Unit 118, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie at low elevation (5,250–6,280 ft). Terrain features occasional buttes, gullies, sand hills, and a few small stock reservoirs. Primary drainages are Fountain Creek, Jimmy Camp Creek, Chico Creek, and Williams Creek. There is no mountainous terrain; total unit size is approximately 503 square miles (321,916 acres). County roads become slick and rutted in wet weather, and high winds can create ground blizzards in winter.

The unit is approximately 67% private land and 33% public/state land. Access for hunters is predominantly through private-land permission (access rated fair to good for pronghorn, fair for deer). The main accessible public parcel is Turkey Track Ranch State Trust Land (approximately 7,976–8,887 acres; CPW lists 7,976 acres, GoHunt/HuntScore cite 8,887 — discrepancy likely reflects boundary or measurement differences), located east of Fountain on Squirrel Creek Road (from Fountain, drive east approximately 14 miles on Squirrel Creek Rd.; property is bordered by Squirrel Creek Rd. and Peyton Hwy.). Access rules: access from designated parking areas only, no access from county roads, foot travel only, no permanent blinds; valid hunting or fishing license required for all persons 16+; open approximately September 1 through end of February (verify current dates in CPW brochure). Primary road access to the unit is via I-25 (western boundary), CO-94 (northern boundary), and an east-west grid of El Paso County roads. No National Forest or BLM land is present within this unit. No wilderness areas.

Dominated by shortgrass prairie (blue grama, buffalo grass) interspersed with sand hills vegetated by sagebrush, yucca, and prickly pear cactus. Riparian corridors along Fountain Creek and its tributaries support narrow cottonwood gallery forest that serve as the primary cover and concentration areas for deer. Limited dry-land farming parcels occur in the eastern portions of the unit. No conifer, aspen, or alpine components exist — this is purely a plains-grassland/riparian unit.

Pronghorn (antelope) occur across the open grassland portions of the unit and represent the primary big-game draw. Mule deer use the riparian corridors and brushy drainages; Fountain Creek and its tributaries are key concentration areas year-round. White-tailed deer are also present, with the rut running from late October through late December. Elk exist on the unit but are uncommon, concentrating in the south and southwest portions; the elk rut can begin as early as the first week of September. Black bear and mountain lion are listed by CPW as potentially present but are not considered primary game targets in this plains unit. Rio Grande turkey are also present. Because the unit is low-elevation plains without seasonal mountain snowpack, resident deer and pronghorn populations do not undergo dramatic elevational migration; animals remain largely year-round within the unit, shifting locally to riparian cover in harsh weather.

1. PLAINS DEER RIFLE DATES: eRegulations confirms Oct 25–Nov 4 (early) for 2025 season structure; draft had Oct 24–Nov 3 — corrected by one day. Late plains rifle Dec 1–14 not contradicted. 2. TURKEY TRACK RANCH: CPW page 404'd; HuntScore cites open Sep 1–Feb. Draft's Aug 15 open date removed; verify in current CPW brochure. Acreage discrepancy (CPW 7,976 ac vs GoHunt/HuntScore 8,887 ac) noted. 3. TAG QUOTAS / HARVEST DATA: Unit-specific quotas and draw odds require paid subscription. HuntScore aggregate (2022): 712 hunters, 282 harvest, 26.7% success across all species. 4. ELK OTC: Cannot confirm a specific OTC elk hunt code for unit 118 from available sources — marked as requiring brochure verification. 5. WHITETAIL OTC: CPW confirms statewide OTC any-legal-method for white-tailed deer; unit applicability should be verified in current brochure.