Unit 19

Como Bluffs and Dugway Rim provide prominent rock formations useful for navigation and spotting. The Laramie Mountains spine includes key ridges—Sawtooth, Slate, Como, and Limestone Rim—that function as natural travel corridors and glassing stations for sheep. Twin Buttes and Lookout Peak serve as landmark summits visible from distance.

Major drainages like House Creek, Hunt Creek, and the multiple forks of Soldier Creek and Elkhorn Creek provide water sources and orientation points. Mule Creek Pass, Reed Pass, and other documented passages through the ridgelines offer traditional routes between basins, while numerous springs—Sevenmile, Latham, Antelope Springs—mark reliable water locations that sheep frequent seasonally.

The unit spans from around 4,500 feet in the lower valleys up to 10,190 feet on the highest ridges, creating distinct habitat zones. Lower basins and flats—Coverdale, Antelope, Coyote Flats and similar features—remain open sagebrush and grassland country with scattered juniper. Mid-elevation slopes transition to ponderosa and Douglas-fir forest interspersed with rocky outcrops, while upper ridges and high peaks feature sparse alpine vegetation and exposed rock.

Bighorn sheep habitat clusters around cliff systems, rocky draws, and ridge escarpments where escape terrain defines survival. The sparse forest coverage means much of the unit offers sight-distance glassing potential, particularly from higher vantage points looking down into canyons and across ridge systems.

Roughly 2,700 miles of roads crisscross Unit 19, but many are rough ranch roads, county roads, and seasonal routes requiring high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles. Major highway access via I-25, Highway 211, Highway 30, and Highway 487 puts the unit within reach of Laramie, Chugwater, and other towns, but most roads penetrate only lower elevations. High-elevation terrain requires foot travel into backcountry, creating natural pressure relief at higher elevations where sheep concentrate.

Popular staging areas cluster near town access points and main highways, meaning hunters willing to hike 5+ miles into ridgelines find considerably less pressure. The vast area and complex topography mean pressure disperses across multiple canyons and basins rather than concentrating in obvious spots.

Unit 19 encompasses the high-elevation terrain of the Laramie Mountains and surrounding basins, bounded by Interstate 25 on the east near Chugwater and extending west to the town of Laramie. Wyoming Highway 211, Highway 30, and Highway 487 define major boundary routes, while numerous county roads and ranch access points provide entry corridors. The unit sprawls across roughly 1,500 square miles of mountain and foothill country, transitioning from lower-elevation sagebrush basins near the highways to steep, rocky ridges above 9,500 feet.

Adjacent to other sheep units and general elk/mule deer habitat, Unit 19's position in central Wyoming makes it accessible from multiple regional staging areas.

Water availability is the limiting factor for both sheep and hunter strategy in Unit 19. Reliable perennial sources include House Creek, Hunt Creek, East Fork Bates Creek, and several other named streams that flow through major canyons and drainages. High-country lakes and reservoirs—Festo Lake, McGill Lakes, Wheeler Lake, Twin Lakes—hold water through most seasons, but access to these requires reaching upper elevations. Springs scattered across the unit—Indian Spring, Hillcrest Spring, Phillips Spring, and others—represent critical sheep habitat nodes, particularly in summer and fall.

Lower basins receive runoff from snowmelt in spring, creating temporary water but limiting mid-summer reliability. Careful water route planning is essential; sheep concentrate around dependable sources, especially in drought years.

Unit 19 is dedicated bighorn sheep habitat. Successful hunting requires glassing from distance across open slopes and rocky ridges, then stalking to within legal shooting range of rams. Early season may find sheep at mid-elevations near spring water sources, while late season pushes them higher as snow increases.

The sparse forest and open ridges allow for extended viewing from vantage points—Lookout Peak, Sawtooth Ridge, and high passes offer panoramic glassing opportunities. Water sources should focus your search strategy: scout springs and high lakes in summer, lower seeps and creeks in fall. Terrain complexity demands excellent physical conditioning and route-finding skills.

The elevation span means weather changes rapidly; bring layers and be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms even in late summer and early fall. Late August through October provides the prime window for mature rams.