This unit is home to some of America’s most stunning landscapes and to a healthy herd of mule deer that occasionally reach trophy class. Due west of Monticello, the Abajo Mountains tower over foothills, bean fields and desert lowlands that are 4,000 to more than 6,500 feet below.

Some of the desert terrain hardly gets hunted with very few hunters leaving the roads.

From the highest point, 11,368-foot Abajo Peak, to the desert floor 5,000 or more feet below, this unit is scenic. Several deer are found in steep, forested mountains at elevations of 8,000 feet or more until mid-October, when most of them drop to the foothills between 6,500 and 8,000 feet. There are always a few deer in the desert and several animals near crop fields in the valleys below.

Low-elevation land is mostly bare soil, rocks, and sand with intermittent desert scrubs along with thousands of acres of crop fields, mostly alfalfa, and beans. Middle elevations are mostly foothills and mesas covered with pinyon, juniper, and Gambel oak with grassy and sagebrush ridges between rugged canyons and draws. At the high elevations are aspen, fir, and spruce trees with grassy meadows and some high ridges with low bushes.

Most of the valleys and foothills that form the unit boundaries are private, but the mountains are largely public with good public access.

Most hunters camp along dirt roads in the foothills or near high-elevation lakes that provide excellent fishing for pan-size trout. Motels and RV parks are in Monticello and Blanding, which are both close enough that a hunter could stay in town and still hunt at prime times. Campgrounds and lodging include: