The Colorado Department of Wildlife designates specific areas with Game Management Unit (GMU) codes. The two GMU codes near Leadville are 48 and 49. Colorado hunting licenses are valid for particular hunting seasons in specific GMU areas. Elk hunting in the Leadville area is generally from August through November, with archery and muzzle-loading seasons prior to rifle seasons.
If you want to hunt in GMU 48 or 49, you must apply for your license prior to the application deadline in early April. The application deadline, as well as current license fees and application forms, can be obtained online from the Colorado Department of Wildlife website. If you are not successful in getting a license for GMU 48 or 49, you get a preference point to enhance your odds in a subsequent year. You also have the opportunity on your application to select other options in the event you don't get the GMU you want.
Outfitter and hunting guide Jake Skobel, owner of Mega Mountain Magic outfitters since 2002, takes clients on guided hunts in Lake County. It's not likely to get a license for Lake County on the first application, Skobel noted. "Last year I took a guy who'd been waiting 13 years. I also took some guys who had been waiting four years," Skobel said. He's never had a client who got the license on the first application--in fact, he encourages clients who want to take a youth hunting at Leadville in a specific year to buy preference points for a few years in advance so they accumulate five or more points for the year they want to hunt.
The elevation of Leadville and the surrounding area is in excess of 10,000 feet. Skobel pointed to the rigorous demands of elk hunting at those elevations as a factor to be reckoned with. Altitude sickness must be avoided, Skobel said. "We get a lot of out-of-state hunters, naturally. And I require them to spend 24 hours in town before I will take them up to hunt," he said. Another elevation factor is weather. "We could be hunting the afternoon in a short-sleeved shirt but by morning we could be under a foot of snow," Skobel said.
Besides a license, Colorado requires hunters to purchase habitat stamps. Proof of completion of a hunter safety education course is required. Your license application must be filled out completely and correctly or the license will not be issued.
