Unit 23, Colorado

Elevation ranges from approximately 5,300 ft in the lower White River valley near Rifle to more than 12,200 ft on the Flat Tops plateau and surrounding wilderness peaks. The lower tier consists of rolling agricultural land, sagebrush hillsides, eroded gulches, and creek bottoms along the White River. Foothills climb steeply through brushy benches and long ridges into broad high-elevation mesas and alpine basins. Steep drainages, deep draws, and the characteristic flat-topped lava-capped plateau of the Flat Tops define the upper unit. Upper-elevation roads and trails can become impassable by the third rifle season due to snow.

The unit lies primarily within the White River National Forest managed by the Blanco Ranger District (Meeker area office, 970-878-5081). Key vehicular access routes include County Road 8 east of Meeker, which parallels the White River and connects to numerous USFS spur roads leading to trailheads into the Flat Tops Wilderness; Forest Service Roads 5, 8, 15, 17, 30, and 230 (Ute Stock Driveway); and USFS Primary Forest Road 245 (Buford-Newcastle Road) along the eastern boundary. The northern boundary is formed by Rio Blanco County Roads 30, 15, and 48, along with USFS Road 250. The western edge runs along CO-13/789 south of Meeker. The Flat Tops Wilderness prohibits motorized vehicles and mechanized equipment including bicycles and game carts. Dispersed camping is permitted throughout the national forest and BLM lands. The Jensen State Wildlife Area (north of Meeker) and Oak Creek State Wildlife Area (northeast of Meeker) provide additional public access with designated camping areas. Land ownership is approximately 45% public (32% USFS, 8% BLM, 5% State) and 55% private. Within roughly 15 miles of Meeker, almost all land is private; the approximately three dozen BLM parcels in the lower unit are largely surrounded by private ground, creating access challenges. Heavy ATV traffic is common on accessible forest roads, and 4WD is necessary on most secondary roads. Upper-elevation roads become impassable by mid-November.

Lower elevations support sagebrush, bitterbrush, grasses, and scattered pinyon-juniper. Cottonwood and willow riparian corridors line the White River and tributary creeks. Mid-elevation slopes transition through oakbrush, mountain mahogany, ponderosa pine, and lodgepole pine. Upper slopes and broad mesas hold large stands of aspen, Engelmann spruce, blue spruce, and subalpine fir, opening into grassy parks and meadows. The highest terrain above timberline transitions to alpine tundra on the Flat Tops plateau. This vegetation gradient creates diverse edge habitat that concentrates elk and mule deer across seasons.

Elk are the dominant big-game species and the primary draw for hunters; the unit is considered very good elk country alongside neighboring GMUs 12 and 24. Elk summer on the high Flat Tops plateau and in upper spruce-fir and aspen zones, migrating to lower sagebrush and oakbrush winter ranges on the western and southern sides of the unit as hunting pressure and snow accumulate, typically pushing west and downslope by the third rifle season. Mule deer are distributed throughout the unit, with notable concentrations in the Hay Flats and Miller Creek areas southwest of Meeker and in the state wildlife areas to the north and east; they follow similar elevational migration patterns as elk. A small population of Shiras moose occupies the willow-lined drainages and riparian corridors of the upper White River watershed. Pronghorn antelope use private agricultural lands in the lower, western portions of the unit. Black bears range throughout the mid- and upper-elevation forested zones, particularly in late summer and fall when berry crops are peaking. Mountain lions are present but rarely encountered. Wild turkeys occupy lower-elevation ponderosa and riparian areas. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been detected in this unit in both elk and deer populations.