Colorado Flooding: CPW Warns Hunters Off Nine GMUs, Offers Refunds on 20 Hunt Codes

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a release that its offices in Durango and Navajo State Park, closed Nov. 2, lost power, internet and cell service and cannot answer phones. Staff are responding in the San Luis Valley, at Navajo State Park and west of Wolf Creek Pass, and the agency sent its swiftwater rescue team to Archuleta County.

Travel to Game Management Units (GMUs) 74, 741, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 and 81 is strongly discouraged. Staff cannot safely reach the field to assess conditions, and the national forest is advising people to delay travel. Parts of the affected units may stay open, so a hunter may need to hunt a different, accessible portion of a valid unit.

Hunters holding any of 20 hunt codes can get a license refund and have preference points restored to pre-draw level. The codes, grouped by unit, are:

• GMU 74: DM074O3R, DM074P3R, EF074O3R
• GMU 741: DM741O3R, DM741P3R, DF741P3R, EF741O3R
• GMU 75: DM075O3R, DF075O3R, DM075P3R, DF075P3R, EF075O3R
• GMU 77: DM077O3R, DF077O3R, DM077P3R, EF077O3R
• GMU 80: DM080O3R, DF080O3R, EF080O3R
• GMU 81: EF081O3R

A license must go back before the season opens, postmarked or dropped off at a CPW or State Park office before close of business. Hunters fill out the refund form and send it in with the license. They mark both the refund box and the preference point restoration box, and write “SW FLOODING” in the reason field. Affected hunters will get an email, and license return questions go to 303-297-1192.

Hunters with over-the-counter (OTC) licenses have time to change plans before third rifle season opens Nov. 7. OTC bull elk hunters are highly advised not to hunt any of these units during that season.

Area Wildlife Manager Rick Basagoitia of Monte Vista said, “Conditions are extremely dangerous.” He said many hunting areas will stay accessible, but closed access routes will funnel a large number of hunters into the same areas.

Five State Wildlife Areas (SWAs) are closed, and more closures may follow as conditions warrant.

• Devil Creek SWA
• Higel SWA
• Hot Creek SWA
• Rio Grande SWA
• Shriver-Wright SWA

At Navajo State Park, the reservoir has risen 51 feet since Sept. 18. It is 35 miles long with 15,600 surface acres. All Piedra River access and the Sambrito Wetlands area are closed. Park access is limited to Highway 151 on the west side in Arboles, and that road is cut off from the north between Chimney Rock and Arboles.

The visitor center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays indefinitely, and the boat ramp and Aquatic Nuisance Species station are closed for the season. Several campsites remain open for residents under evacuation.

The Durango Fish Hatchery has taken catastrophic flooding from the Animas River and Junction Creek. The Animas reached 13,000 cubic feet per second, the second-highest level ever recorded and the highest since 1911. Staff are pumping water and placing sandbags around the clock.

Water Quality Program Manager Melynda May reported multiple major spills or destroyed sewage treatment plants, so much of the floodwater is contaminated. She advised washing any skin that touches floodwater with soap and water as soon as possible.

Third rifle season opens Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Licenses for the 20 hunt codes must be back at a CPW or State Park office, or postmarked, before that opening day to qualify for a refund.