Unit 102, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling eastern plains topography; elevation ranges from approximately 3,432 to 4,479 feet above sea level. Topographic relief is minimal except along the Arikaree River drainage and associated dry canyons. Terrain ease rates near 97/100 — 4WD recommended only during wet-weather events that can make county roads slick and temporarily flood access routes.

Access is the defining challenge of GMU 102 — roughly 92 percent of the unit is private agricultural land. No National Forest or BLM tracts exist here; all public access is via CPW-managed state wildlife areas and state trust lands, all of which require a valid hunting or fishing license (or SWA pass) for anyone age 16 or older. Camping is permitted at Sandy Bluffs SWA. Five publicly confirmed accessible parcels: 1. Sandy Bluffs SWA — 3,202 acres, Yuma County; north of Idalia on County Road DD at the Arikaree River; open 4 a.m.–9 p.m. September 1–May 31; hunting for deer, dove, rabbit, squirrel, and turkey. Camping permitted. 2. Sandy Bluffs State Trust Land — 3,682 acres, Yuma County; adjacent to the SWA on County Road DD; open Sept 1–May 31, 4 a.m.–9 p.m.; public access prohibited east of US 385. 3. Simmons State Trust Land — 160 acres, Yuma County; from Wray travel 5 miles south on US 385 to CR 30, east approximately 1 mile, south following paved road, then east on CR 22 to parking lot; open Sept 1–May 31; hunting for deer, dove, rabbit, squirrel, and turkey. 4. Arikaree State Trust Land — 2,320 acres, Yuma County; approximately 7 miles east of Wray on US 34, then south on County Road RR toward the Kansas line; foot access only. 5. Black Wolf Creek State Trust Land — 320 acres, Yuma County; 11 miles south of Wray on US 385, parking on west side; open September 1–end of February; hunting for deer, pronghorn, coyote, and rabbit. Access to private land requires advance landowner contact; CPW district wildlife manager Josh Melby (Brush office, 970-842-6300). The main highway corridors are US 34, US 36, and US 385.

Sandsage and mid-grass prairie sandhills form more than 50 percent of the unit. Additional cover types include short-grass prairie, dry cropland (wheat, dryland corn, sunflowers), irrigated cropland (corn, alfalfa, wheat on center-pivot systems), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands, and cottonwood-riparian bottomlands along four primary drainage systems: the North Fork of the Republican River, Dry Willow Creek, Black Wolf Creek, and the Arikaree River. No pinyon-juniper, aspen, spruce-fir, or alpine tundra exists in this unit.

Mule deer are present throughout all habitat types, with highest densities in sandsage rangeland, irrigated cropland, and CRP complexes. White-tailed deer concentrate along the Arikaree River, its tributaries, and the North Fork of the Republican River bottoms. Both species use the unit year-round with no significant seasonal migration; the deer rut extends from late October through late December. The unit falls within the Arickaree DAU (D-55) with a modeled 2015 post-hunt population of approximately 2,150 deer (units 101 and 102 combined) against an objective of 2,100. Pronghorn exist in modest numbers as part of the Sandhills/Arickaree DAU (units 93, 97, 98, 101, and 102 combined); modeled 2015 post-hunt population was approximately 590 animals against an objective of 650, reflecting a long-term decline from a peak of approximately 720 in the mid-1990s. Pronghorn use open short-grass and sandsage prairie throughout the unit. Elk are technically huntable under OTC either-sex licenses, but CPW explicitly notes that hunters should keep in mind the low probability of a successful elk hunt in this unit due to lack of ideal elk habitat. Any elk present are incidental. Mountain lion can occasionally be encountered; unit 102 is included in a large eastern plains mountain lion management group (units 87–145) with a combined harvest limit of 5 animals. Turkey are present at state wildlife areas.

1. Simmons State Trust Land: CPW's authoritative page shows 160 acres — the commonly cited 2,157-acre figure in third-party sources (GoHunt, HuntScore) may represent a different combined parcel designation or a data error. The CPW-confirmed 160 acres is used here. Directions corrected to CR 22 per CPW (draft had CR JJ). 2. CWD: CPW's 2026 guidance states there is NO mandatory CWD testing for deer in 2026 seasons. Mandatory testing applies only to elk rifle seasons for selected hunt codes. The draft's claim of mandatory deer head submission has been removed as it reflects outdated 2015-era regulations not confirmed by current CPW guidance. 3. Willow Creek Wildlife Area (920 acres) and Arikaree State Trust Land (2,320 acres): Not directly confirmed via live CPW pages during this review. These parcels appear in third-party sources (GoHunt) and the 2016-17 CPW Northeast Colorado guide. Excluded from confirmed acreage totals but retained in original draft context pending direct CPW verification. 4. Public land percentage: GoHunt reports 7.4%; HuntScore reports 8% (5% state, 3% other). The 8% figure is used as the more detailed modern source. 5. Harvest statistics (82% rifle success, 70 harvested for mule deer; 83% pronghorn success) are from 2015 CPW Northeast Colorado Regional Hunting Guide data — most granular unit-level data available from public sources. 6. Season dates reflect the 2025-2029 multi-year structure approved January 2025.