Unit 62

The Ferris Mountains form the western spine and offer several named summits including Pool Table and Lone Haystack Mountain that work as glassing platforms and navigation markers. The Seminoe Mountains create the eastern boundary with Rattlesnake Butte and Wild Horse Mountain as recognizable peaks. Rinshaw Lake, Boggy Meadows Lake, and Separation Lake provide water reference points across the basins.

Brown Canyon, Coal Creek Canyon, and Black Canyon offer natural travel corridors and should be inspected for game sign. Muddy Gap Junction serves as the primary northern landmark and supply reference.

The unit transitions from lower sagebrush basins around 6,300 feet up to sparse-timbered ridges near 10,000 feet, though most terrain clusters around mid-elevation between 6,500 and 8,500 feet. Pronghorn country dominates the flats and gentle slopes—big sagebrush interspersed with shortgrass prairie across the basin floors. As elevation increases into the Ferris and Seminoe ranges, scattered ponderosa and Douglas-fir appear on north-facing slopes, but the forest cover remains light.

Meadows like Boggy Meadows and Dorr Meadow break the sagebrush; these greening areas concentrate wildlife seasonally.

The 263 miles of roads spread thin across vast terrain means access points are limited but logical entry corridors exist. County roads branch north from Rawlins and Sinclair toward Muddy Gap and the basin floors, with some penetration toward the Ferris divide. The North Platte corridor provides eastern access.

Road density is low relative to unit size, which means distance from pavement and self-reliant travel define the hunt. Most public access concentrates near paved corridors; pushing back into the ridges and remote basins reduces company. Foot travel and willingness to camp away from roads separate this hunt from standard plateau hunting.

Unit 62 encompasses roughly 1,500 square miles of high-desert country between Rawlins and the North Platte River drainage. The western boundary follows U.S. 287 from Rawlins north to Muddy Gap, then traces the Continental Divide along the Ferris Mountains eastward to Ferris Peak. The eastern boundary follows the Seminoe Mountains divide south to Seminoe Dam on the North Platte, then follows the river and Interstate 80 back to Rawlins.

The unit sits in the backbone of Wyoming's intermountain basin country, with towns like Rawlins, Sinclair, and Muddy Gap providing basic services.

Water exists but requires strategy. The North Platte River anchors the southeastern corner and provides reliable flow, though it's not central to most hunting. Springs scattered across the unit—Big Sand Spring, O'Brien Spring, Sand Springs, Cheyenne Spring, and Brown Canyon Springs—are critical for navigation and pronghorn congregation during dry periods.

Creeks like Little Shoe Creek, Indian Creek, O'Brien Creek, and Saint Marys Creek run seasonally but offer perennial water in upper reaches. Several reservoirs including Marsh Reservoir and Hannah Mahoney Number 1 exist but access varies. Dry Lake and other named water features may be unreliable—verify water sources before planning routes.

This is pronghorn country, pure and simple. The vast sagebrush flats and rolling terrain from Pattison Basin to Olsen Basin provide classic pronghorn habitat with sight-distance advantage for glassing. September rut hunting focuses on water sources—springs attract bucks during the peak.

Early season and late season require moving to find animals; mid-season concentrates effort on rut sites. The sparse forest in the Ferris and Seminoe foothills can hold pronghorn during heat periods. Elevation changes work in hunter favor—lower basins hold animals early, higher terrain (6,500-8,000 feet) becomes attractive in mid-fall.

Vehicle-based glassing from high points, then closing on groups with terrain and wind, defines success. Water knowledge is critical; dry stretches force pronghorn to reliable springs where opportunity exists.