Unit 119, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie with scattered creeks, sand/sage flats, and low rolling hills. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,685 to 6,300 feet (HuntScore confirmed). No significant mountain terrain; the topography is consistent eastern-plains benchland with occasional draws and drainage coulees. Weather can turn severe by December with early freezes typically arriving mid-October to mid-November.

The unit is 84% private land with a 16% public footprint (15% Colorado State Land Board trust lands, ~1% other including BLM). Colorado Route 94 is the primary east-west corridor through the unit; Colorado Route 71 provides the north-south spine along the eastern edge. Approximately 540 acres of BLM surface exist within the unit but are largely landlocked by private land. Colorado State Land Board parcels (roughly 15% of the unit) are state-administered trust lands that allow public hunting with a valid Colorado hunting license. No National Forest, no wilderness, and no Comanche National Grassland overlap — Comanche is further south in Otero, Baca, and Las Animas counties. The primary public hunting access strategy is CPW's Walk-In Access (WIA) program, which enrolls private landowners to allow foot-access hunting without requiring individual landowner permission; properties must display official WIA boundary signs. Hunters should consult the annual CPW WIA Atlas map or the online Hunting Atlas before each season. Secondary roads throughout the unit become slick and muddy in wet weather. No hospitals, hotels, campgrounds, or grocery stores within 20 miles of the unit core; nearest full services are Colorado Springs (west) and Pueblo (southwest).

Dominant cover is shortgrass prairie (blue grama, buffalo grass) mixed with dryland wheat and dryland farming fields. Riparian corridors along drainages support scattered cottonwoods, willows, and Russian olive. CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) grassland tracts provide patches of native grass cover. Southern reaches of the unit hold prickly pear cactus and yucca. No forested mountains, aspen, spruce-fir, or pinyon-juniper; this is a true eastern-plains unit.

Pronghorn antelope are found throughout the unit on open prairie and are the primary big-game draw. Mule deer utilize cottonwood riparian corridors, agricultural crop edges, and CRP grassland; overall deer densities are lower than in foothills units. White-tailed deer are present in riparian zones along creek drainages. Wild turkey are present (confirmed per HuntScore unit listing). Black bear and mountain lion are listed species but are uncommon on the open shortgrass plains — encounters are incidental. Elk are listed but extremely rare in this plains unit with no established population. Scaled quail are present in the southern cactus-yucca zone. Pronghorn rut typically runs early September through mid-October, overlapping archery and early rifle seasons. Both pronghorn and deer tend to be year-round residents, shifting locally with crop availability and precipitation rather than making long seasonal migrations. CWD is present in Colorado deer populations; hunters should verify current mandatory CWD testing requirements for their specific hunt code in the 2026 Big Game Brochure.

1. Public land percentage (16%) confirmed by HuntScore unit profile: 15% Colorado State Land Board trust lands plus ~1% other (BLM). The BLM acreage (~540 acres) is largely landlocked. 2. HuntScore 2022 aggregate harvest data (all species/seasons combined): 801 hunters, 287 animals harvested, 25.3% overall success rate. Species-specific quota, draw odds, and harvest breakdown are behind a paywall and could not be verified. 3. 2025 pronghorn season dates (archery Aug 15–Sep 20, muzzleloader Sep 21–29, rifle Oct 4–12) confirmed via eRegulations. 4. 2025 plains deer rifle season confirmed as Oct 25–Nov 4 via eRegulations — the draft's 'Oct 24–Nov 3' dates have been corrected. A single plains rifle season is listed for 2025; the Early/Late Rifle split in the draft is unconfirmed and has been removed pending brochure verification. 5. 2026 deer and pronghorn season dates could not be confirmed from accessible sources; the 2026 Big Game Brochure should be consulted. 6. Turkey added as a confirmed present species per HuntScore. 7. No CWD mandatory testing exemption confirmed for GMU 119 specifically — hunters should verify their hunt code's requirements in the current brochure.