Unit 137, Colorado

Elevation ranges from 4,397 to 5,617 feet. The landscape is flat to gently rolling with limited plateaus, shallow basins, and steep-sided canyons carved into the shortgrass prairie. Canyon terrain is most prominent in the northern portion (steep canyons cutting through prairie) and the middle portion (smaller canyons and mesas); the southern portion grades into the Comanche National Grassland. Colorado Highway 109 runs north-south along the western boundary.

Primary corridors are US Highway 160 (east-west along the southern boundary), Colorado Highway 109 (north-south along the western boundary), Colorado Route 101, and the Pritchett-Las Animas improved road on the eastern edge. Secondary county roads provide additional access to portions of the unit. The only substantial public land block is the Carrizo Unit of Comanche National Grassland (~26,000+ acres south of Springfield), administered by the Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands office (Springfield, CO). BLM La Junta, Kim, and Springfield quadrangle maps and USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps cover the unit. Approximately 86 percent of the land is private; access is difficult and landowner permission is essential for deer and elk. CPW advises securing landowner permission before applying for pronghorn limited licenses. There are no wilderness areas or formal trailheads. Cellular coverage is unreliable; four-wheel-drive recommended on ranch roads. Nearest services: Kim (limited, weekdays only), Trinidad (~59 mi west), Springfield (~50 mi northeast), La Junta (~58 mi north), Las Animas.

Dominant cover is shortgrass prairie (blue grama and buffalo grass) with sand sage, yucca, prickly pear cactus, and scattered arroyos lined with cottonwoods. Pinon-juniper breaks occur in the canyon drainages and on limited mesa edges. Dryland wheat fields and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields appear in the northern portion. Riparian areas are limited and confined to intermittent creek drainages.

Mule deer are present along drainages and near agricultural fields in the northern half of the unit, concentrating near crops and pinyon-juniper areas. Elk exist in very low numbers (bull elk particularly scarce) and concentrate in the pinon-juniper breaks; the unit is covered by the CPW plains elk OTC season, reflecting a small dispersed population rather than a managed herd. Pronghorn are found throughout the grassland and CRP areas except in dense pinon-juniper habitat; the pronghorn rut runs from early September through mid-October. Black bear are present in low numbers (OTC license valid). Scaled quail and cottontail rabbits occupy the lower prairie areas. No confirmed moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, or white-tailed deer hunting opportunities. Wild turkey are absent or very uncommon.

1. Public land percentage: GoHunt GIS reports 14.2% (used here as 14); 2017 CPW Southeast CO Hunting Guide reported 10% (likely older or different GIS methodology). 2. Harvest data: Pronghorn rifle harvest (174 harvested, 59% success) is from 2016 season per 2017 CPW guide — most unit-specific sourced figure available. Deer harvest (41 total; 55% success) is from 2024 CPW deer harvest report for plains rifle season. Elk harvest for GMU 137 specifically could not be isolated from CPW data; plains OTC license E-E-087-U5-R covers ~60 plains GMUs and harvest is not broken out per unit in freely accessible reports. 3. Tag quotas for draw hunts are not publicly accessible without CPW Draw Recap unit-specific reports. 4. Season dates reflect 2024 Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure (2025 seasons). Hunters must verify current season dates with CPW before applying. 5. Terrain corrections: canyon terrain most prominent in northern and middle unit portions per GoHunt; draft described it as western fringe only. 6. Colorado Route 101 added to access corridors per GoHunt. 7. Carrizo Unit location corrected to south of Springfield (not north of US 160).