PIÑON CANYON MANEUVER SITE
This page last updated on 11/19/2024
Nov 22-24 Travel on 2 track roads at your own risk. There is still plenty of snow and the ground will be soft during the middle of the day. We will NOT come get you if you get stuck.
PCMS will be OPEN during the week of Thanksgiving (Nov 25-29). However, we will be CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day (Nov 28)
FORT CARSON HUNTING AND FISHING REGULATIONS (FC 200-6)
(02/28/23) The revised, 2023, copy of the FC/PCMS Regulation 200-6, "Wildlife Management and Recreation" can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Prairie Rattlesnake Fact Sheet - CLICK HERE
Snakes of Fort Carson & PCMS - CLICK HERE
NOTIFICATIONS
Beginning in Fall 2024 - In order to reduce conflicts between military training, training range maintenance, biological and cultural survey work, range reseeding and rehabilitation programs, prescribed burning, etc., we will only be able to support recreation opportunities at PCMS on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and some federal holidays. PCMS Campground will remain open and accessible from US Hwy 350 during the week (Mon - Thur). However, you must still purchase a camping permit if you plan to leave tents, travel trailers, etc. during the week.
Checkin & Checkout only via smart phone, tablet or personal computer. Kiosk no longer available.
Training Area checkin now required. You must check in and out of Training Areas. When you check into a PCMS Training Area - that is the ONLY Area you are authorized to be in. You must check out of a Training Area before going to a new Training Area. Going into an Area you are not checked into will result in penalties and/or fines.
Use detour route through Lockwood Canyon as shown on PCMS recreation map (MSR 2 to MSR3A to MSR 4 to MSR 1B) when MSR 1 is CLOSED due to live fire activity on Range 9, Squad Live Fire, etc. and training on DZ Pinon North.
If PCMS is CLOSED to recreation, that means that access to GMU 147 (USFS) is not available via GMU 142 (PCMS).
Bull Elk 4 Point Antler Restriction: Unlike Fort Carson, this is not an enforcible rule at PCMS (GMU 142). However, we ask that you refrain from harvesting bulls that don't meet the requirement as described on page 36 of the 2024 CO Big Game Guide. A reminder that young bulls grow into big bulls, but dead young bulls don't grow into big bulls.
AREAS OPEN for RECREATION (Subject to Change)
PCMS Campground is OPEN
PCMS will be OPEN Fri - Sun Nov 22-24 (All TA's OPEN - See note below regarding 2 track roads)
PCMS will be OPEN Mon- Wed Nov 25-27 (All TA's OPEN)
PCMS will be OPEN Fri Nov 29 - Dec 1 (All TA's OPEN)
PCMS CLOSURES (All Dates are Tentative and Subject to Change - Check Closures Daily)
Nov 22-24 Travel on 2 track roads at your own risk. There is still plenty of snow and the ground will be soft during the middle of the day. We will NOT come get you if you get stuck.
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day (Nov 28)
Please continue to check for additional updates as these dates are always subject to change
Beginning in Fall 2024 - In order to reduce conflicts between military training, training range maintenance, biological and cultural survey work, range reseeding and rehabilitation programs, prescribed burning, etc., we will only be able to support recreation opportunities at PCMS on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and some federal holidays. PCMS Campground will remain open and accessible from US Hwy 350 during the week (Mon - Thur). However, you must still purchase a camping permit if you plan to leave tents, travel trailers, etc. during the week.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns: Click here
Attention Hunters-Don't Forget to:
- Sign the top of your license prior to hunting, and validate your carcass tag as soon as you harvest an animal
- Make sure you have your HIP number available if hunting small game
- Make sure you have evidence of sex naturally attached
- Keep your weapon cased and unloaded while transporting while on PCMS
- Leave a paper copy of your B&C Scoresheet in the black box if you harvest something with antlers or horns.
- CHECK OUT WHEN YOU ARE DONE HUNTING FOR THE DAY!!!
GENERAL INFORMATION
Due to the increase in military training exercises at PCMS, more demands are being placed on a limited biological resources staff to support the training tempo. As a result, we are generally closed to all forms of recreation May - August and reopen in September (please continue to check back as additional closures may occur due to the military training schedule).
Please remember: Hunts during the month of September for Over-the-Counter (OTC) pronghorn archery, OTC elk archery and elk muzzleloader (draw) are all multi-unit hunts which are valid for many other units besides Unit 142 (PCMS).
Specific range and training area closures will be posted at the top of this web page along with any road closures (due to inclement weather). You will not be able to check into an area that is not available for recreation. Therefore, if you don't see a specific training area when checking in that means its not available for recreation.
A recreation permit is required for all activities (hunting, horseback riding, hiking, photography, scouting, birding, etc.) on the PCMS. The
permit is valid for both PCMS and Fort Carson and may be purchased from this website after you set up a profile and watch the safety briefing.
New Recreation Map of PCMS is Now Available. Training Area Boundaries Have Changed and New Training Areas Have Been Added. Click here to download.
LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS
The PCMS entry gate is located at Mile Marker 24, about 35 miles northeast of Trinidad, CO and 50 miles southeast of La Junta, CO on US Highway 350. PCMS is 35 miles from the nearest grocery store or gas station, so plan accordingly.
Trinidad to PCMS map click HERE
La Junta to PCMS map click HERE
PCMS HOURS OF RECREATION, CHECK-IN PROCEDURES AND GATE ACCESS INFORMATION
Check-out times listed below are variable and based on amount of daylight during the year.
Late checkouts will result in an automatic administrative hold on the account. Do not check out late!!!
Open weekends (Fri-Sun) September through January (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, & Christmas) as training allows or as otherwise posted above. Gate Check-in time is 4:00 AM. Gate Check-out times are posted above.
You may use your smartphone, tablet, or PC to check in. If you are unable to check out, you must call Fort Carson/PCMS Wildlife to check out over the phone at 719-338-9536 or 719-725-4682. Additionally, you must write your permit number and the date on a piece of paper and display it on your dashboard. Preprinted down range passes are available in the hunter checkstation at the PCMS entrance off US Hwy 350. The gate access code is provided during the iSportsman check-in process.
PCMS RECREATION SAFETY BRIEFINGS
Recreation Safety Briefings are now available online. You must complete and pass a short test at the end of the safety briefing before your can purchase your recreation pass. If you have specific questions that are not answered in the briefing you may stop by our office in Bldg 300 (Rm C-50) or call 719-338-9536 to talk to our wildlife biologist. Call 719-503-6124 if you are military or a contractor and are trying to schedule a training range or a site visit.
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE (CPW) HUNTING AND FISHING REGULATIONS
To learn more about Colorado hunting and fishing regulations from Colorado Parks & Wildlife click HERE or download the brochures:
Big Game
Sheep & Goat
Turkey
Small Game (Note: These PDFs may take awhile to open.)
Hard copys of the above publications are also available in the PCMS hunter check station.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions About Hunting at PCMS
In order to hunt on PCMS you will need to do the following:
- You must complete the online annual recreation safety brief, UXO training, and fishing and camping safety briefing in order to purchase a recreation permit.
- Purchase an annual recreational permit online (to view the permit fees click HERE)
- Register your firearms (to find out how to register your firearms and download firearms registration form click HERE)
- Check the PCMS web page on the iSportsman website prior to coming to PCMS for any closures (military training or weather related)
- Check in online, display down range pass 0n vehicle dash prior to heading downrange, and
then check out on time when you leave.
Click here for more FAQ.
PCMS PHOTOS
We love to see your photos. Please submit any that you would like to share.
Check out the photos that have already been submitted and tips for taking great harvest photos (see links below).
BOONE & CROCKETT SCORE SHEETS
The Boone and Crockett Club was founded by Theodore Roosevelt, along with other visionaries in 1887. The B & C Score sheets provide a method by which hunters can score their harvest. The sheets calculate both the gross size (overall antler/horn size with out any deductions) and the final size (which includes the deductions that occur with any loss of symmetry between the antlers/horns). The information on the B & C sheets is analyzed and utilized by the wildlife biologists at PCMS and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife each year prior to developing the hunting management plans for the area. PCMS requires that a B & C Score Sheet is submitted for any animal harvested with horns or antlers, including Plains Deer and Plains Elk harvested in GMU 147. Below is an example of a correctly completed B & C Sheet.
HUNTING DATA
The PCMS biologists would like to extend a big "thank you" to all the hunters who have provided their B&C scores sheets. Summaries of the data collected the last 5 hunting seasons at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) are available below. Click the links to download a more detailed report.
HAVE YOU SEEN AN AUDAD?
We haven't seen one in a few years, but if you do you can take it with a valid CO hunting license. Be sure you know the difference between an audad and a bighorn sheep. audad flier
ATTENTION BOBCAT HUNTERS
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has released Canada lynx in southwest Colorado and this threatened species can now potentially be found throughout the state. Please report any sightings to the CPW office and be very sure of your target while bobcat hunting.
CPW small game brochure link.
