Unit 31

Roberts Mountain and Crowheart Butte anchor the landscape for navigation and glassing. Windy Ridge, Dinwoody Ridge, and Antelope Ridge provide elevated vantage points across the basins. Lake Kagevah and Upper Dinwoody Lake mark reliable water in upper drainages.

Boysen Reservoir dominates the southern complex. Key passes—Kagevah, Photo, Tepee, and Windy Gap—break the terrain and can funnel wildlife movement. The extensive canal network (Dry Creek, Miller Red Creek, Meadow Creek, and others) creates linear features visible on maps but often represents private agricultural infrastructure.

Terrain transitions from low desert valleys around 4,600 feet through rolling sagebrush benchland to scattered mountain ranges topping out near 12,800 feet. Sparse timber characterizes higher elevations; most country is open sagebrush, grassland, and badlands. The Owl Creek Mountains and smaller ranges like the Edmo Buttes provide pockets of forest, but vast stretches remain treeless high-desert.

Elevation bands are minimal—the median sits just under 6,000 feet, indicating this is fundamentally basin and foothill country with isolated peaks rather than sustained high terrain.

Over 1,000 miles of roads exist within the unit, but most connect ranch infrastructure, irrigation projects, and private lands. Actual public access points are severely limited by tribal boundaries and private ownership—reflected in the 'Few' public land badge. Terrain complexity of 9.5/10 compounds access difficulty; low road density relative to vast area means spotty, hard-to-navigate hunting ground.

Most accessible pressure concentrates near Boysen Reservoir and valley roads; the rough interior basins see less traffic but are harder to reach and hunt effectively. Self-reliance and detailed local knowledge are essential.

Unit 31 encompasses non-Indian owned fee lands within the Wind River Reservation boundaries in Fremont County, plus BOR Riverton and Boysen Unit lands and portions of Boysen State Park. The unit sprawls across multiple desert basins—Sage Creek, Red, Crow Creek, Antelope, and Paradise Basins—creating a fragmented landscape. Kinnear, Arapahoe, Crowheart, and Fort Washakie serve as reference points.

The Owl Creek Mountains and Sand Hills provide topographic relief in an otherwise open country. Boysen Reservoir anchors the southern portion, while irrigation canals and ranches dominate valley floors.

Bull Lake Creek, Wolf Creek, and Shoshone Creek drain the higher terrain with moderate reliability. Paradise Creek, Bob Creek, and Saint Lawrence Creek flow through middle elevations. Springs scattered across the unit—Wild Horse, Indian Trails, Charcoal, Cold Springs, Black Rock, and Tar Springs—provide critical water in otherwise arid country.

Boysen Reservoir and multiple smaller impoundments offer reliable water in the lower basins. Irrigation canals crisscross the unit but access depends on water rights and private land boundaries. Seasonal flow and available public access to water sources are essential questions before hunting.

Unit 31 historically supports black bear in scattered mountain pockets and canyon drainages. Bear habitat concentrates in timber stands of the Owl Creek Mountains and upper creek canyons—Paradise, Wolf, and Bull Lake Creek systems. Spring hunting targets bears emerging from winter in these ranges; late-summer hunting focuses on berry and mast areas in scattered timbered draws.

The sparse forest and open basins mean bears aren't densely distributed. Success depends on glassing ridges and canyons, then navigating to productive terrain. Understanding water sources and seasonal food patterns is critical—this is a spot-and-stalk game across big, complex country with significant access barriers.