Unit 20

McCullough Peaks dominates the eastern skyline and serves as a major glassing platform and navigation anchor. The Washakie Needles and The Holy City offer distinctive visual references for orientation in otherwise open country. Fenton Pass, Mexican Pass, and Eagle Pass are natural travel corridors and concentration areas.

Major ridgelines—Sheep Ridge, Red Ridge, and Blue Ridge—run through the unit and provide both movement corridors and vantage points. Bighorn River defines the northern boundary and serves as a major water and navigation reference throughout the unit.

Terrain drops from high-country ridges above 12,000 feet into low-desert basins around 3,600 feet, creating distinct habitat zones without clear elevation bands. Lower-elevation country features sagebrush flats and sparse juniper scattered across basin floors like Badger Basin and Kates Basin. Middle elevations transition through pinyon-juniper and scattered ponderosa on benches and ridge faces.

Upper reaches offer higher timber stands on peaks like McCullough and Elk Butte. This vertical diversity concentrates different species and travel patterns across the unit's enormous footprint.

Over 2,700 miles of roads provide extensive access, but road density varies dramatically across the unit. Lower-elevation basins and benches near major highways see heavier use, particularly around Powell and Frannie. Higher elevation country and the western portions see less pressure simply due to distance from staging areas.

The unit's vast size and complex topography allow hunters who venture beyond roadside areas to find solitude. Pressure concentrates on accessible bench country and basin bottoms; ridge systems and upper draws receive less attention despite excellent terrain.

Unit 20 straddles the Bighorn River along the Wyoming-Montana border, running south from the state line to the Wind River Reservation's northern edge, then westward along drainage divides before returning north along Highway 120. The unit encompasses portions of Hot Springs and Washakie counties, with significant elevation variation across basins and ridges. Major reference points include Powell and Frannie to the north, with the Bighorn Basin forming the unit's eastern anchor. The Wind River Reservation boundary to the south creates a hard jurisdictional edge that hunters must respect.

Water is scattered but present. The Bighorn River flows through the northern portion as the unit's primary water source and boundary feature. Willow Creek, Cottonwood Creek drainage system, and Alkali Creek offer perennial options in their respective basins.

Reliable springs include Red Spring, Iron Creek Spring, Sweetwater Spring, and Jergens Spring—critical way points in otherwise dry country. Multiple reservoirs and ponds dot the landscape, though seasonal reliability varies. Understanding water locations is essential for navigation and camping logistics across this high-desert terrain.

This is mountain lion country above all else, with terrain ideally suited to pursuit hunting through canyons, basins, and draws where cats hunt elk and deer. The elevation swing from low desert to high peaks creates diverse prey base and lion movement patterns—lower elevations provide winter range, upper country holds summer populations. Glassing ridgelines and high benches from distance pays dividends for spotting both prey and sign.

Water sources are critical navigation points and concentration areas. The unit's complexity demands solid map skills and time investment; early-season hunting is tough in summer-range country, while fall transitions offer better movement patterns as animals shift elevation.