Deer Hunting in Colorado GMU 62 - Delta, Mesa, Montrose, and Ouray Counties
The opportunity to see mature bucks is good throughout the plateau. During the early season deer are concentrated in the aspen and oak brush. As fall progresses deer will move lower into the piñon and juniper winter range.

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Bounded on N by County Highway 141; on E by County Highway 50 and 550; on S by County Highway 62; on W by Dave Wood Road and US Forest Service Road 402 (Divide Road).
Numerous roads provide easy access to the plateau, but many canyons are accessible only by foot and on horseback.
Deer Notes
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After a significant population decline from about 2007 to 2012, the deer population in these units has stabilized and appears to be growing moderately. Mild winters helped to promote strong doe and fawn survival, 75 percent and 90 percent respectively. Good moisture during the summer of 2014 and this spring also helped by reducing the effects of prolonged drought. To help bolster the population, license allocation remains very conservative at 1,390, the same as last year.
The reduction in harvest appears to be helping to maintain buck-to-doe ratios. The opportunity to see mature bucks is good throughout the plateau. During the early season deer are concentrated in the aspen and oak brush. As fall progresses deer will move lower into the piñon and juniper winter range.
HuntScore Tip
Public land and private land percentages can sometime be misleading. A unit may have 80% public land, but a particluar species may only occupy 20% on the entire area. And that 20% species distribution may lie 100% within private lands. Does that sound confusing? Just remember that there are always exceptions to the rule, and land ownership is just one piece of the puzzle.
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Visit Colorado Parks and WildlifePhotos and Terrain Notes
The Uncompahgre Plateau is a broad structural uplift within the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. The Uncompahgre Plateau consists of a relatively flat 9,000 Ò 9,800 foot summit that runs northwest from Ridgway to the Unaweep Canyon. The summit drops off quickly on the Unit 61 side and more gradually slopes downward on the Unit 62 side. Both sides of the Uncompahgre Plateau are incised by deep canyons separated by relatively flat mesas that typically run perpendicular to the main summit ridge and end at the San Miguel, Dolores, Gunnison or Uncompahgre Rivers.
The elevation in this area ranges from 4,570 feet along the Dolores River near Gateway to 10,338 feet at the summit of Horsefly Peak near the southeast end of the Plateau. At elevations below approximately 6,500 ft near the Dolores, San Miguel, Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers, a high desert plant community is the predominant, extant vegetation type. Important plant species of this community include four-wing saltbush, shadscale saltbush, black sagebrush, winterfat, broom snakeweed, rabbitbrush, greasewood, and, in the Gateway area, black brush. Elevations between approximately 6,000-7,500 ft, are characterized by piñon pine and Utah juniper woodlands and grassland/shrub (e.g., basin big sagebrush, black sagebrush, Wyoming/mountain big sagebrush, mountain mahogony, Indian ricegrass).
The piñon-juniper type covers approximately 40% of this area and is the predominant plant community. From approximately 7,500 to 8,500 ft, ponderosa pine/mountain shrub (e.g., Gambel oak, serviceberry, mountain mahogany, mountain big sagebrush, silver sagebrush, snowberry, manzanita) is the dominant vegetation type. Elevations above 8,500 ft are generally characterized by aspen forests and a mixed spruce-fir complex (aspen, Douglas fir, sub-alpine fir and Engleman spruce). Common plant species found in lowland riparian areas on the Uncompahgre Plateau include narrowleaf cottonwood, coyote willow, chokecherry, tamarisk, and boxelder.
In higher elevation riparian areas characteristic species include thinleaf alder, birches, willows, and blue spruce. Agricultural areas and cultivated croplands within the area occur primarily in the Uncompahgre Valley between Montrose and Delta.and in the other major river valleys surrounding the Plateau
Deer Drawing Stats (2021)
1st Choice Draw Odds
Stats | Apply For | Sex | Manner | Season | Type | Draw Odds | HuntScore | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DM062P3R |
M
|
R
|
P3
|
LL
|
75.6%
|
74 | ||
DM062O3R |
M
|
R
|
O3
|
LL
|
35.4%
|
74 | ||
DM062P2R |
M
|
R
|
P2
|
LL
|
100%
|
81 | ||
DM062O2R |
M
|
R
|
O2
|
LL
|
40.8%
|
75 | ||
DM062O1M |
M
|
M
|
O1
|
LL
|
57.3%
|
69 | ||
DM062O1A |
M
|
A
|
O1
|
LL
|
51.1%
|
75 | ||
DF062P3R |
F
|
R
|
P3
|
LL
|
35.7%
|
69 | ||
DF062P2R |
F
|
R
|
P2
|
LL
|
27%
|
76 | ||
DE062P6R |
E
|
R
|
P6
|
LL
|
100%
|
81 | 62 – Those portions bounded on the north by the unit boundary; on the east by the unit boundary; on the south by West Canal; on the west by West Canal, CQ Lateral Canal, Ironstone Canal, Roubideau Creek, Gunnison River and G50 Rd. |
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Deer Harvest Stats (2019)
Manner | Season | Type | Sex | Deer Species | Hunters | Harvest | Male | Female | Youth |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A
|
A
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 169 | 57 |
57
|
0
|
0
|
ALL
|
ALL
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 1252 | 580 |
475
|
100
|
0
|
Any
|
D
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 110 | 66 |
0
|
66
|
0
|
M
|
M
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 33 | 7 |
7
|
0
|
0
|
R
|
O2
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 490 | 210 |
186
|
19
|
0
|
R
|
O3
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 450 | 240 |
225
|
15
|
0
|
R
|
R
|
LL
|
N/A | N/A | 1050 | 516 |
411
|
100
|
0
|
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Weather Insights
Weather can vary by elevation. See how weather varies by elevation within a unit by selecting an elevation range. Elevation ranges are based on weather stations in or near the unit. Not all weather elements are available within the unit.
Average Temps
Use temperature ranges to plan and prepare for your hunt. Large swings indicate a good layering system should be used. Be sure to make note of the extreme temperatures as these often pose the greatest risk to hunters. If you plan on hunting in higher elevation, as a rule of thumb, expect the tempture to decrease roughly 5° for every 1000' in elevation gain.
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