Unit 98

Key reference points include Deering Lake and several reservoirs—Lake Yuma, Stalker Lake, Wendell Goff, and Frenchman Creek—which serve as both water sources and navigation landmarks in relatively featureless terrain. Antelope Gap provides a minor topographic break worth knowing. Named drainages like Red Willow Creek, Rock Creek, and Holy Joe Creek flow eastward and offer travel corridors and concentrated wildlife habitat during dry periods.

Low summits including Old Baldy and Fiddler Peak provide modest elevation gain for glassing across the plains. Laird Canal marks another landmark useful for route planning.

The terrain stays firmly in the lower elevation band, ranging from about 3,350 to 4,560 feet across mostly flat to gently rolling prairie landscape. Dominant habitat is short-grass prairie interspersed with agricultural land and scattered patches of yucca and low brush. Timber is sparse overall, concentrated mainly in creek bottoms and around scattered ranch windbreaks where cottonwoods and willows follow water sources.

The landscape opens dramatically with few visual obstructions—typical High Plains country where distance and exposed skyline define the hunting experience. Vegetation transitions are gradual rather than dramatic.

The unit boasts an extensive road network with over 3,200 miles of total roads providing connected access throughout the area. Most roads are secondary ranch roads and county roads rather than major highways, meaning they stay well-maintained but not heavily traveled. Nearby towns offer camping and supply options with reasonable proximity to the hunting area.

Road access reduces the physical barrier to entry, though the vast acreage and low population density mean the country doesn't feel crowded. Hunters unfamiliar with ranch country should respect access protocols and obtain permission where required.

Unit 98 encompasses portions of Logan, Phillips, Yuma, and Washington counties in Colorado's northeast corner, bounded by Colorado 6 to the north, Nebraska to the east, U.S. 34 to the south, and Colorado 61 to the west. The unit straddles the state line where the High Plains plateau breaks eastward into lower elevations approaching the Nebraska border. This is working ranch country mixed with public grasslands and prairie breaks, characterized by expansive openness rather than mountainous terrain.

Towns like Yuma, Holyoke, and Robb serve as reference points for orientation and logistics.

Water is the limiting factor in this unit. Reservoirs—particularly Lake Yuma, Stalker Lake, and Wendell Goff Reservoir—serve as reliable pools during hunting season and concentrate animals in their vicinity. Permanent streams are limited; most creek drainages (Red Willow, Rock, Holy Joe, Surveyor) run seasonal or intermittent.

Spring and fall water availability in these creeks heavily influences where pronghorn and deer concentrate. Understanding which tanks and reservoirs hold water through the season is critical to hunting strategy. Dry periods can push game toward the few reliable water sources.

Unit 98 supports mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, and occasional elk in broken terrain along creek drainages. Early season favors glassing broad prairie expanses from elevated positions like Old Baldy or ridgelines overlooking creek bottoms where deer concentrate. Pronghorn respond well to long-range glassing and stalking across open country; focus on areas where they stage near water tanks.

As seasons progress, shift emphasis to creek drainages and reservoir margins where vegetation thickens and animals find cooler holding cover. White-tailed deer inhabit the timbered creek bottoms year-round. Water location is tactical—hunt within reasonable distance of reliable tanks and reservoirs, especially during dry periods when game must water daily.