Unit 16

Chimney Rock and French Rocks serve as distinctive navigation landmarks visible across broad valleys. The Granite Mountains, Rattlesnake Hills, and Red Hills provide major ridgeline systems useful for glassing and orientation. Beaver Rim and Stratton Rim offer vantage points for surveying terrain across the basins.

Key named basins like Woodard Basin, Buffalo Wallows, and Agate Basin help break up the vast terrain into manageable reference areas. Crooks Gap and Beef Gap provide natural travel corridors between major valleys. These landmarks' scattered distribution across the unit underscores the scale and remoteness of much of the country.

Elevations range from roughly 4,800 feet along the North Platte River valley floor to over 9,200 feet in the higher ridges and mountain terrain. The country transitions from sagebrush plains and basin floors in the lower elevations through scattered juniper and pinyon zones into sparse conifer coverage at higher elevations. Sparse forest coverage means most terrain remains open or lightly timbered, creating a landscape of exposed sagebrush basins interrupted by ridgelines and buttes.

The median elevation sits around 6,300 feet, placing most country in the transition zone between high desert and mountain foothill terrain. Vegetation is predominantly low-stature sagebrush with scattered pockets of timber on north-facing slopes.

Over 1,300 miles of roads thread through the unit, but road density remains low given the vast area, meaning routes concentrate hunters into predictable corridors. BLM roads and county routes require navigation skill and sometimes high-clearance vehicles. Access points cluster around towns like Mills, Jeffrey City, and Waltman, where most hunting pressure concentrates initially.

The limited road network relative to unit size means hunters willing to hike away from vehicle access find less pressure. Winter conditions can make some routes impassable, effectively closing sections seasonally. The terrain's complexity and distance from population centers naturally limit hunter density compared to more accessible units.

Unit 16 encompasses a vast swath of central Wyoming from Casper in the northeast to the foothills of the Wind River Range in the northwest. The North Platte River marks the unit's northeastern boundary near Casper, while Wyoming Highway 220 traces the southeastern edge. The unit's western extent reaches U.S. Highway 287 and the Wind River Indian Reservation boundary.

This creates a roughly 100-mile-wide territory spanning from the high plains near Casper westward into increasingly rugged foothill country. Adjacent units, the North Platte River, and major highways provide reference points for navigation across this complex landscape.

Water is the limiting factor across this unit. Named springs—Chicken Springs, Findlay Springs, Barlow Springs, and others—mark critical water locations but reliability varies seasonally. Creeks like Horseshoe Creek, Rock Creek, and Long Creek flow seasonally or may be intermittent depending on precipitation and snowmelt from higher elevations.

Scattered reservoirs and ponds including Soda Lake, Logan Reservoir, and Hoff Lake provide limited water sources where they exist. The North Platte River to the northeast offers reliable water but may be distant depending on location within the unit. Hunters should plan water strategy carefully and rely on local knowledge of spring conditions and creek flow timing.

Mountain lion are the primary game species in this unit, adapted to the sagebrush and sparse timber habitat across elevations. Hunting strategy focuses on glassing basin floors and ridgelines from vantage points like Beaver Rim or high points throughout the Granite and Rattlesnake Mountains, looking for movement or sign. Lions use the scattered timber, especially on north-facing slopes and in canyon breaks, as cover while hunting mule deer and smaller game across the sagebrush.

Success depends on understanding water sources—lions frequent the springs and creeks listed throughout the unit. Late fall and winter hunting takes advantage of tracking snow and reduced vegetation. The unit's size means being mobile and covering substantial ground; focus on canyons, benches, and terrain breaks where prey concentrates.