Colorado Deer — GMU 72
Colorado GMU 72 covers 625,213 acres and lies 16 miles west of Cortez and 55 miles west of Durango. 29% of it is public land, mostly BLM (29%). A further 38% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2024, 876 people hunted deer here and took 578 — 66% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 562 tags here for 0 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):2,878
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:498
Hunter success (2024):66%
Public land:29%
Size:625,213 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 72, 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-
100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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DF072P5R deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73 south of Colo 184 and US 160] 562 tags · 0 applicants · Standard100% No first-choice applicants 50% as 2nd choice
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DF072P5R deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73 south of Colo 184 and US 160] 360 tags · 1 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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DM072O1A deer male archery season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] 44 tags · 54 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard51% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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DM072O1M deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] 36 tags · 38 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard63% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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DM072O1M deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] 4 tags · 5 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth75% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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71% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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40% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 27% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 14% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 20% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 17% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF072P2R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — steady since 2022 | 260 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DF072P2R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 150 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DF072P3R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — +2 since 2022 | 167 / 0 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DF072P4R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 63 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| DF072P5R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73 south of Colo 184 and US 160] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 50% | — | 562 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1–30, 2026 |
| DF072P5R ↗ deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73 south of Colo 184 and US 160] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 360 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 1–30, 2026 |
| DM072O1A ↗ deer male archery season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] Archery | 51% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 44 / 54 | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| DM072O1A ↗ deer male archery season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] Archery | 0% Undersubscribed | 0% | 1 +1 since 2022 | 6 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| DM072O1M ↗ deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] Muzzleloader | 63% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 36 / 38 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| DM072O1M ↗ deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 72 [72, 73] Muzzleloader | 75% Likely draw | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 4 / 5 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| DM072O2R ↗ deer male rifle season 2 GMU 72 Rifle | 71% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 102 / 111 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DM072O2R ↗ deer male rifle season 2 GMU 72 Rifle | 40% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 7 / 8 | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DM072O3R ↗ deer male rifle season 3 GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 27% | — steady since 2021 | 160 / 139 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DM072O3R ↗ deer male rifle season 3 GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 14% | — steady since 2021 | 12 / 9 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DM072O4R ↗ deer male rifle season 4 GMU 72 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 4 steady since 2021 | 21 / 70 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| DM072O4R ↗ deer male rifle season 4 GMU 72 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 5 steady since 2021 | 1 / 7 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| DM072P2R ↗ deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 20% | — steady since 2021 | 234 / 28 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DM072P2R ↗ deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 33% | — steady since 2022 | 190 / 3 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| DM072P3R ↗ deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 17% | — steady since 2021 | 279 / 21 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| DM072P3R ↗ deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 72 [72, 73] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 33% | — steady since 2021 | 220 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 7–15, 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.
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 | 876 | 578 | 66% |
| 2023 | 884 | 531 | 60% |
| 2022 | 860 | 545 | 63% |
| 2021 | 654 | 398 | 61% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 540 · 93% · 776 hunters, 70% success
- Archery 22 · 4% · 55 hunters, 40% success
- Muzzleloader 16 · 3% · 45 hunters, 36% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Deer Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Deer Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Deer Harvest