Unit 48

Black Mountain and Lysite Mountain provide visible reference points for orientation across open country. Chalk Butte and Arapahoe Butte serve as glassing vantage points with views into the major drainages. The Nowood and Badwater creek systems form the primary navigation corridors; their headwaters near Cherry Creek Hill and Deep Creek mark the unit's northern reaches.

Mexican Lakes and the string of small reservoirs (Hiland, Lost Cabin, Gardner, Garrison) offer reliable landmark clusters. These features help partition the vast unit into manageable glassing zones and water-based camps.

The unit spans roughly 4,500 to 9,100 feet, with the bulk of terrain falling in the 6,000 to 8,000-foot band where sagebrush dominates open valleys and ridges. Timber is sparse and patchy—scattered conifers appear on north-facing slopes and in isolated draws, with larger stands concentrated around the higher drainages like Cherry Creek and Deep Creek. The landscape reads as high desert transitioning to semi-arid forest rather than true mountain country.

Habitat alternates between wide-open sagebrush plains suitable for pronghorn and scattered timbered pockets that concentrate elk, particularly in fall migration corridors.

Over 300 miles of rough county and BLM roads traverse the unit, but road density is low across the vast area, resulting in limited vehicle pressure and distant spacing between access points. Most routes are two-track or rough gravel suited to high-clearance vehicles; several roads become impassable in wet conditions. The remoteness and rough access naturally spreads hunters thin—those willing to park vehicles and hike gain significant solitude.

Staging from Moneta, Badwater, or Arminto provides logical entry points, though long drives and rough roads limit casual access compared to more developed units.

Unit 48 encompasses high basins and drainages between Moneta and Badwater on the west, extending north toward Lysite and the Hot Springs County line. The boundary traces county roads and BLM routes through a vast, lightly populated landscape where towns like Arminto, Hiland, and Lost Cabin serve as distant reference points. The unit's core sits in the transition zone between the Wind River and Bighorn mountain systems, with the Nowood River drainage forming part of the northern framework.

This is working ranch country interspersed with public land—isolated and far from major highways.

Water is scattered and limited—the Nowood River flows through the northern portion while Badwater Creek drains the western side, but many tributaries are seasonal. The unit features numerous small reservoirs (Gardner, Lost Cabin, Hiland, Garrison, Arnold, Orchard) concentrated in basin areas, plus scattered springs (Buffalo Springs, Willow Spring, Sulphur Springs) throughout. Most creeks run reliably only in spring and early summer; by mid-season, hunters must rely on reservoirs and established stock tanks.

Water scarcity demands advance scouting to identify reliable sources before the season starts.

Elk are the primary game species in this mid-elevation sagebrush-and-timber country. Early season hunting focuses on high-elevation timber pockets and drainages like Nowood, Cherry Creek, and Deep Creek where bulls stage before migration. The scattered forest distribution means glassing open ridges and benches to locate elk moving between bedding timber and feeding areas.

Rut hunting targets the transition zones where sparse timber intersects sagebrush basins—bulls follow cows through migration corridors in these areas. Late season often concentrates animals near lower-elevation water sources and remaining food. Success requires mobility, early water scouting, and willingness to hike from rough road access into quiet country.