Geography

• Part of the Rockies, the San Juan Mountains are located the southwestern part of Colorado. This mountain range is comprised of mostly public land in the Gunnison, Rio Grande, San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests. Game Management Units (agencies that control hunting across the US) 70 through 78 cover this region.
  
  

Licenses

• Unlimited archery and rifle licenses are valid in all units except GMU 76. Antlerless, archery, rifle as well as muzzleloading licenses are limited and available through a lottery. Unsuccessful applicants receive a preference point for future drawings. These accumulate every year until a license is drawn. Most units in the San Juan Mountains required zero points in 2010 while Unit 76 required multiple points.
  
  

Access Options

• Hunters have a choice of public lands to hunt. Most of the mountain range is made up of national forest land with Bureau of Land Management areas and State Wildlife Areas thrown into the mix. Rules vary among the properties so pre-hunt research is necessary. The Division of Wildlife is a good place to start for general hunting information and rules for state-owned land. Both the US Forest Service and BLM can provide rules for their properties.