Unit 512, Colorado

Rolling foothills and creek bottoms along the eastern base of the Rampart Range, with elevation ranging from approximately 6,069 feet near Colorado Springs to 7,874 feet at the western ridgeline. Terrain transitions from gently rolling grassland and riparian flats in the east to steeper, shrub-covered slopes ascending toward the Rampart Range in the west. Hunters must be prepared for steep, uneven ground in the upper portions of the unit.

GMU 512 is entirely within the U.S. Air Force Academy, a secure federal military installation. There is no open public walk-in access; all big-game hunting requires an AFA access permit and a mandatory safety orientation or in-person briefing. The Academy is located north of Colorado Springs along I-25. Hunters apply and check in/out through the iSportsman system at usafa.isportsman.net. Rifle deer and elk hunters must be escorted at all times by Academy, USFWS, or CPW personnel for safety and security reasons. Archery white-tailed deer hunters are self-escorted within assigned areas only and must use the Avenza Maps app. Archery turkey hunters are unescorted. Non-DoD hunters require a 30-day Visitor Pass. The Academy can suspend hunts at any time due to military operations. Access permit fees: $25 elk, $15 deer, $10 turkey; $6 non-refundable application fee for archery deer/turkey lotteries. Daily check-in/out via iSportsman is mandatory. Contact the Natural Resources Office at 719-333-3308. There are no National Forest or BLM lands within this unit.

Habitat types are highly varied across the unit's modest footprint. The eastern lowlands along Monument Creek support deciduous riparian corridors dominated by willows and cottonwood-type vegetation. Mixed-grass meadows and open grassland occupy the central academy grounds. As elevation rises westward, vegetation transitions to dry-forest types with ponderosa pine, spruce-fir, and dense shrub fields including Gambel oak and mountain mahogany. The riparian zones along Monument Creek and its tributaries support federally threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse populations and represent some of the highest-quality remaining riparian habitat in the region. The Academy partners with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and USFWS to protect these areas.

Mule deer are the primary big-game species and are distributed across the unit, with bucks attracting high demand for limited licenses. White-tailed deer populations have been increasing, particularly in the eastern deciduous riparian corridors near the Academy's airport runways, prompting population-control archery hunts. A small elk herd occupies the unit; given the enclosed nature of the installation, harvest is kept to cow-only to manage numbers, with an average of approximately 4 cows harvested per year since 2001. Mountain lions and black bears are present but not available for hunting. Merriam's wild turkey inhabit the forested areas. Other residents include coyote, bobcat, red fox, beaver, prairie dog, cottontail rabbit, raccoon, and bats. The federally threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) maintains a significant population along Monument Creek; the Academy partners with USFWS and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program for its protection.