Unit 7

The Medicine Bow Mountains dominate the western skyline—use Centennial Ridge, Barrett Ridge, and Platte Ridge as navigation anchors and glassing vantage points. Sunrise Pass and Sixmile Gap provide key terrain breaks for understanding drainage and animal movement. The Laramie Plains themselves serve as a geographic centerpiece; Grindstone Park, Pelton Park, and Chimney Park are notable open flats useful for orientation.

Sheep Mountain, Iron Mountain, and Prospect Mountain provide secondary peaks for cross-country navigation. Springs like Lindsey Spring, Big Spring, and Willow Spring mark reliable water locations in otherwise dry country.

Terrain spans mid-elevation plateau country from around 6,900 feet to over 10,800 feet, with most country sitting in the 7,500–8,500 foot band. The Laramie Plains form the base—open grassland and sagebrush flats with scattered ponderosa and juniper. Moving west toward the Medicine Bows, terrain steepens into forested ridges and mountain slopes; timber remains sparse overall, with scattered stands breaking up continuous open country.

Habitat is primarily semi-arid grassland and shrubland interspersed with ponderosa and conifer patches. The sparse forest coverage means extensive glassing opportunity and predictable cover for stalking.

Fair road access via Wyoming Highways 130 and 230 means the unit attracts moderate pressure near highway corridors and populated areas like Woods Landing and Deerwood. However, 678 miles of secondary roads suggest multiple staging areas and dispersed access points. The vast size and sparse timber mean pressure can be concentrated in easily accessed parks and creek bottoms while large tracts of rolling grassland and ridgeline country see lighter use.

Early season pressure spikes near roads and water; pushing deeper into the Medicine Bow ridges and upper drainages provides solitude and terrain complexity.

Unit 7 is bounded by Laramie city and U.S. 287 on the north, the Wyoming-Colorado state line on the south, Wyoming Highway 230 on the west (near the North Platte River), and Wyoming Highway 130 on the east. The unit encompasses roughly 1,500 square miles of mixed high-desert basin, grassland flats, and mountain terrain. The Laramie Plains form the dominant geographic feature—a broad, open basin at mid-elevation—with the Medicine Bow Range rising to the west.

The country transitions from developed areas around Laramie into increasingly remote ranching and public land as you move south and west.

Water is limited but strategically distributed. Major creeks include Indian Creek, North and South Cottonwood Creeks, and French Creek—these are primary travel corridors and water sources for hunters and game. Numerous reservoirs dot the unit: Goforth, Thompson, Phillips, Rob Roy, and Rice Reservoirs offer reliable drink in developed areas.

Natural lakes like Libby Flats, Mortenson Lake, and Hourglass Lake are smaller but useful references. Springs scattered across the Big Hollow and surrounding country provide supplemental water. Early season hunts require knowing spring locations; later season depends more on reservoir and creek access as seasonal sources dry up.

This is primarily mountain lion country. The combination of sparse timber, open parks, and transitional habitat supports lions hunting mule deer and elk in the Medicine Bow foothills and Laramie Plains interface. Spring and fall hunts focus on creeks and drainages where deer funnel between summer and winter ranges.

Glass the open parks and ridges from high vantage points—the sparse forest means lions must move across visible terrain. The Big Hollow and creek bottoms (Indian, Cottonwood, French) concentrate prey and predators. Hounds work well in the timbered ridges; spot-and-stalk is effective in open country.

Water sources become critical in late season; camp near reservoirs or springs and hunt the surrounding country methodically.