Colorado OTC Elk Units › Unit 131
OTC 2nd & 3rd rifle · 2026

Unit 131 Elk Hunting, Colorado

Upper Yampa / Steamboat, Northwest Colorado. Here's the terrain, access, and license picture, plus how to hunt it under pressure.

RegionUpper Yampa / Steamboat, Northwest Colorado
Public landRoutt National Forest in the east; the rest largely private with scattered BLM and State Trust parcels
Elevationroughly 6,300 to 12,000 ft
2026 licenseMoved back to unlimited antlered bull (OTC) for 2nd and 3rd rifle in 2026.

The country

Spruce-fir and aspen dominate the higher national forest ground, while lower elevations run to grassy reclaimed benches, creek and river bottoms, and long rimrock ridges.

Access and pressure

Public hunting is limited because most non-forest land is private, so pressure concentrates on the Routt NF edge and the few small BLM, State Trust and SWA parcels.

How to hunt Unit 131

Focus on the eastern national forest timber and aspen where elk numbers are highest, and line up private-land or SWA access early since public parcels are small and scattered.

Know the unit. Now find where the elk move.

ScoutIQ forecasts daily elk movement inside your unit, with a confidence score on every call.

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Other Colorado elk units:
Unit 4 · Unit 5 · Unit 11 · Unit 12 · Unit 13 · Unit 14 · Unit 22 · Unit 23 · Unit 24 · Unit 25 · Unit 32 · Unit 33 · Unit 34 · Unit 35 · Unit 421 · Unit 43 · Unit 44 · Unit 52 · Unit 61 · Unit 62 · Unit 66 · Unit 71 · Unit 74 · Unit 76 · Unit 77 · see all
Terrain, forest, and elevation details are drawn from public land and habitat sources. License types change year to year, so always confirm a unit's current status and boundaries on the official Colorado Parks and Wildlife big game brochure before you buy. ScoutIQ forecasts are confidence-weighted, not guarantees.

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