Unit 89, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling shortgrass plains with scattered rolling juniper breaks and shallow canyons; elevation ranges from approximately 3,974 feet to 4,980 feet above sea level. The topography is largely open and allows long-range visibility. Total unit area is approximately 774 square miles (about 495,000 acres).

Primary boundary highways: Colorado 71 (west edge), Colorado 14 (south edge), US 138 and Colorado 113 (east edge); the north boundary is the Colorado-Nebraska state line. The unit is approximately 89% private land. Public acres include scattered Pawnee National Grassland (USFS) parcels managed by the Pawnee National Grassland Ranger District, whose office is in Ault, CO — administered in conjunction with the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest (supervisor's office in Fort Collins). State trust land parcels (approximately 7% of unit) are largely leased for agriculture; a valid Colorado hunting or fishing license is required to access state trust land. The Central Plains Experimental Range (14,000+ acres of USDA-ARS land) is closed to all hunting. Off-highway vehicles no wider than 50 inches are permitted only on designated roads November 1 through April 9. No designated trailheads exist; access to public parcels is via county road systems. Public land parcels are not contiguous — a GPS-enabled map (e.g., onX Hunt) and pre-hunt landowner permission efforts are essential. Nearest service towns: Ault (~20 mi west of some parcels), Greeley (~50 mi southwest), Fort Morgan (~45 mi south), Brush, and Sterling (Logan County seat).

Dominant cover types include short-grass and mid-grass prairie (blue grama, buffalo grass), dry cropland, irrigated cropland, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands, and rolling juniper breaks with canyon draws. Arroyos and drainage corridors provide the primary woody cover. North-facing escarpments near the Pawnee Buttes area support limited scarp woodlands with ponderosa pine and limber pine.

Pronghorn antelope are the premier big game species, using open prairie and CRP fields year-round with relatively limited seasonal migration given the flat terrain. Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are present; white-tailed deer concentrate in riparian draws and CRP cover, while mule deer favor the drier breaks and juniper canyons. Elk are listed as huntable but are uncommon given the open plains character — no established resident herd is documented. Wild turkey, coyotes, prairie dogs, golden eagles, and prairie falcons are common. Black bear and mountain lion are listed as potentially present but are not primary targets given the limited woody cover. Pronghorn rut occurs in September; deer rut peaks late October through December. Landowners are reportedly more receptive to pronghorn hunting access requests than deer hunting access.