Unit 138

Navigation relies on the established road grid and the shallow drainages that define the landscape's subtle geography. Maverick Creek and Snake Arroyo form the primary drainage corridors, offering both water potential and travel routes across otherwise featureless country. Plum Creek and Cat Creek provide additional orienteering features and occasional water sources.

The named communities of Frick, Deora, and Graft serve as reference points more than hunting destinations. Road markers and section lines become essential navigation tools on terrain where topographic features offer little contrast.

The unit sits entirely below 5,000 feet, spanning a narrow 600-foot elevation band from 4,265 to 4,902 feet across low, open grassland. Habitat is predominantly native prairie with minimal forest cover—scattered cottonwoods line the shallow creek drainages, but most country is short-grass plains exposed to sky and wind. This is classic high plains terrain where far-reaching vistas dominate and trees are novelties rather than features.

The sparse tree cover concentrates game movement along the watercourse corridors, making drainage systems tactically important despite their modest size.

Fair access via secondary roads gives hunters reasonable entry options without major barriers, though road density is moderate rather than generous. Most land is private, limiting where you can legally hunt; public access is genuinely limited, making permission and leases necessary for most hunters. This straightforward terrain attracts steady pressure during rifle season, with most pressure concentrated along the creek bottoms and accessible road corridors.

The lack of natural barriers or rugged terrain means hunters can cover country quickly by vehicle, potentially creating crowding on limited public or accessible private ground.

Unit 138 occupies Baca County's southeast corner, bounded by county lines to the north, U.S. 287 along the east, U.S. 160 along the south, and the Pritchett-Las Animas improved road on the west. This modest-sized GMU sits in Colorado's lower plains region, well removed from mountain terrain. Small communities like Frick and Deora mark the edges of the unit, providing minimal staging infrastructure.

The geography here is defined by working ranch country with a patchwork of private holdings rather than large public acreage.

Water is the limiting factor across this GMU. Maverick Creek, Snake Arroyo, Plum Creek, and Cat Creek are the only reliable water sources, and most run seasonally or intermittently depending on recent precipitation and snowmelt. Arroyo-fed water may disappear by mid-hunting season, concentrating game around the more persistent creeks during early fall. Hunters should verify water status before committing to specific areas and plan camping logistics accordingly.

The scarcity of perennial water makes drainage selection critical for both access and game location strategy.

Mule deer and white-tailed deer are the primary draw here, along with pronghorn that range across the open grassland and occasional elk that drift down from higher country. The sparse tree cover and rolling topography favor glassing and stalking—position yourself with good sightlines over the prairie and work the drainage bottoms where deer concentrate for water and vegetation. Early morning and evening produce the best activity on this exposed country.

Moose and mountain lion inhabit the unit but represent incidental opportunities. Success depends on reading the land, working water sources, and managing private-land access rather than navigating complex terrain.