Unit 135 sits in southern Las Animas County country south of Trinidad along the New Mexico border—the eastern slopes of the Culebra Range and the foothill country reaching toward the Vermejo. Elevations climb from about 6,000 feet on the lower benches to 9,000 feet on the higher PJ-and-conifer ridges. The terrain is layered: PJ-and-juniper on the lower reaches, Gambel oakbrush and mountain mahogany in the mid-slopes, and ponderosa pine with scattered Douglas fir and aspen on the higher north-facing aspects. Reilly Canyon, Trinchera Creek, and the Picketwire headwaters cut drainages through the unit with cottonwood-aspen riparian corridors. The country has the feel of the Sangre de Cristo eastern slope—broken, dramatic, and underhunted compared to the more famous Colorado units to the north. Mule deer are the dominant species and grow real here; elk numbers are climbing as the Vermejo herd expands; black bear and turkey round out the bag. The unit is dominated by enormous private ranches—the Vermejo's northern fringe (closed to public access), Tercio, the Stonewall, and other large legacy holdings have most of the prime country locked up. San Isabel National Forest covers slivers of the higher ridges; BLM is patchy. Public DIY hunters work the limited NF, scattered BLM, state trust sections, and Walk-In Access enrollments. CO-12 (Highway of Legends) runs west out of Trinidad through Cokedale and Stonewall, and US-160 cuts west toward La Veta. Trinidad has full services—gas, motels, processors, hospital. Cell service is reliable on the highway corridors and disappears past the last gas pump. The dirt roads turn to a red gumbo paste when wet that will pin a 4WD fast.