Unit 7

Goose Butte, Soda Butte, and Chalk Butte provide useful high points for glassing the surrounding prairie and orienting yourself within the rolling terrain. The Belle Fourche River and associated creek systems including Black Thunder, Bacon, Rush, and Raven creeks form natural travel corridors and drainage landmarks. Sixmile Basin in the central unit and the numerous named draws (Alkali, Wildcat, Coal, Johnson, and others) offer reference points for navigation across the open country.

Mud Springs provides a known water source in terrain where surface water is otherwise scattered.

The unit sits entirely below 5,200 feet, spanning low-elevation high plains habitat with minimal elevation change across most of the area. Vegetation is predominantly shortgrass and sagebrush prairie with scattered juniper and ponderosa, creating the classic open-country conditions of eastern Wyoming's plains. The landscape is characterized by broad, gentle slopes broken by numerous draws and coulees rather than dramatic ridge systems.

Sparse timber appears primarily along creek bottoms and in scattered pockets on northfacing slopes, leaving the majority of the unit as open grassland suitable for pronghorn.

The unit has approximately 459 miles of roads total, but much is private ranch roads with limited public access. Highway access via I-90, U.S. 16, and Wyoming 450 allows reasonable approach to the unit perimeter, but interior access is restricted. Limited connectivity means hunters must plan entry points carefully and often park at maintained trailheads or legal pullouts.

The straightforward terrain and relatively low complexity means pressure concentrates along accessible drainages and around public reservoirs; exploring the flats between main water sources often sees fewer hunters.

Unit 7 occupies the northeast plains country between Interstate 90 on the north and U.S. Highway 16 on the south, with Wyoming Highway 450 marking the western edge near Keeline. The Belle Fourche River forms part of the northern boundary, while the divide between the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche rivers bounds the unit to the northwest. The landscape encompasses Sixmile Basin and extends across the relatively flat terrain between Moorcroft and Thornton.

This is working ranch and public land mixed-ownership country in the heart of Wyoming's eastern plains.

Water is limited and scattered throughout the unit, with reliability concentrated along major drainages and at established reservoirs. Thomas Number 1, Myrtle, Wellman, and Twin Forks reservoirs provide stock water access, though many are in private sections. The Belle Fourche River and creeks including Poison, Raven, Sage, and Soda provide perennial or seasonal flow depending on conditions and time of year.

Most hunting strategy revolves around understanding where pronghorn access water during the season, as natural seeps and small reservoirs may be inaccessible or privately controlled.

Unit 7 is pronghorn-focused terrain where glassing and stalking dominate. The open, rolling prairie allows effective spotting from high points like Goose Butte, Soda Butte, or ridges overlooking major drainages. Early season hunting employs standard glassing-and-stalking tactics across sagebrush flats, with mid-season hunts sometimes using water sources as focal points.

The sparse timber and minimal elevation complexity mean success depends on locating concentrations of animals, understanding wind and approach angles across open country, and being prepared to cover significant distances on foot. Water access is the key limiting factor; focus hunting efforts near reliable surface water.