This unit is well-known among trophy mule deer hunters and is about 25 miles west of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation. It borders Colorado, the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, the Navajo Nation and the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The state also issues tags for hunting elk, and antelope

Hunters have taken some bigger bucks from here in the past, but antelope, deer and elk are scattered and hard to find now. The best hunting opportunities can typically be found on private land. Hunters who hike miles through rough, public terrain and glass at a long range can take mature bucks.

Land varies from barren desert flatlands from 5,050-5,500 feet above sea level to low hills and some low mountains that are usually less than 6,500 feet in elevation. The high peaks are between 6,500 and 7,215 feet. Many alfalfa and hay fields are along the San Juan, Animas and Los Pinos rivers, providing food and water for game. Major oil fields underlie this unit with hundreds of pump jacks and oil wells scattered like ant hills in these desert foothills.

Much of the low terrain is exposed dirt, rock, gravel and sand. Grasses grow thinly in dry years and more densely in wet years. River bottoms contain cottonwood trees, tamarisk, willows and some marshy areas. Many farm fields are along rivers. Junipers and pinyon pines are scattered in lowlands and grow thick at higher altitudes. Oak brush and other browse plants including sagebrush mainly grow at middle and high elevations.

Good gravel and dirt roads provide access to most areas. Truck traffic is heavy. To avoid a collision at a blind corner or over a hump, attach a fluorescent orange warning flag on a long pole to your truck’s front bumper. The flag makes you visible at a longer distance to oncoming drivers. Rattlesnake Canyon is closed to hunting. Not all Indian reservation boundaries or private land boundaries are well-marked, so carry good maps and a GPS unit to keep track of where you are.

In mild weather many hunters park a trailer, camp or RV along the side of a dirt road. In cold weather hunters often stay in motels in Farmington, Aztec or Bloomfield. Navajo Lake State Park on the eastern edge has developed campsites, some with electricity.