Unit 52, Colorado

Elevation ranges from approximately 5,000 feet at the valley floor near Delta to 10,982 feet on the rim of Grand Mesa. The northern tier of the unit is mostly flat forested mesa-top terrain at 9,500-10,500 feet dotted with dozens of lakes and streams. Elevation drops steeply through eroded bluffs and rocky foothills in the middle and southern thirds, transitioning to sage flats and irrigated farmland at the lowest benches.

Primary access: State Highway 65 (Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway) climbs from Cedaredge to the mesa top and connects to I-70 near Mesa in Mesa County. Surface Creek Road connects Cedaredge to mesa-top Forest Service roads. Leroux Creek Road (FR 128 / CR 3100) provides access from Hotchkiss. Managing agency: GMUG National Forests, Grand Valley Ranger District, 2250 S. Main St., Delta, CO 81416, (970) 874-6600. Approximately 52% of the unit is private land concentrated in the lower southern two-thirds. High-elevation roads above 9,000 ft typically impassable November through May. Obtain Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) from the Grand Valley Ranger District before accessing the unit.

High mesa: dense Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir with scattered aspen parks, numerous small lakes and beaver ponds. Mid-elevation: pure aspen stands transitioning to mixed aspen-conifer, with pockets of Gambel oak on south-facing aspects. Lower slopes: pinyon-juniper woodland giving way to mountain shrub (serviceberry, chokecherry, sagebrush). Valley floor: sage-grass, irrigated pasture, and hay fields. Land cover (NLCD-derived): approx 30% evergreen forest, 26% deciduous forest, 19% shrub/scrub, 12% pasture/hay.

Elk: Resident herd uses upper Grand Mesa as summer range, then pushes south into private land and oakbrush-sage as winter closes in; rut active early September into early October. Mule deer: Bucks use higher aspen/conifer zones in summer and drop to pinyon-juniper and private land by late fall. Shiras moose: Population inhabits riparian and aspen areas on the mesa; licenses available in the 41/42/52 complex. Black bear: Present from valley-floor serviceberry patches to mesa-top berry fields; OTC concurrent licenses available. Mountain lion: Present year-round; harvest-quota season mid-November through March 31 (multi-unit zone including 52/53/63/411/521). Pronghorn: Lower sage-grass areas; OTC archery buck available. Wild turkey: Oakbrush and pinyon-juniper zones. No bighorn sheep or mountain goat codes listed.

Mule deer quota 795 = sum of draw antlered rifle/muzzleloader tags from 2024 CPW license year; archery draw count excluded (not extractable). Moose and mountain lion quotas omitted where unverifiable - check current CPW regulations. Hunter success and harvest not published at GMU level by CPW. Elk 2026 dates from 2025-2029 season structure table in CPW W-2 regulations PDF.