Unit 69, Colorado

The Wet Mountain Range runs north-south through the center of the unit, with the high point near 10,384 feet; elevations descend to approximately 5,100–5,200 feet near Florence and the Arkansas River valley on the western boundary. Terrain grades from steep, rocky canyons along Grape Creek and Hardscrabble Creek drainages, to rolling foothills and open parks in the middle elevations, to relatively flat valley floors east of the range and near the DeWeese Reservoir basin. Approximately 80% of public land has slopes of 32 degrees or less, making most terrain huntable on foot without extreme technical demands. The unit spans about 292 square miles (186,737 acres) total. Median elevation is approximately 7,805 feet.

Unit 69 is bounded on the north by US Highway 50 (Canon City corridor), on the east by Colorado Highway 67, on the south by Colorado Highway 96, and on the west by Colorado Highway 69, Grape Creek, and the Arkansas River. The primary access arteries are State Highway 165 (from Rye north through the unit) and State Highway 96 (Westcliffe corridor) — together forming the Frontier Pathways National Scenic Byway, designated in 1998. These connect to a network of maintained gravel roads and primitive 4WD tracks throughout the San Isabel National Forest's Wet Mountains section (road density ~1.8 miles per square mile). The Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron-Comanche National Grasslands Supervisor's Office (Pueblo, CO, 719-553-1400) administers the NF land. BLM land is concentrated near lower elevations. State Trust lands open to hunting include the West Bear Gulch, Bear Gulch, Florence, Newlin Creek, and Grape Creek parcels. DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area (SWA), east of Westcliffe, provides significant open public land for pronghorn and deer. Lodging bases include Canon City, Florence, Westcliffe, and Lincoln Park. Approximately 35–38% of the unit is public land (USFS ~26%, BLM ~7%, State ~3%, Wilderness ~2%); the remainder (~62–65%) is private, particularly in the lower-elevation valley floors and foothill grasslands. No major designated Wilderness areas are present, though some roadless portions of the San Isabel NF exist within the unit. Seasonal motorized vehicle restrictions apply within the NF; hunters should verify current Travel Management Orders before scouting.

Vegetation strongly tracks elevation. The lowest western tiers (5,100–6,500 ft) along the Arkansas River and Grape Creek hold sagebrush, juniper-pinyon, and native grassland, much of it privately owned. From roughly 6,500–8,500 feet — the primary hunting band — ponderosa pine and oakbrush dominate south-facing slopes, with ponderosa-Gambel oak transitioning into mixed-conifer forest on north aspects. Spruce-fir forest with scattered aspen groves takes over above 8,500 feet on the higher Wet Mountain ridges and in the San Isabel National Forest core. The unit's land cover is approximately 45% evergreen forest, 27% grassland, 20% shrub/scrub (including oakbrush and sage), and 2% deciduous forest. Riparian corridors along Grape Creek, Hardscrabble Creek, Newlin Creek, South Oak Creek, and Willow Creek provide dense cover and reliable water. DeWeese Reservoir and adjacent wet meadows create open pronghorn habitat on the east side of the range.

Elk occupy the forested middle third of the unit (primarily San Isabel NF) during archery season, retreating to lower ponderosa-oakbrush slopes as hunting pressure and cold weather increase in October-November; the rut peaks in mid-September. Mule deer are found throughout the unit with slightly higher densities on the west end; summer concentrations occur at higher elevations in the NF and deer migrate down to lower-elevation shrub/grassland as winter approaches. White-tailed deer occupy riparian corridors, particularly along Grape Creek and the Arkansas River bottoms. Pronghorn occupy the valley floors, open grasslands, and the DeWeese Reservoir/SWA basin on the eastern side of the unit; the rut runs early September through mid-October. Moose are present in the unit at low density, likely tied to willow riparian drainages. Black bear are distributed through the oakbrush and mixed-conifer zones, most active in late summer-fall during hyperphagia. Mountain lion inhabit the unit and follow mule deer distribution year-round. Wild turkey are also present. 2022 CPW/HuntScore data recorded 1,459 total hunters with 634 harvested animals and a 30.3% average success rate across all species.