A premier destination for elk and mule deer hunters, the western half of the Uncompahgre Plateau comprises most of this unit, which runs about 70 miles from Gateway near the Utah line all the way to Placerville. Hunters need many preference points to draw elk or mule deer tags.

This unit consistently yields big elk and mule deer. Hunter success is good even though hunters must deal with dense cover and few hike more than a mile from roads. The muzzleloader elk season offers a good chance to take a trophy class bull.

This unit consists of the western half of the Uncompahgre Plateau and the canyons and lowlands between the brim and the San Miguel River. The plateau is a flat-top mountain range that ranges is mostly between 8,300-9,200 feet above sea level and stretches about 90 miles from the northwest to the southeast. A handful of high points are more than 9,300 feet in elevation, including Spruce Mountain at 9,731 feet and Uncompahgre Butte at 9,679 feet. Divide Road leads to many canyons and benches. Most of the plateau itself is in the Uncompahgre National Forest, while most of the canyons and lowlands to the west are managed by the BLM.

Low elevations have sagebrush, oak brush, thick pinyon pine forests and junipers along with cottonwoods and willows in creek bottoms. Foothills are covered with cedars, grasses, dense oak brush and sagebrush. Higher elevations host expansive stands of aspen, spruce and pine. Lush open meadows complete the dense forest mosaic.

Divide Road provides excellent access on the plateau with many roads branching to ridges and canyons. Some of those roads can be impassable after torrential rains or heavy snowstorms. Have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and carry chains and extra tires. From the valleys below, access is limited in many places by private land. Carry a GPS with a land ownership overlay and learn where you can hike around ranches to reach lightly hunted public canyons. Roads serving Unit 61:

BLM and National Forest lands are open to camping. Grand Junction, Delta, Montrose, Ridgway, Norwood, Nucla and Naturita have motels, restaurants, banks, medical facilities and service stations. Regional airports are at Grand Junction and Montrose.

Forest Service campgrounds: