---
title: "Public Land: Hunting and Fishing in Colorado"
description: "Colorado features an abundance of public hunting and fishing opportunities including state-owned areas, National Forests and BLM lands."
date: "2013-04-14"
modified: "2013-04-14"
authors:
  - name: "Tony Hansen"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/tony-hansen/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/open-country/2013/04/public-land-hunting-and-fishing-colorado/"
categories:
  - "Conservation"
  - "Fishing"
  - "Hunting"
  - "Public Lands & Waters"
---

# Public Land: Hunting and Fishing in Colorado

![](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/23/VDNW56C3VDA3ULI5HXVQTTOIJI.jpg>)

Colorado features an abundance of [public hunting and fishing opportunities](<https://ndis-flex.nrel.colostate.edu/HuntingAtlas/>) including state-owned areas, National Forests and BLM lands.

**[Big Game Access Program](<https://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/AccessProgram/Pages/BigGameAccessProgram.aspx/>)**

• 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](<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Arapaho/about.html/>)**

• 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

**[White River National Forest](<https://www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver/>)**

• 2.3 million acres

• Nation’s top recreational forest

• Excellent trout fishing (rivers, streams, high country lakes) and big-game hunting

**[Pike National Forest](<https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/psicc/about-forest/about-area/>)**

• 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

**[Rio Grande National Forest](<https://www.fs.usda.gov/riogrande/>)**

• 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

**[Adobe Creek State Reservoir](<https://publiclands.org/explore/site.php?search=YES&back=Search%20Results&id=5992/>)**

• 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](<https://publiclands.org/explore/site.php?search=YES&back=Search%20Results&id=8507/>)**

• 1,376 acres

• Provides access to South Platte River

• Catch-and-release fishing for trophy brown and rainbow trout

**[Plateau Creek State Wildlife Area](<https://publiclands.org/explore/site.php?search=YES&back=Search%20Results&id=5938/>)**

• 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](<https://www.rmef.org/TheHunt/HuntPlanner.aspx/>).

Photo: Mt. Sopris, White River National Forest

Photo credit: [flickr](<https://www.flickr.com/photos/netbros/6016184172/>)

## Author
Tony Hansen is a contributing writer to Outdoor Life. A Michigan native, he lives in the southern Michigan community where he grew up chasing deer, turkeys, and football-sized smallmouths with the most meaningful catch of his life, his wife, Nichole.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/t.hansen_im2nd?utm_medium=copy_link>)