Unit 136, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling with irregular steep canyons and plateaus. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,380 feet on the lower drainages to 5,857 feet on the higher mesas. The Purgatoire River (locally called the Picketwire) defines parts of the northern and western boundary and carves deep canyon corridors into the unit's landscape.

GMU 136 is approximately 85 percent private land. The remaining 15 percent is split between Comanche National Grassland (USFS, ~6%), state trust lands (~8%), and other (~1%). The official boundary: that portion of Las Animas, Bent, and Otero County bounded on the north by the intersection of Colorado 109 and the Purgatoire River; on the east by Colorado 109; on the south by US 160; and on the west by Chacuaco Creek and the Purgatoire River. The Comanche National Grassland La Junta district office (719-384-2181) administers the public acres within and adjacent to the unit. The U.S. Army Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (235,896 acres, Las Animas County) lies in the broader area and is closed to public access. The Purgatoire Wildlife Ranch (155,000 acres spanning GMUs 136, 143, 144, and 147; headquarters ~23 miles south of La Junta) participates in CPW's Ranching for Wildlife program and offers guided hunting for deer, pronghorn, and turkey to Colorado residents. The majority of private land is leased to outfitters. CPW advises hunters to carry extra gas, water, and food given the remote nature of the unit.

Dominant cover is shortgrass prairie. Large pinon-juniper areas occupy the canyon breaks, mesas, and higher terrain. Limited dryland and CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) farm fields are present. Riparian corridors of cottonwood and willow exist in a few canyon drainages. The unit does not contain aspen, spruce-fir, or alpine tundra — it is entirely plains and high-desert canyon in character.

Mule deer concentrate along canyon drainages and near CRP/agricultural fields; the unit holds a plains mule deer population with the majority of hunting access on private land leased to outfitters. Elk are present year-round in the pinon-juniper breaks and canyon country as a plains herd; the plains rifle season is a long draw window (Sep 1-Jan 31). Pronghorn inhabit the open shortgrass prairie, particularly the southern half of the unit on Comanche National Grassland acreage and the Purgatoire RFW property; license quotas are limited draw. Wild turkey occur along the Purgatoire River corridor. Scaled quail are found in yucca-cactus-sage habitat. Cottontail rabbits are abundant. Black bear and mountain lion are present in low numbers given the semi-arid canyon terrain. White-tailed deer are not a characteristic species of this unit; mule deer are primary. Shiras moose are listed as a potential species on some databases but are not a managed population here per CPW unit descriptions. In winter, deer and elk concentrate on lower drainages as heavier weather pushes animals off the higher mesas.

1. Harvest statistics for deer and elk are from the CPW 2018 Southeast Colorado Hunting Guide (~2017 season data); pronghorn harvest from HuntScore 2022 aggregate. 2. Land ownership: 85% private / 15% public per HuntScore (6% USFS Comanche National Grassland, 8% state, 1% other). 3. West boundary per official regulation (2 CCR 406-0-024): Chacuaco Creek and the Purgatoire River — the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is geographically proximate but is not named in the legal boundary description. 4. Purgatoire Wildlife Ranch (RFW, 155,000 acres) spans GMUs 136/143/144/147 and offers deer, pronghorn, and turkey (not elk). 5. All deer licenses statewide converted to limited (draw) effective 2025 per BGSS. 6. Plains elk muzzleloader applies only to GMUs 104/133/134/141/142 — no plains elk muzzleloader season in GMU 136. 7. Tag quotas not available without accessing CPW annual draw recap PDFs by individual hunt code.