Unit 117

The Smoky Hill River and its North Fork form the primary navigation feature, running east-west through the unit and providing reliable water year-round. Little Beaver Creek, Turtle Creek, Big Timber Creek, Sand Creek, and Willow Creek create a network of smaller drainages that break up the prairie monotony. C H Parks Reservoir offers a known landmark and occasional water.

Old Wells and Arapahoe are the only populated reference points in this sparse country. These features are essential for orientation in landscape that otherwise offers few visual anchors—hunters should rely heavily on creeks as travel corridors and navigation guides.

All terrain sits between 3,800 and 4,400 feet—consistently low-elevation shortgrass prairie with no meaningful vertical relief. The dominant landscape is open grassland broken by creek bottoms where cottonwoods and willows establish themselves. Timber is sparse and scattered, appearing primarily in riparian zones along the Smoky Hill River system and tributary creeks.

This is not forested country—visibility is extensive across the prairie, though creek corridors provide concealment and structure. The habitat transitions are subtle here; what changes you'll find follow water rather than elevation.

Over 675 miles of road provide extensive access throughout the unit, though exact density is unclear given the missing area calculation. The road network is well-developed by plains standards, connecting to major highways on all sides. This accessibility cuts both ways: easy entry for hunters but also predictable pressure along main drainages and near known water.

Most hunting will concentrate on creek bottoms and near the reservoir. The truly flat terrain and road density mean there's limited terrain to hide in—success depends on glassing skills and understanding where animals move in open country rather than finding unpressured ground.

Unit 117 occupies the northeastern corner of Colorado across Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties, hemmed in by major routes: I-70 to the north, US 40 to the south, US 385 on the west, and the Kansas border on the east. This placement makes it a gateway unit between the Front Range and the plains. The unit sits entirely below 4,500 feet in true high plains topography—no mountains, no significant elevation change.

Adjacent to this unit are other eastern plains GMUs and the Colorado-Kansas border region, making orientation straightforward for hunters accustomed to plains navigation.

Water defines hunting opportunity here. The Smoky Hill River runs north-south through the unit, providing reliable water and riparian cover that concentrates wildlife. Sand Creek, Little Beaver Creek, and several other tributaries drain the unit, creating corridor systems where animals move and rest.

Willow Creek and Turtle Creek add to the drainage network. C H Parks Reservoir provides supplemental water. Outside these creek systems, water is scarce—the surrounding prairie offers little seasonal moisture.

Smart hunters key on these drainages; they're not just water sources but movement corridors and habitat structure in otherwise uniform grassland.

Unit 117 holds elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, moose, bear, and mountain lion according to the species list, though pronghorn and mule deer are the most abundant in this prairie setting. Elk concentrate in creek bottoms and riparian cover, especially the Smoky Hill River drainage—early season hunts can intercept animals moving between grassland and timber. Mule deer and white-tailed deer use creek corridors heavily; hunt the transitions between prairie and willows at dawn and dusk.

Pronghorn use open grassland extensively but come to water; plan long-range glassing of prairie with creek approaches for closer opportunities. Bear and mountain lion are incidental—focus your strategy on the creek systems that provide structure and water in otherwise open country. The low terrain complexity means success depends on field craft and understanding animal behavior rather than navigating complex terrain.