Unit 144, Colorado

GMU 144 sits on the southern High Plains and is essentially flat to gently rolling grassland terrain with no significant mountain relief. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,131 to 4,902 feet, making it one of the lowest-elevation hunting units in Colorado. The monotony of the plains is broken by sandy arroyos, sandhills, and along the Oklahoma border, shallow canyon systems carved by creek drainages feeding the Cimarron River. Slopes across the unit are almost uniformly gentle.

Primary highway access is US 287, which bisects the unit on a north-south alignment and passes through the town of Campo; the Comanche National Grassland – Carrizo Unit ranger district office is at 27204 US Highway 287, Springfield, CO 81073 (719-523-6591). North Canyon is a foot-travel-only area reached from Campo at the junction of Hwy 287 and County Road J, then west on CR J to CR 18. Picture Canyon is reached via unpaved road from Hwy 287. A network of Forest Service roads and two-tracks crosses Comanche Grassland parcels; the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) is required to determine which roads are open to motorized travel. County roads can become impassable when wet. The Comanche National Grassland – Carrizo Unit represents the primary federal public land in the unit; the remaining majority of the unit is private agricultural land (ranches, wheat farms). No wilderness designations exist within the unit. Nearest services: Springfield CO (~25 mi north), Boise City OK (~30 mi east), La Junta CO (~90 mi northwest).

The dominant cover type is shortgrass prairie. Other cover includes rolling sand sage, sandhills with yucca and prickly pear cactus, and dryland as well as center-pivot irrigated wheat fields. Canyon rims and draws near the Oklahoma border support scattered pinyon-juniper. Riparian corridors along Carrizo Creek and its tributaries host cottonwood and willow. There is no sagebrush of the mountain-west type; pronghorn in this unit feed primarily on forbs and grasses rather than sage.

Pronghorn are the primary big game species and inhabit open grasslands throughout the unit, with the greatest concentration and hunting pressure in the southern half. Population has declined in recent years following tag reductions from 75 to 50 public buck licenses. Mule deer occupy shortgrass areas but access to huntable concentrations is largely constrained to canyon systems along the Oklahoma border, with access effectively poor due to private land dominance. White-tailed deer occur in riparian and canyon habitats near the Oklahoma border. Elk are present in very small numbers with no established winter or summer range population; most sightings are transient animals. No moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain lion populations of note are documented for this unit. Black bears are not resident but may appear rarely. Scaled quail are abundant throughout; pheasant and bobwhite quail also occur, making this a notable upland bird unit. Prairie dogs, swift fox, lesser prairie chicken, and golden eagle are grassland residents.