If you drew Unit 2 you're hunting the broken country between Chama and Tierra Amarilla—hogbacks, rimrock canyons, and sage-covered mesas running from about 6,400 feet up to 9,000. The low stuff is pinon-juniper and desert grass; climb a north-facing ridge and you'll find ponderosa and even some mixed conifer. The Rio Chama cuts through the western half and gives the elk reliable water, which means you can pattern them around it. Land ownership is a quilt of BLM, state trust, and private ranches, with a sliver of Carson NF up north. US 84 and US 64 are your lifelines, and the network of county and forest roads off those highways is suprisingly good for getting between glassing points. This is not a gut-buster unit. Most of the hunting is glassing from ridgetops and then side-hilling into position—your knees will thank you compared to the Pecos. Cell service dies the moment you leave the Chama or Tierra Amarilla corridor, so don't plan on texting your wife a grip-and-grin from camp. September days can hit the mid-60s and feel like summer, then a hard frost rolls through overnight and by morning your water bottles are frozen solid. Carry tire chains if you're headed down any backcountry road after October 1st, because when it rains here the clay turns into something between peanut butter and axle grease. The Chama area — mostly private ranch land with very limited public access. If you draw Unit 2, understand that finding huntable public ground is your biggest challenge, not finding elk. The Jicarilla Apache Reservation runs its own hunting program with 95% success rates on cow elk ($500) and bull elk ($5,000) — a completely separate program from the state draw. The Lodge at Chama offers private ranch hunts at $7,100-$10,000 for five-day packages with 95% success. Public land hunters need to study the ownership maps carefully and be prepared to work hard for access. US 84 is the main corridor.