Unit 115

Younts Peak (11,658 ft) and Thunder Mountain are dominant skyline features useful for navigation and distant glassing. Petrified Ridge and Yellowstone Point provide high vantage points and recognizable navigation markers. The Thorofare Buttes anchor the plateau country and offer orientation reference across open terrain.

Major drainages—North Fork Yellowstone River, Snowslide Creek, South Two Ocean Creek, and Valley Fork—serve as travel corridors and navigation guides through steep country. Overlook Mountain and Hawks Rest offer glassing points for surveying basins. Bridger Lake and the various named streams provide critical water reference points in otherwise dry stretches.

This is high-country territory where virtually all terrain sits between 8,000 and 12,000 feet, with the bulk above 9,500 feet. Expect timbered ridges of subalpine spruce and fir interspersed with meadows and open parks. Lower elevations (where they exist) transition through ponderosa and Douglas-fir, but the majority is true high-altitude habitat.

The Thorofare Plateau creates a distinctive feature—a relatively open, rolling plateau ringed by steep ridges and peaks. Alpine tundra appears in the highest areas, particularly around Younts Peak and Thunder Mountain. Vegetation is sparser than lower-elevation forests; this is not dense timber but rather broken forest with significant meadow and parkland interspersed.

Road access is fair but confined to specific corridors; the 171 miles of roads don't penetrate deeply. Key trailheads include access via Deer Creek Pass and Rampart Pass. Most hunting pressure concentrates near these established entry points and along main drainages.

The steep terrain and high elevation keep casual hunters out, creating potential for solitude deeper into the unit. The Thorofare Plateau offers an escape route away from initial valleys—hunters willing to climb and gain elevation find significantly fewer boots. Terrain complexity (7.2/10) means navigation requires map work and careful route-finding.

This is not plug-and-play country.

Unit 115 is defined by the Yellowstone River drainage upstream from Yellowstone Lake, excluding all national park lands. This places it in the Absaroka Range backcountry east and northeast of the park, a rugged corner of northwestern Wyoming. The unit is moderate in size but represents some of the steepest, most remote country in the state.

Boundary access points include Rampart Pass, Deer Creek Pass, and Ishawooa Pass—key entry corridors for hunters willing to put in miles. The Thorofare Plateau dominates the eastern portion, a high, exposed tableland that defines the unit's character.

Water is genuinely limited outside major drainages, making water sources strategic for both navigation and camping. The North Fork Yellowstone River and South Two Ocean Creek are reliable year-round sources with decent flow. Secondary streams like Snowslide Creek, Scatter Creek, and Valley Fork provide water but may run shallow late season.

Bridger Lake offers a reliable water source for higher camps. Many ridgelines and plateau areas lack reliable water—this is a genuine concern for multi-day backcountry travel. Spring water from seeps and snowmelt may be available seasonally in upper basins but shouldn't be relied upon, particularly late in the season.

Mule deer and white-tailed deer inhabit the unit across elevation bands, with mule deer favoring higher ridges and timbered plateaus, whitetails using lower riparian areas and creek bottoms where available. Early season hunting targets high meadows and plateau country where deer summer; rut periods bring animals into timber transition zones. Late season focuses on migration corridors as deer drop elevation.

Glassing from ridge vantage points like Hawks Rest or Overlook Mountain is productive for spotting mule deer in open park country. Whitetail hunting concentrates along major creeks and valley bottoms. Water scarcity makes reliable sources gathering points; glassing morning and evening at water locations is effective.

The steep terrain demands fit hunters; horses expand range significantly. Navigation and map skills are essential.