Unit 111, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling terrain with occasional plateaus, shallow gullies, and long draws punctuated by intermittent creek drainages (Horse Creek, South Creek). Elevation ranges from approximately 5,364 to 6,923 feet. The landscape is overwhelmingly treeless plains; relief is subtle except along creek corridors. Secondary roads become muddy and rutted in wet weather, requiring four-wheel drive.

Public land is extremely limited at roughly 4–5% of the unit (approximately 20,000–22,000 acres), consisting of scattered BLM parcels under the Royal Gorge Field Office and Colorado State Land Board sections. There are no national forests, wilderness areas, or state wildlife areas with public hunting access within the unit. The primary road network includes Interstate 70 along the northern boundary, Colorado Highway 71 on the east, Colorado Highway 94 on the south, and US 24/El Paso County Road 523 (Calhan Highway) on the west. County Road 149 and numerous county and secondary roads provide internal access, though many are dirt and prone to mudding. Paint Mines Interpretive Park (El Paso County Open Space, ~750 acres near Calhan) is within the unit but is a no-hunting preserve. Hunters pursuing deer and pronghorn on the vast private acreage must obtain landowner permission; landowners are generally more receptive to pronghorn hunters than deer hunters, and weekday requests tend to be better received than opening-weekend requests. Services: Limon has hotels, restaurants, fuel, and a hospital; Hugo and Calhan offer basic fuel and food. No campgrounds exist within approximately 20 miles of the unit core.

Dominant cover is shortgrass prairie (blue grama, buffalo grass) interspersed with dryland wheat and center-pivot irrigated crop fields. Sagebrush and yucca appear across drier benches. Riparian draws support narrow bands of cottonwood and Russian olive. Russian thistle (tumbleweed) is common across disturbed ground. No conifer, aspen, or high-elevation vegetation is present; this is a pure plains unit.

Pronghorn antelope are the primary big-game species; highest densities occur in the southern half of the unit across open grassland. Mule deer concentrate in cottonwood riparian corridors — particularly along Horse Creek and north boundary drainages near crop fields — with rut activity from late October through late December. White-tailed deer are present in smaller numbers, especially along creek bottoms near agricultural edges. Elk are occasional transients with no established population in this treeless plains unit. Black bear and mountain lion are not resident in meaningful numbers in this open plains environment. Wild turkey are present along riparian areas. No moose or bighorn sheep are associated with this unit.