Colorado features an abundance of public hunting and fishing opportunities including state-owned areas, National Forests and BLM lands.
• Located primarily in southeast Colorado
• Provides hunters with access to big game opportunities on private lands (primarily for antelope)
• About 147,000 acres of private lands currently enrolled
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
• 23,467 acres
• Waterfowl hunting is excellent
• A limited draw hunt for elk is also held
Basalt State Wildlife Area
• 4,806 acres; provides access to additional 2,000 acres of BLM lands
• Provides access to Fryingpan River and exceptional trout fishing
• Hunting for deer, elk, bighorn sheep and blue grouse
• 2.3 million acres
• Nation’s top recreational forest
• Excellent trout fishing (rivers, streams, high country lakes) and big-game hunting
• 1.1 million acres, located near Denver
• Includes numerous wilderness areas, including the 106,000-acre Lost Creek wilderness
• Excellent trout fishing and big game hunting opportunities
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
• 2.9 million acres in north-central Colorado
• Extends into Wyoming grasslands habitat
• Miles of rivers and streams offer excellent fishing, big-game hunting abundant
• 1.82 million acres in south-central Colorado
• Dozens of campgrounds offering first-come, first-serve sites
• 80 lakes and 150 streams including the Gold Medal designated Rio Grande offer excellent fishing opportunities
• 4,829 acres in southeast Colorado
• Includes Blue Lake which offers fishing for walleye, crappie, bass, muskie
• Deer, antelope and small game hunting opportunities on surrounding lands
Charlie Meyers State Wildlife Area
• 1,376 acres
• Provides access to South Platte River
• Catch-and-release fishing for trophy brown and rainbow trout
Plateau Creek State Wildlife Area
• Provides access to Grand Mesa National Forest
• Area is noted for its deer hunting
• Semi-desert grassland habitat also offers good bird hunting
Find more public land access opportunities with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Hunt Planner.
Photo: Mt. Sopris, White River National Forest
Photo credit: flickr