Unit 99, Colorado

Flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie with elevation ranging from approximately 4,300 to 5,500 feet (GoHunt reports 4,300–5,500 ft; HuntScore places the range at 4,349–5,383 ft). Terrain features include dry washes, sand hills, steep gullies along creek drainages, natural springs, and small stock reservoirs. Several creek corridors — Bijou Creek, Muddy Creek, Kiowa Creek, and Comanche Creek — provide the main linear habitat features. There is no significant topographic relief; slopes across the majority of the unit are minimal.

Public land is extremely limited — approximately 5–6% of the unit's total area. The two main publicly accessible parcels are: (1) Banner Lakes State Wildlife Area (934 acres, Weld County) — located approximately 4 miles east of Hudson on CO Highway 52; foot-access only through designated parking areas; closed north of Hwy 52 April 1–July 15; open for dove, waterfowl, and rabbit hunting; a valid hunting/fishing license or SWA pass is required for visitors 16 and older. (2) South Roggen State Trust Land (1,880 acres, Weld County) — accessed from the Roggen exit (Exit 48) on I-76, south on County Road 73 approximately 3.5 miles to CR 18, then east 2 miles to CR 77, north 1 mile to marked parking on the east side; open September 1 through end of February; hunting for coyote, deer, pronghorn, and rabbit; a valid hunting or fishing license is required for visitors 16 and older. The unit boundary is defined roughly by I-76 on the north, County Highway 71 on the east, US Highway 36 on the south, and County Highways 79 and 144th Ave on the west. Primary travel routes are I-76, I-70, US Highway 36, and Colorado Routes 52, 71, and 79. There is no National Forest, BLM, or wilderness within the unit. The overwhelming majority of productive hunting habitat lies on private land; landowner permission is essential and should be secured well in advance.

Shortgrass prairie (buffalo grass, blue grama) makes up roughly 10–15% of the unit's area. The dominant land cover is agricultural: center-pivot irrigated fields of alfalfa, corn, and sunflowers near Fort Morgan, Brush, and Keenesburg; dry-land wheat with native grass margins elsewhere. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) parcels scattered through the unit provide critical grass and forb cover for deer and pronghorn. Riparian corridors along the creeks support cottonwood, willow, and Russian olive. Sagebrush and bitterbrush are present in limited patches in the northern and western portions of the unit.

Mule deer are the primary big game species, found at highest densities in irrigated cropland settings and large CRP complexes. White-tailed deer also occur, concentrated in riparian corridors and agricultural edges; the agricultural setting can produce large-bodied bucks. Both species rut from late October through late December. Pronghorn are present in the shortgrass prairie and open ag areas, though buck numbers are limited relative to mule deer opportunity. Elk are documented as extremely rare in this unit — sightings are incidental, not a target species. Black bear and mountain lion are listed in CPW's species inventory for the unit but are very uncommon on the open eastern plains. Turkey are present in riparian corridors. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been reported in deer within the unit (per HuntScore unit page); hunters should verify current CPW CWD zone status and follow applicable testing guidelines before consuming harvested deer.

Tag quotas, per-unit hunter success rates, and reported harvest numbers for GMU 99 deer and pronghorn are not publicly surfaced in accessible CPW draw recap or harvest PDFs. The 5–6% public land figure is sourced from GoHunt/HuntScore. Plains deer rifle season date (Oct 25–Nov 4) is confirmed from 2025 eRegulations; a separate December late rifle season could not be verified from accessible sources and has been removed pending confirmation in the CPW Big Game Brochure. Pronghorn 2025 season dates confirmed from eRegulations (archery Aug 15–Sept 20, muzzleloader Sept 21–29, rifle Oct 4–12). Banner Lakes permitted hunting species confirmed as dove, waterfowl, and rabbit (prairie dog removed — not listed on CPW SWA page). CWD confirmation sourced from HuntScore unit page; hunters should verify current CPW CWD zone status. 2026 exact season dates should be confirmed in the current CPW Big Game Brochure as dates shift annually.