Bordering three sides of Valles Caldera National Preserve, Unit 6C is mostly in the Santa Fe National Forest, west of Espanola and northwest of Santa Fe. Hunters can take good numbers of elk and mule deer.

Though this unit is partly wrapped around one of the best public trophy elk hunting areas in the West, it is not known for producing big bulls. This is partly due to the fact that the mature bulls go to the preserve when hunting pressure starts to pick up. Also, tag numbers are high for the amount of elk in the unit. Most bulls taken on public land are small to medium-size branched-antler animals, so hunting on private land can allow hunters to take bigger animals. Rifle bull hunts are after the rut and hunter success is low.

Part of the Jemez Mountains complex, this unit has a lot of steep, rocky canyons that are heavily wooded and between 6,500 and 8,500 feet above sea level. Higher ridges and mountains border the upper end of the Bandelier National Monument, which was established to protect Indian antiquities and the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Moderately steep foothills comprise most land below 6,500 in elevation. Espanola, with a population of about 10,000 is on the eastern edge and Santa Fe with a population of about 150,000.

Well-spaced junipers and pinyon pines cover most of the land below 6,500 feet. Above that cover is mostly a dense mixture of pinyons, junipers and ponderosa pines with aspens and many other kinds of conifers growing at higher elevations, including limber pine, Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, blue spruce and white fir. Oak brush provides feed and cover at middle to low elevations. There was a wild fire in this unit a few years ago that burned a significant amount of pine south of Highway 4 and west of Bandelier National Monument. Regrowth has been thriving which means that the forest floor is thick with grass and saplings while offering good visibility through the timber.

A network of primitive roads provide access to many ridges and canyons and can be reached from Unit 6A to the west, US Highway 84 in the east, Interstate 25 in the south and interior State Routes 30, 4, 501 and 599. A land ownership map of this unit is a patchwork quilt of colors that signify various ownership status and includes parts of several Indian reservations, Bandelier and Kasha-Katuwe national monuments, Los Alamos National Laboratory, large tracts of the Santa Fe National Forest, including Dome Wilderness, recreation areas, and BLM and state land. Reaching the northernmost portion of the unit can be time consuming as forest service roads are the only means of reaching the northwest quadrant above the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The western border of the unit runs right up to tribal land, so be sure you know where you are to avoid trespassing.

Most hunters camp by the sides of roads, which is allowed on BLM land and in much of the Santa Fe National Forest. Motels can be found in Espanola, Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Abiquiu. A campground can be found at the Pajarito ski area on the border of Units 6A and 6C.