Unit 682, Colorado

Virtually flat high-desert valley floor ranging from approximately 7,100 to 7,700 feet in elevation (Russell Lakes SWA sits at 7,563–7,586 ft). The landscape is characterized by rolling flatlands, pivot-irrigated agricultural fields, and scattered low hills. No significant rugged terrain or high-elevation relief exists within the unit; the Sangre de Cristo Mountains rise to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west, but GMU 682 itself is the intermontane basin floor between them.

Vehicle access is primarily from US 285, which forms the northern and western boundary, and CO Highway 17 along the eastern boundary. A network of county roads (including County Road R and others running east-west) provides perimeter and internal access, but most interior roads cross private agricultural land and require landowner permission. The only significant public land within the unit is Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area (4,739 acres, GMU 682, Saguache County): from Saguache drive approximately 9 miles south on US 285 to County Road R, then 1.5 miles east to the SWA access road. The SWA is open July 16 through February 14; a valid hunting or fishing license or SWA pass is required for all visitors 16 and older; one parking area and restroom off US 285 do not require a pass; Section 29 closes during waterfowl seasons; the area closes after 1 p.m. during the first split waterfowl season; camping is permitted only during waterfowl hunting seasons for licensed waterfowl hunters in self-contained units in designated areas. The CPW contact is the Monte Vista CPW Office at 719-587-6900. Land ownership breakdown (HuntScore): approximately 85% private, 9% State, 3% BLM, 2% other public; multiple sources report up to 89% private. No National Forest acreage of note is mapped within GMU 682. Hunters without prior written landowner permission face significant access limitations throughout the unit. Effective with the 2025 season, GMU 682 was removed from general deer DAU hunt codes grouping with GMUs 61 and 681 and now carries a private-land-only draw hunt designation, making public-land access for deer hunting effectively limited to the Russell Lakes SWA parcel.

Dominant cover types are thick sagebrush stands and open grasslands, with patches of pinyon-juniper on low rises. Irrigated agriculture (alfalfa, corn, and other row crops on circular pivot fields) constitutes a major land-cover type and serves as primary forage for deer. Riparian corridors follow creeks and the marshy wetlands at Russell Lakes SWA provide cattail, sedge, and shallow-water marsh habitat. Oak brush is minimal or absent at this elevation on the valley floor.

Mule deer are present on the valley floor in sagebrush and agricultural areas; GMU 682 is part of DAU D-26 (Saguache deer herd, GMUs 68, 681, 682), which covers approximately 833,000 acres entirely within Saguache County. The 2017 post-hunt D-26 population estimate was approximately 5,680 deer (most recent figure available in sources reviewed; more current data not confirmed). Elk do not hold a stable resident population in GMU 682. The E-55 Northern San Luis Valley Floor herd (GMUs 682 and 791 combined) had a 2023 post-hunt estimate of approximately 150 animals, well below management objectives; CPW uses summer bull seasons as a management tool in E-55. Elk are primarily found on private agricultural land and move into the valley floor during winter when pushed off adjacent mountain units. Pronghorn are present in the open sagebrush and grass areas, particularly in the southern portion of the unit; GMU 682 is part of the Northern San Luis Valley pronghorn DAU (encompassing GMUs 68, 79, 82, 681, 682, 791). San Luis Valley pronghorn populations were reported as more than 10% below population objectives as of 2020 CPW data. Black bear and mountain lion are listed as present species for this GMU (HuntScore); occurrence in the flat valley floor is primarily incidental, associated with deer prey base on agricultural and riparian margins. Wild turkey are listed as present per HuntScore species data, with habitat limited to riparian corridors and agricultural areas. No bighorn sheep, moose, or white-tailed deer populations are documented in this valley-floor unit.