Quick Tips
- Fly fishing in Little Snake River east of Baggs, Wyoming
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Mule Deer | 140"-160" | 170"+ |
| Elk | 280"-320" | 320"+ |
| Antelope | 70"-80" | 80"+ |
On The Ground
Unit 3 is not known for top-shelf trophy elk hunting, though it produces good numbers of five and six-point bulls every year along with trophy-class antelope and decent mule deer. Bordering Wyoming and northwest of Craig, it mainly consists of hills and breaks.
Hunters take several bull elk, with a few bigger bulls are taken every year. There is a lot of heavy hunting pressure during the second and third rifle seasons and locating mature animals can be tough.
Terrain
Landscape consists of arid hills, numerous buttes, dry gullies with intermittent creeks, stark basins, rimmed plateaus, mountain peaks, long draws, and the Little Snake and Yampa Rivers.
Roughly 846 square miles
54.1% public land
Elevations from 6,000-7,524 feet
Vegetation
Pinyon/juniper, cottonwoods and willows provide some shade. Sagebrush, bitterbrush and short grasses can be found in most areas here. Irrigated hay fields can be found along the Little Snake and Yampa Rivers.
Access
U.S. Highway 40 and Colorado Route 318 run along the southern border intersecting with County Road 21 which heads north along the Little Snake River creating the western boundary. County Road 19 heads north out of Maybell through the middle of the unit until it connects with Road 21. Wet weather turns dirt roads into deeply rutted, slippery mud trails that are almost impassable even by four-wheel-drive trucks with tire chains. ATVs are handy on primitive roads.
Much of the best habitat is private land, where ranchers and outfitters offer guided hunting trips. Five properties are enrolled in the state’s Ranching for Wildlife program. Private land prevents access to several public tracts. Some state lands known as the Raftopoulos Hunting Lease are controlled by a rancher/outfitter. The following state lands are open to public hunting. Locations, directions and restrictions are listed in Colorado State Recreation Lands and Colorado State Trust Lands.
Pole Gulch, 10,900 acres
Little Snake, 4,860 acres
Bald Mountain, 2,020 acres in four tracts
Godiva Rim, Great Divide and Simsbury Draw, 640 acres each
Greasewood, 3,500 acres in six parcels
Maybell, 9,400 acres that border alfalfa fields
South Nipple Rim, 640 acres in Unit 3 with more land in Unit 2
Camping and Lodging
Camping is allowed on most BLM lands during big game hunting seasons. Motels are available in Craig, which is about 30 miles east of the unit, and Baggs, Wyoming, which is a mile north. The closest hospital is in Craig. Both towns have gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants.
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