Unit 79

Major features include Chimney Rock and Steamship Rock, distinctive pillars serving as navigation landmarks and glassing vantage points. Devils Leap provides elevated viewpoints for surveying adjacent basins. Blue Ridge, Bald Ridge, and Potato Ridge offer high-ground positioning for spotting across open country.

The Narrows River provides a natural corridor reference, while major drainages including Bear Creek, Shell Creek, and Cedar Creek offer travel routes. Red Basin and Devils Kitchen basins serve as focal points for water and pronghorn movement. Several reservoirs, particularly Five Springs Number 2 and Perkins Reservoir, anchor reliable water locations.

Elevation spans from low desert valleys near 3,600 feet to high ridges exceeding 9,600 feet, though the majority sits in the lower to mid-elevation range. Sagebrush dominates the flats and rolling benches with scattered pockets of juniper and Douglas fir on higher ridges and northfacing slopes. The landscape transitions from open desert floor along major rivers and basins to rougher foothill terrain as elevation increases.

Grass underlies much of the sagebrush, creating typical high-desert pronghorn habitat. Portions of the Medicine Lodge Big Game Winter Range fall within the unit, indicating traditional winter concentration areas.

Nearly 560 miles of roads cross the unit, but most are rough ranch roads and administrative tracks; few are developed highways. Sparse road density and limited maintained access mean most hunters congregate near Highway 16 and river access points. The northern Bighorn River corridor and southern Highway 16 frontage see higher pressure, while interior basin country remains lightly hunted due to access difficulty.

No major paved roads bisect the unit interior. Four-wheel-drive capability is essential for reaching quality pronghorn habitat. Early-season hunters should scout beyond obvious access corridors to find lightly pressured country.

Unit 79 encompasses high-desert country between the Wyoming-Montana border and Highway 16 near Ten Sleep. The Bighorn River forms the northern and western boundary, while the Nowood River approach from the south and the Bighorn National Forest boundary creates the eastern limit. Towns like Shell, Hyattville, and Ten Sleep provide access points and services.

The unit's southern boundary runs along U.S. Highway 16, making it accessible from the east-west corridor. Terrain is predominantly open basin and foothill country with minimal development beyond historic ranching infrastructure and scattered irrigated operations.

The Bighorn River dominates northern drainage, supplemented by the Nowood River to the south. Major tributaries include Shell Creek, Bear Creek, and Willow Creek, though most dry to low flow by mid-season. Scattered springs like White Sulphur Spring, Sheep Mountain Springs, and Willow Springs provide secondary water access, but spacing is irregular.

Multiple reservoirs—Flitner, Upper Reservoir, and J Smith among others—concentrate water and wildlife. The sparse water distribution means hunting strategy hinges on locating reliable sources; dry periods can concentrate pronghorn near remaining tanks and springs. Early season offers better water dispersal; late season requires targeting known reliable sources.

Unit 79 is pronghorn country across open sagebrush basins where spotting and stalking dominate. The sparse forest means limited cover; success depends on locating concentrations early and executing long-range approaches. Water scarcity concentrates animals near reliable springs and reservoirs, making these focal points for scouting and location.

Use elevated ridges and benches for glassing multiple basins simultaneously. Early season offers pronghorn dispersed across better water; focus on irrigated areas and creek bottoms. Mid to late season concentrates animals near remaining water sources.

The high terrain complexity requires understanding drainage patterns and seasonal movement; detailed maps and thorough pre-hunt scouting are critical. Plan for significant travel distances between hunting areas.