar 1, closes Apr 7, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Private 204,808 ac · 70%
- National Forest 62,692 ac · 21%
- County or city land 14,884 ac · 5%
- National Wildlife Refuge 5,382 ac · 2%
- Other public 2,469 ac · 1%
- BLM 1,194 ac · 0%
- State land 390 ac · 0%
How the hunting has gone
What Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Colorado's figures come from CPW's post-season hunter survey. CPW's 2025 report dropped the per-GMU table in favour of hunt-code rows, so the newest year shown here is 2024.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,129 | 275 | 24% |
| 2023 | 1,275 | 261 | 20% |
| 2022 | 1,111 | 185 | 17% |
| 2021 | 1,134 | 221 | 19% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 255 · 92% · 952 hunters, 27% success
- Archery 11 · 4% · 115 hunters, 10% success
- Muzzleloader 10 · 4% · 62 hunters, 16% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Deer Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Deer Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Deer Harvest