Colorado Unit 70 Hunting Information

Home » Hunting Information by State » Colorado Units Hunting Information » Colorado Unit 70 Hunting Information

Overview of GMU 70 Hunting Facts

Situated in the southwestern territory of Colorado in Dolores, Montrose and San Miguel counties, Unit 70 offers promise to hunters everywhere that success and experience can be found here. Whether you’re hunting mule deer or elk, both have a thriving population in Unit 70. This unit offers approximately 679,000 acres (70%) of public land for hunters to explore, scout and ultimately, harvest wildlife. Conveniently located in the northern territory of the unit in Norwood, stands a US Forest Service Office. The presence of the Uncompahgre National Forest, Lizard Head Wilderness and Mount Sneffels Wilderness offers a backwoods setting for your hunting trip to Unit 70 Colorado. The wildlife find the landscape appealing and the majority tend to inhabit the unit year-round, since their needs are met with the abundance of resources. The availability of unlimited elk tags in 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons increases the hunting pressure in this unit. For more Colorado Unit 3 hunting information, check out the Info for Cities Near Unit 70 section on the right.

Unit 70 Species Hunting Info

Unit 70 Mule Deer
Unit 70 Elk

INFO: Mule Deer Hunting in Colorado Unit 70

Mule Deer in Unit 70 boast a healthy population with large numbers of deer. The potential for a trophy buck is definitely there, as trophy bucks are pulled from this unit every year. When you’ve finally drawn or purchased a tag for this unit, the regulations for each season are very consistent – Buck-only tags that are valid exclusively in Unit 70. As an add-on to your mule deer tag, a bear tag can be purchased over-the-counter. As is common with deer, they will be active in the higher elevations in the warmer months and will descend into lower altitudes as the weather gets cold. Plan accordingly to this philosophy when mapping your route.

SUCCESS RATES for Mule Deer Hunting in Colorado Unit 70

5 Year Estimated Average for Deer

Archery	25%
Muzzle Loader	30%
2nd Rifle	55%
3rd Rifle	60%
4th Rifle	65%

Mule Deer TROPHY QUALITY for Unit 70 Colorado

Average Quality	150″ – 170″
Trophy Potential	180″+
Buck to Doe Ratio	23:100

Colorado Unit 70 Mule Deer Hunting FORUM Coming Soon!

INFO: Elk Hunting in Colorado Unit 70

When hunting elk in Unit 70 Colorado, bear in mind that the wildlife will begin feeling pressured as rifle season ramps up due to the OTC tags for 2nd and 3rd rifle season. That being said, the elk are notorious for retreating into nooks and crannies wherever they can find them to feel safe and secure. Hunters that are willing and able to venture off of the beaten path will have great success in locating the pressured elk. If you are not interested in hunting 2nd and 3rd rifle season with an OTC tag, there are tags available for draw-only. Archery, Muzzleloader, 1st and 4th Rifle seasons have “either-sex” tags available for draw that are valid in Unit 70 only. Cow tags for 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons are draw-only, as opposed to the bull tags for these seasons, which are OTC. For archery and muzzleloader seasons, an OTC add-on bear tag is available for purchase. This is only honored as an add-on tag, not as a stand-alone tag. You must first furnish a current season deer tag in order to qualify for an OTC bear tag.

SUCCESS RATES for Elk Hunting in Colorado Unit 70

5 Year Estimated Average for Elk

Archery	15%
Muzzle Loader	25%
1st Rifle	35%
2nd Rifle	20%
3rd Rifle	15%
4th Rifle	30%

Elk TROPHY QUALITY for Unit 70 Colorado

Trophy Potential	300+
Bull to Cow Ratio	16:100

Colorado Unit 70 Elk Hunting FORUM Coming Soon!

Available Hunts for Colorado Unit 70

Info for Cities Near Unit 70

Lay of the Land in Unit 70

Total Acreage: 966,000 acres over 1,509 square miles

Total Public Land: 679,000 acres or 70%

Land Ownership Mix: 30% Private; 70% Public; USFS: 154,432 acres; USFS Wilderness: 30,528 acres; BLM: 471,104 acres; State: 22,144 acres; Other Govt. Owned: 16,960 acres

Species: Black Bear, Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, Pronghorn

Elevation Variances: 4,900 ft. to 14,246 ft.

Terrain Difficulty Overall: Mild to Moderate

Land Coverage/Vegetation: 38% evergreen forest, 6% grassland, 33% shrub/scrub and 15% deciduous forest

Unit 70 Boundaries: (Dolores, Montrose, San Miguel County Colorado) bounded on North by Colorado 90, Dolores River, San Miguel River and Colorado 62; on East by Ouray-San Miguel County line and San Miguel-San Juan County line; on South by San Miguel-Dolores County line, Disappointment Creek, Dolores River and Summit Canyon Creek; on West by Utah

Colorado Unit 70 Topo Map

Terrain in GMU 70 CO

Gauging from the sheer size of Unit 70 (close to 1 million acres total), it comes as no shock that the terrain in this unit contains a little bit of everything. In the southeast portion of the unit around Lizard Head Wilderness, rock formations speckle the skyline, nestled in the mountainside. The terrain offers a gradual gradient from lower to higher elevations that include snow-capped mountains. Unit 70 also presents vast expanses of grassy flatlands saturated with lush vegetation, surrounded by coniferous forests. Overall, the terrain of Unit 70 Colorado is summed up as mild to moderate, depending on what your physical capabilities are. By utilizing a topographic map, you can gauge what sorts of terrain to expect when mapping your route.

Vegetation in Unit 70 CO

Being that the elevation levels in Unit 70 vary from lower elevations to the highest of elevations in Colorado, there is no surprise that the vegetation is versatile. In the lower elevations, the desert-like shrubbery and arid climate provide the wildlife with winter nutrition and cover. The mid-elevation levels provide snowberries, pinyon-juniper vegetation and densely-timbered aspen and coniferous trees. The high-elevation vegetation consists of lodgepole pines and varieties of evergreen trees and changes to alpine tundra with limited vegetation at the highest of elevations.

Access Points in GMU 70

The 3 major highways that make up the main access points in Colorado Unit 70 are: SH-141: cuts through the center of the unit running NE and SW and runs along the northern border SH-90: Provides a major access road in the northeastern corner of the unit SH-145: located in the southeastern portion of the unit near Telluride, this highway runs NW and SE All 3 of these highways have county roads branching off of them, allowing good access for hunters. Be sure to stay UTD on motor vehicle laws when attempting to use trails and creeks throughout the unit.