Unit 16

The Powder River forms the primary geographic anchor and primary water source, with Piney Creek and Cottonwood Creek offering secondary drainages that hunters can use for navigation and water access. Antelope Basin provides an open area for glassing and strategy discussion. Catfish Geyser offers a notable landmark for orientation.

The numerous irrigation reservoirs—including Walters, Lion, Baldwin, and Big Boy—are key reference points for both navigation and water planning. Arpan Butte serves as a low landmark useful for orientation across the rolling country.

The entire unit sits in the lower elevation zone between roughly 3,600 and 5,000 feet, staying well below the forested mountain slopes. Terrain is predominantly open grassland and sagebrush flats with minimal tree cover—sparse cottonwoods and willows confined to the creek bottoms where water flows. Vegetation transitions from short-grass prairie on the higher flats to sagebrush steppe in the draws and valleys.

This is quintessential pronghorn country: expansive, rolling, and open enough for long-distance glassing and visibility.

Fair road connectivity via 470+ miles of maintained roads means hunters can access most of the unit without significant difficulty, though the road network is still selective enough that concentrations of hunters aren't inevitable. Highway 14 and I-90 provide easy staging corridors, and towns like Ucross and Clearmont offer quick access points. The straightforward terrain and moderate accessibility suggest pressure is distributed across the country rather than concentrated in hard-to-reach pockets.

This cuts both ways: game may be more dispersed, but hunters can methodically work the country without extreme effort.

Unit 16 occupies the country between U.S. Highway 14 and Interstate 90 in north-central Wyoming, with the Powder River serving as the eastern boundary. The unit is bounded by Highway 16 on the west and stretches eastward along the I-90 corridor. This is basin-and-draw country in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains, characterized by open prairie interrupted by ephemeral drainages and scattered reservoirs.

Towns including Ucross, Clearmont, and Arvada provide local context and service options for hunters staging into the unit.

Water is limited but concentrated in specific features that shape pronghorn distribution. The Powder River runs through the eastern portion and provides reliable flow, while Piney Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and smaller drainages like OK Creek offer seasonal or intermittent water. The extensive network of irrigation reservoirs—at least a dozen named structures—provides supplemental sources crucial during dry periods.

Thompson Creek and Whitmeyer Creek round out the drainage system. Understanding which water sources hold year-round flow versus which dry up seasonally is critical for locating animals and planning hunting approach.

Unit 16 is pronghorn country, plain and simple. The open grasslands and rolling terrain with minimal cover are ideal for glassing and stalking, though pronghorn's exceptional eyesight means using terrain breaks, draws, and the few cottonwood thickets strategically. Early season hunting should focus on water sources—particularly the Powder River, Piney Creek, and the larger reservoirs—where animals concentrate in hot, dry conditions.

The basin structure means animals often move between water and grazing areas along predictable routes. Late season hunting shifts toward understanding snow melt patterns and winter range in the more sheltered draws. The straightforward topography makes this unit approachable for hunters comfortable with open-country stalking and long-distance glassing.