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Elk Hunting in Colorado GMU 30 - Garfield and Mesa Counties

GMU 30 - Garfield and Mesa Counties

Scores

Ease of Drawing
80
 
80
Success
12
 
12
Trophy Potential
0
N/A
Public Access
74
 
74
Ease of Terrain
0
N/A
Room to Breathe
87
 
87
Opportunity
14
 
14
Convenience
0
N/A
Ease of Effort
59
 
59
67
HuntScore

Access Notes

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Bounded on N by West Salt Creek-Bitter Creek divide, Evacuation Creek-Salt Creek divide and Douglas Creek-Salt Creek divide; on E by East Salt Creek-Roan Creek divide, Big Salt Wash-Roan Creek and Little Salt Wash-Roan Creek divides, and Bookcliffs; on S by Colorado River; on W by Utah.

Rains bring muddy roads. High elevation snows make roads impassible without chains.

75% of area is BLM land.

There are remote hunting areas accessible by foot, horseback or ATV. Get maps and study BLM access points.

County

Garfield, Mesa

Size

795 Square Miles (508,848 Acres)

Land Ownership

25% Private, 74% Public, 74% BLM

Latitude/Longitude

39.3376, -108.7863

Wildfires

Check for current or recent wildfires in this area.

Amenities

There are 5 hospitals, 7 hotels, 2 campgrounds, and 6 grocery stores within a 20 mile radius.

Elk Notes

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  • Toggle between terrain, satellite, and topographic views
  • Additional species-specific map layers

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.

Management Plan

Elk Management Plan

State Agency Website

Visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Other Species in Unit

Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Turkey,

Photos and Terrain Notes


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Pinyon-juniper, with pockets of sagebrush, cover most of area at lower elevations. Higher elevations are characterized by sagebrush interspersed with aspen stands and some dark timber. Terrain varies from rolling sagebrush to steep-sided canyons. Some areas are steep & rugged, especially in southern portion.

Elk Drawing Stats (2019)

Total Quota
75
Licenses Drawn
75
Licenses Surplus
0
Resident Quota
72
Nonresident Quota
3
Landowner Quota
0
Youth Quota
12
57.5%
Average Draw Odds
Choose a hunt below to take a deeper dive into quotas, drawing odds, drawing trends, and harvest data.
Stats Apply For Sex Manner Season
EF030L1R
F
R
L1
HuntScore Tip: Colorado divides the state into distinct hunting areas called Game Management Units or GMUs (see map). To prevent over harvesting, a limited number of licenses by species are assigned to be sold in each GMU. The number of limited licenses available in each GMU is called the quota.

Go Pro and get:

  • Drawing and harvest trends across multiple years
  • Individual hunt quotas
  • 1st choice license applications and licenses drawn
  • Draw odds for resident and nonresident applicants
  • Harvest by sex and manner (and season where applicable)
  • Average success odds
  • Days per hunter
  • Drawing and harvest tips

Elk Harvest Stats (2019)

Total Hunters
1,050
Total Harvest
127
Harvest Male
64
Harvest Female
63
12%
Average Success
Manner Season Hunters Harvest
M
M
7 3
R
O4
81 13
R
O3
125 10
R
O2
88 7
R
O1
10 0
R
O4
72 8
R
O1
73 7
R
O2
263 25
A
A
168 7
R
O4
153 21
R
O3
312 31
R
O1
83 7
R
ALL
64 33
R
R
875 117
ALL
ALL
1050 127
R
L0
64 33
HuntScore Tip: Hunters who have GPS units are encouraged to mark the location of their harvest in the field. This is especially important for hunters who harvest a bear or moose. During mandatory inspections, hunters will be asked to give a location of their harvest. Having GPS coordinates makes reporting simple and precise.