Unit 139, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie at 3,675–4,462 feet elevation. Two Buttes — a pair of prominent volcanic plugs rising above the surrounding plain — are located in the unit's northern portion, approximately 23 miles northeast of Springfield along State Highway 116. Two Buttes Reservoir (on Two Butte Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River) and several ephemeral creek drainages and arroyos provide the unit's only topographic relief. Slopes across public land are predominantly under five percent grade.

The unit is bounded by US-287 on the west, Baca County Road M on the south, the Kansas state line on the east, and Prowers County Roads F and D on the north. Colorado State Highway 116 crosses the north-central portion. US-160 lies just south of the unit boundary. Four-wheel drive is strongly recommended after precipitation; county roads become impassable mud. Public land is approximately 3–4 percent of the unit. Primary public access: - Comanche National Grassland, Carrizo Unit (a portion of the Carrizo unit lies in southwest Baca County, south of Springfield; field office at 27204 US-287, Springfield, CO 81073, phone 719-523-6591; administered by Pike-San Isabel NFs, Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Region 2). Forest Service Road 539 provides a main entry point. - Two Buttes Reservoir State Wildlife Area — available for hunting. - Birchfield (Burchfield) SWA — approximately 178 acres. - Turk's Pond SWA — most of the property is closed to hunting October 1–February 28 annually. - CPW Walk-In Access (WIA) program parcels on private land (check the annual Walk-In Access map). Private land is approximately 99 percent of the unit; access requires individual landowner permission. No wilderness areas. No seasonal road closures on public lands, though deep mud limits access after storms.

The unit is dominated by dryland and irrigated farmland (winter wheat, corn, sorghum, CRP grass stands). Shortgrass prairie is the primary upland matrix, with scattered sand sage and yucca on lighter soils. Cottonwood galleries line the creek drainages and provide the highest-quality deer habitat. Prickly pear cactus is present throughout. There is no significant shrub-oak, aspen, pinyon-juniper, or conifer component; this is pure high-plains habitat.

White-tailed deer concentrate along cottonwood riparian corridors and irrigated farmland throughout the unit; CPW's Southeast Region hunting guide characterizes GMU 139 as a 'good unit for whitetail deer.' Mule deer occupy dryland farmed areas and sand sage habitat at fair density. Both species are subject to Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) pressure during drought years; CWD has been detected in the broader D-28 DAU. Pronghorn are present at very low densities across the entire unit. Elk are rare — the 2011 guide lists only 2 harvested in the plains season — and any present are confined to incidental movement. Mountain lion are included in a broad plains harvest-limit group (limit of 5) encompassing most of the eastern slope plains units but are practically uncommon here. Black bear hunting seasons do not cover GMU 139. Scaled quail, bobwhite quail, pheasants, cottontails, lesser prairie-chicken, swift fox, prairie dogs, and sandhill cranes (in migration) are also present.

1. Public-land percentage: The 2011 CPW guide states approximately 99% private land; GoHunt shows 3.9% public. This profile uses 4% as a conservative round figure. The Comanche National Grassland Carrizo unit spans parts of several Baca County GMUs (132, 139, 145). 2. Harvest statistics for deer and pronghorn are from the 2011 CPW Southeast Colorado Hunting Guide; no more recent unit-specific harvest breakdown for GMU 139 was accessible via public sources. The 2025 preference-point data confirms current license quotas. 3. Season dates use the 2025 Chapter W-2 regulations (approved January 2025) with the 2025–2029 season structure; 2026 dates are per the multi-year schedule in that regulation. 4. Pronghorn tag_quota of 10 reflects the rifle buck licenses (AM132O1R) for the three-unit group 132/139/145 combined. The reported_harvest figure of 75 is from 2011 historical data and reflects a different quota structure than current. 5. The Comanche National Grassland Carrizo unit acreage within GMU 139 specifically is not confirmed from public sources; the total Carrizo unit spans Baca County at large (~220,000 acres per Baca County Wikipedia). 6. CWD is present in the broader D-28 DAU; hunters should check CPW's current mandatory harvest reporting requirements.