Unit 711, Colorado

Elevation ranges from approximately 5,000 feet in the Dolores River canyon bottom to roughly 9,000 feet on mesa tops; GoHunt cites a commonly hunted spread of 6,771–8,770 feet across most of the unit. The landscape features broad mesa tops, steep canyon-wall breaks, rolling hills, and creek drainages (Disappointment Creek and Summit Canyon Creek) descending toward the Dolores River and Disappointment Valley. Slopes are generally moderate on most public land, but canyon rims and drainage walls can be deeply incised. Beetle-kill timber adds significant deadfall in forested sections, making off-trail travel and game retrieval difficult.

Unit boundaries: north — Summit Canyon Creek, Dolores River, and Disappointment Creek; east — USFS Road 526 (Dolores–Norwood Road) and CO-145; south — CO-184; west — US Highway 491 and the Utah state line. US-491 runs the western edge; CO-145 and CO-184 bracket the eastern and southern sides. From Dove Creek, CO-141 heads north into Disappointment Valley; County Road 19Q (USFS Road 250) branches off CO-141 and provides access into Disappointment Valley and McKinney Draw on BLM land (CPW notes 10.5 additional miles on CR 19Q to reach the Disappointment Valley State Trust Land parcel). A network of county roads and Forest Service roads penetrate the mesa tops, transitioning to primitive 4WD/ATV tracks in the backcountry. ATV game retrieval is permitted within one mile of open system roads on the Dolores Ranger District during archery, muzzleloader, and rifle seasons per district game retrieval map. Public land managers: San Juan National Forest Dolores Ranger District (597,373 total district acres across three counties; GMU 711 subset unquantified) and BLM Tres Rios Field Office — offices co-located at 29211 Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323; Dolores Ranger District: (970) 882-7296; BLM Tres Rios: (970) 882-1120. Lone Mesa State Park (11,618 acres, CPW-confirmed) is within the unit; hunting requires a special-use permit drawn annually — the 2026 application period runs May 26 through June 25, draw held June 26 (CPW confirmed). Disappointment Valley State Trust Land (320 acres, CPW-confirmed; GMUs 70 and 711) requires a valid hunting or fishing license for anyone 16+ and is open September 1 through end of February. The western flank along US-491 includes irrigated fields and private lands. No designated Wilderness areas appear in GMU 711 proper. BLM Tres Rios Cortez-area seasonal closures (CPW-confirmed): Summit Ridge, Aqueduct, and Chutes and Ladders close December 1–April 30 for elk and mule deer critical winter range protection.

Lower elevations and valley floors carry sagebrush flats, pinyon-juniper woodland, and Gambel oak shrubland, transitioning at mid-elevation to ponderosa pine and mixed oak. Mesa tops above roughly 8,000 feet support aspen parks, Douglas fir, and spruce-fir forest with open grassy meadows. Riparian corridors along Disappointment Creek and the Dolores River hold cottonwood and willow. Lone Mesa State Park (11,618 acres, 7,200–9,000 ft, 23 miles north of Dolores) transitions from open sagebrush shrubland in the south through rolling Gambel oak and ponderosa pine at mid-elevation (7,500–8,500 ft) to large-diameter aspen and Douglas fir stringers at upper elevations — CPW-confirmed habitat description. Land cover is approximately 41% evergreen forest, 27% shrub-scrub, and 17% deciduous forest (third-party aggregator estimate).

Elk are the primary big game; both resident and migratory animals use the unit. Elk concentrate at higher mesa elevations during early archery season and move to lower pinyon-juniper and oakbrush winter range as cold weather arrives — south and west portions serve as important winter range. Mule deer populations are substantial (combined GMU 70/71/711 estimate over 22,000 — third-party aggregator, low confidence). Early-season bucks occupy quaking aspen thickets at upper elevations; late-season movement concentrates bucks along ridges above Disappointment Creek. Black bear are present throughout forested mid-elevations. Pronghorn occupy lower-elevation sagebrush and grassland areas in the western portion. Moose are present in small numbers and are a huntable species. Mountain lion range the unit following mule deer. Wild turkey are huntable at Lone Mesa State Park with a spring OTC tag (CPW confirmed). No bighorn sheep or mountain goat records located for this unit.

1. Per-species tag quota, harvest count, and official success rate data for GMU 711 were not retrievable from public sources. CPW harvest PDFs were too large to parse; HuntScore/GoHunt detailed stats require account login. All numeric success figures (mule deer) are low-confidence forum-sourced estimates. 2. 2026 dates reflect the 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure. 4th rifle corrected to Nov 18-22 (CPW Lone Mesa permit page and GoHunt 2026 source); draft had Nov 19-23. 3. OTC elk status: 2nd and 3rd rifle bull remain OTC for residents and nonresidents; nonresident archery moved to draw-only west of I-25 starting 2025 (confirmed GoHunt). Verify in current CPW brochure hunt code tables. 4. USFS acreage within GMU 711 (188,600 acres) is an unverified subset estimate from a third-party aggregator — the Dolores Ranger District total is 597,373 acres across three counties. 5. Public land pct (62%) from HuntScore aggregator; breakdown ~36% USFS, 23% BLM, 1% State, 2% NPS. 6. Disappointment Valley State Trust Land confirmed 320 acres, GMUs 70 and 711, open Sept 1–end of February, valid hunting/fishing license required for age 16+ (CPW confirmed).