Unit 135

Commissary Ridge, Hams Fork Ridge, and the Fontenelle Hogbacks provide key terrain reference points for navigation and glassing platforms. Granny Peak, Electric Peak, and Red Mountain offer distant visual anchors. The Green River and Fontenelle Reservoir form major linear features.

Named gaps—Windy Gap, Wright Divide, Sheep Pass, Fontenelle Gap—mark natural saddles and travel corridors between basins. Multiple small lakes and reservoirs including Lake Alice, Twin Creek Lakes, and Lake Viva Naughton provide water reference points. The Oregon Trail Lander Cutoff and various named parks create additional orientation features across the open country.

Terrain spans from moderate valley floors around 6,000 feet to higher ridges exceeding 10,000 feet, though most hunting occurs in the 7,000-8,500 foot zone. Sagebrush and grassland basins dominate the lower elevations, transitioning to juniper and scattered ponderosa on ridges and benches. The Sublette Range, Boundary Hills, and various ridges provide elevation and visual relief across otherwise open country.

Timber is sparse throughout; expect open park-like terrain with scattered tree islands rather than continuous forest. The landscape is characterized by broad, rolling expanses punctuated by sudden rim breaks and canyon systems.

The unit is accessed primarily via rough county roads and ranch roads rather than major highways; Interstate 80 and Highway 372 provide external access but limited interior penetration. Fontenelle Dam Road and Lincoln County roads 313 and 316 are primary travel corridors. The limited road density and rough conditions mean most of the unit receives low pressure simply due to difficulty of access rather than inaccessibility.

Staging areas exist near small towns like Diamondville, Cokeville, and Fossil, but interior camps require advanced planning and high-clearance vehicles. The vastness and poor roads create natural pressure dissipation—good news for hunters willing to work.

Unit 135 occupies a massive high-desert region anchored by Interstate 80 and Highway 372 on its southern border, extending northwest to the Wyoming-Idaho line and southwest to the Utah border. The unit encompasses multiple interconnected basins—Dempsey, Fontenelle, Pomeroy, and Salt among them—separated by low ridges and plateaus. The Hams Fork Plateau dominates the northern section.

Fontenelle Dam and the Green River form natural landmarks and boundaries. The unit's vastness is deceptive; much of the interior consists of wide-open country with limited developed access, making navigation and self-sufficiency essential.

Water availability is limited and scattered, demanding knowledge of reliable sources. The Green River flows south through the unit, while Fontenelle Reservoir offers the largest impoundment. Multiple smaller reservoirs—Graham Number 2, Craven Creek, Philip, Thomas, Holland—provide supplemental water but aren't guaranteed permanent sources.

Named creeks including Rabbit Creek, Wyman Creek, Rock Creek, and various forks of larger creeks offer seasonal or localized flow. Springs are distributed across the unit but often unreliable in late season. Hunters must plan water resupply carefully; the broad basins between ridges can be dry country requiring either spring knowledge or reservoir access.

Unit 135 holds both mule deer and white-tailed deer across its elevation spectrum. Mule deer occupy the open basins and sagebrush slopes, using scattered ridge timber and draws for daytime cover. Hunt the transitions where sagebrush gives way to juniper thickets or where basins meet rimrock.

Early season focuses on higher ridges and parks; as temperatures cool, mule deer drift downslope into larger basins. White-tailed deer prefer creek bottoms, riparian draws, and brushy canyon systems scattered throughout. The terrain rewards glassing—set up on ridges overlooking multiple basins and glass thoroughly.

Success depends on patience, water knowledge, and comfort with rough country navigation.