Colorado GMU 59 — the south slope of Pikes Peak.

GMU 59 is anchored by Pikes Peak (14,115 ft) at its northeastern corner. The unit boundary runs from Cheyenne Mountain at the eastern edge — where the mountain’s south face drops onto the suburban Colorado Springs grid — west through the Pike National Forest, picking up the Cripple Creek mining district at its western edge, and south to the Beaver Creek drainage.

The unit’s defining geographic feature is the south-facing aspect. Pikes Peak shelters the unit from the worst north-storm winters that hammer the northern Front Range units, and the south face holds heat into the evening — which holds animals on the bench longer in the rut and produces reliable post-rut feeding patterns through November.

Three major drainages give the unit its bone structure:

• Beaver Creek at the western edge, draining the Cripple Creek mining district south toward Florence.
• East Beaver Creek— the East Beaver Valley headwater — running year-round cold spring-fed water through the ranch country at the unit’s southwest corner.
• Fountain Creek on the eastern edge, draining off the south slope of Pikes Peak toward Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs.

The canyon system that holds East Beaver Creek is the largest wildlife corridor between New Mexico and Wyoming on the Colorado Front Range — roadless private and public country whose conservation value Colorado Parks & Wildlife recognized with a grant to Elk Glade. That canyon is the heart of the bull-elk habitat on GMU 59.

Bull elk (primary draw target)

GMU 59 holds a year-round resident bull-elk population estimated at roughly 2,000–2,800 animals (CPW herd unit data, recent years). The herd uses the south-facing benches between 8,500 and 10,500 ft as primary feeding grounds in September–November, with summering grounds above 11,000 ft and winter range below 8,000 ft on the south-facing exposures.

Average bull score in the unit runs 280–305 typical, with regular 320–340 bulls taken in any given season and occasional 350+ on private land. Cow elk are available on most weapon classes via either-sex draw or cow-specific limited entry.

See our bull elk hunt page and weapon-class subpages (archery, muzzleloader, rifle) for tactics specific to the unit.

Mule deer

GMU 59 mule deer is limited entry across all seasons. The herd is smaller than the elk herd — roughly 600–900 animals — with most bucks taken in the 150–170 class and occasional 180+ on the willow draws above the cattleguards. The country here holds mature bucks because the south face has water year-round and low hunter density.

See our mule deer hunt page for the unit- specific tactics and combined-season planning.

Black bear

At Elk Glade, black bear is hunted alongside elk on the six-night Elk + Deer or Bear combo (if successful). See 2026 hunt pricing.

Merriam’s turkey (spring)

GMU 59 holds a healthy resident Merriam’s turkey population in the ponderosa benches above 7,500 ft, particularly on the south-facing slopes between the lodge meadows and the canyon rims. Spring season runs early April through late May; private-land hunts open one week ahead of the public season.

See our spring turkey hunt page.

Mountain lion (limited)

Limited late-season mountain lion permits available through CPW draw. Lions are present year-round but rarely encountered during the elk/deer seasons. We do not run guided lion hunts at Elk Glade.

Small game

Cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, ptarmigan (above 11,000 ft), and dusky and blue grouse all present in the unit. Most of our hunters who pursue small game do so opportunistically during big-game seasons rather than as a primary hunt.

From Colorado Springs (COS): The shortest route is Old Stage Road west from The Broadmoor through Cheyenne Mountain. The road is paved to the zoo turn, then transitions to well-maintained gravel. 60 miles total; 90 minutes door-to-door from COS airport to the southwest corner of the unit.

From Denver / DIA: South on I-25 to Colorado Springs (~75 miles), then via Old Stage Road. Total ~150 miles; about 3 hours. An alternate route west via US 24 through Divide and Cripple Creek is comparable in time and offers better truck-friendly road quality past the gravel transition.

From Cripple Creek / Victor:The western edge of the unit is accessible via county and ranch roads from the Cripple Creek mining district. This is the route for the Elk Glade ranch headquarters and most private-land hunts in the unit’s western half.

Public access points: Old Stage Road provides primary USFS access. Gold Camp Road (closed to vehicles past a certain mile marker but walkable / horseback) accesses the north-central unit. The Penrose Zoo Road corridor accesses the eastern edge. Wye Campground at the eastern boundary is a frequently-used staging point.

Elk Glade Outfitters has run guided hunts on GMU 59 for many seasons. The ranch sits in the southwestern corner of the unit, with 2,100 acres of family-owned land and over 25,000 acres of leased land around the East Beaver Valley, plus participation in the CPW Landowner Preference Program (LPP) that produces annual elk and deer vouchers for our hunters.

The leased ground sits between 8,000 and 9,500 feet on south-facing aspects — prime fall elk feeding grounds. The terrain runs from open ponderosa benches (most of the hunting) up through aspen draws to mixed conifer at the canyon rim. Most successful hunts on the property involve glassing from horseback at first light, locating a bull on the meadow, and stalking with the thermals.

See our bull elk hunt page for the full hunt details, or the weapon-specific subpages for archery, muzzleloader, and rifle tactics on this country.