Unit 117

Francs Peak, Standard Peak, and Pyramid Peak anchor the high country and serve as dominant reference points for navigation across this complex terrain. Pyramid Peak marks key drainages including Pyramid Creek and Avalanche Creek—reliable navigation corridors even in limited water conditions. Galena Ridge and Yellow Ridge provide glassing vantage points for scanning the parks and basins.

The named basins—Brown, Galena, and Meadow Creek—represent productive terrain worth hunting. Passes like Coal Chute, East Fork, and Piney offer natural saddles and travel routes across the high country. These landmarks are essential for orientation in terrain this steep and complex.

This is steep, high-elevation terrain with the majority of the unit above 9,500 feet. The country transitions from forested lower drainages through timbered slopes into open alpine basins and peaks that top out above 13,000 feet. Moderate forest coverage means the unit features a mix of spruce-fir timber interspersed with meadows, parks, and open ridgelines typical of high Absaroka country.

Multiple named parks—Surveyor, McGregor, Guard Station, The Meadows—indicate productive open terrain scattered through the timbered zones. This elevation span creates distinct seasonal habitat use, with early season hunting in high basins and late season movement to lower-elevation forest as weather pushes animals down.

Fair road access provides multiple entry points, but the steep terrain limits how far vehicles penetrate. The 313 miles of road network spreads across a moderate-sized unit, suggesting concentrated access corridors rather than dispersed development. Most hunting pressure likely concentrates along accessible drainage bottoms and lower parks, leaving steeper sidehills and upper basins less hunted by most travelers.

The terrain complexity (8.9/10) means that country 30 minutes beyond roads becomes significantly less pressured. Foot traffic and horsepower advantage hunters willing to gain elevation and navigate steep slopes away from roads.

Unit 117 encompasses the entire Greybull and Wood River drainage systems within the Absaroka Range national forest. The unit's boundaries follow these two major drainages, giving it a natural north-south orientation along the high country spine of the range. Kirwin, a historic settlement, sits within the unit boundaries.

The terrain rises dramatically from lower drainage bottoms toward the crest of the Absaroka, creating distinct elevation zones and natural travel corridors along the major creek systems. Access points scatter along the 313-mile road network that threads through national forest land.

Water is limited but concentrated along major drainage systems. North Fork Anderson Creek, Mabel Creek, Haymaker Creek, and the various forks (Left Fork Betty Creek, Pyramid Creek) provide reliable water access through the middle and lower elevations, though upper basin water becomes sparse. Dick Creek Lakes and Jojo Lake offer high-elevation water sources, critical for planning hunts in the alpine parks.

Foster Number 3 Reservoir sits lower in the unit. The limitation of water at higher elevations means strategies must account for animal movement toward reliable creeks and lakes. Understanding which drainages hold water through the season is essential planning.

Both mule deer and whitetail inhabit the unit, with distinct seasonal patterns driven by elevation and snow. Early season hunting focuses on high basins and open parks where mule deer range above timberline, using good vantage points from ridges like Galena and Yellow to glass the parks. As fall progresses and snow pushes animals down, transition zones between high timber and lower drainages concentrate both species.

Whitetails favor heavier timber in the middle elevations of the major drainages—Greybull, Wood River, and tributary creeks like Horse and Yellow Creek offer productive timber corridors. Late season hunting in lower drainages becomes critical as animals concentrate along reliable water and shelter. The steep terrain requires good fitness and navigation skills; most productive hunting happens away from roads.