Unit 66

Key features include Owl Creek and Rock Waterhole Creek as major drainage corridors heading west; these channel water and wildlife movement. The Bighorn River to the east is the primary landmark for orientation. Eagle Pass and Fenton Pass provide potential crossing points and navigation references.

Blue Mesa, Dead Indian Hill, and Table Mountain stand out as visual anchors for glassing and route planning. Scattered reservoirs—Sandstone, Jones, Wilson—offer both water sources and terrain features. Badger Creek Basin and Rimrock Basin serve as logical hunting zones with defined terrain.

Terrain spans from around 3,800 feet in the basin bottoms to near 6,700 feet on the higher ridges and buttes, creating low-elevation country with sparse timber. The landscape is predominantly open—sagebrush flats and benches dominate the lower elevations, with scattered juniper and Douglas fir on the ridges and upper benches like Orchard Bench and Emblem Bench. Vegetation transitions gradually; there's no dramatic forest zone.

Draws and creek bottoms often feature cottonwoods and willows where water flows seasonally. The open character means glassing is feasible across significant distances.

The sparse road network—865 miles total but spread across vast terrain—means limited vehicle access and consequently less concentrated hunting pressure than adjacent areas. Most roads are secondary or rough ranch roads; reaching many basins requires parking and hiking. The limited access also means fewer casual hunters but demands self-sufficiency in navigation and water management.

Greybull and Thermopolis are the primary resupply points. The terrain's moderate complexity combined with limited roads means dedicated hunters who put in miles will find solitude, but poor planning leaves you stranded far from water or shade.

Unit 66 encompasses the region immediately west of the Bighorn River between Thermopolis and Greybull, bounded north by U.S. 14-16-20, south by Broadway in Thermopolis, and west by Highway 120. The unit sits in the Bighorn Basin, a major drainages and agricultural area with scattered towns including Greybull, Emblem, and Otto providing supply access. The river itself serves as a natural eastern boundary and navigation reference. This positioning places the unit in transitional country between lower desert basins and higher terrain to the west.

Water is limited but present. The Bighorn River runs year-round along the eastern boundary but isn't easily accessible for most hunting. Creeks including Owl Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and various forks of Tenmile and Gooseberry creeks flow seasonally from west to east, draining the ridges into the basins.

Multiple reservoirs and ponds—Wilson, Hump, Snoopy—provide reliable water in summer and fall. Springs scattered throughout (Keg Spring, Baking Powder Springs, Parker Springs) are critical but may require knowledge of exact locations. Late-season hunting may focus on the creek bottoms and spring areas where water concentrates.

Elk are the primary quarry. Early season finds elk at higher elevations on the ridges and benches before fall pushes them into the creek bottoms and basins. The open terrain allows extensive glassing—set up on ridges like Blue Ridge or Cedar Ridge and scan the draws and benches below for movement.

Mid-season rut hunting should focus on the creek bottoms and draws where cover concentrates elk; Owl Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Tenmile drainages are logical corridors. Late season pushes elk to lower elevations and water sources—hunt near the reservoirs and springs. Success requires mapping water sources, establishing camps near reliable springs, and being prepared for long days hiking between glassing points and likely bedding areas.