This unit is located in the southeastern part of the state, south of Rawlins, near the Colorado border. This is an outstanding unit and should be on your list of units to hunt, especially if you don’t want to deal with Grizzlies. This mountain range extends all the way into Colorado. The sagebrush prairies and farmland at lower elevations are almost entirely private land. There are currently no Grizzlies located in the hunt area.

With a good yearly average bear harvest and a very small section of Wilderness Area in this unit, you should definitely consider this unit.

Mountains and prairies are the two most distinct terrain features in this area. With the very limited about of public land outside of the National Forest, try covering the Sierra Madres. The higher you go in this unit, the more majestic and beautiful the country gets. Thick timber slopes with open meadows that open to alpine meadows and lakes will provide plenty of areas to glass and find black bears.

Wilderness

Under Wyoming law nonresidents are not permitted to hunt big game or trophy game in any federally designated wilderness areas without the presence of a licensed guide or resident companion. The resident companion must first get a free non-commercial guide license from a Game and Fish office. The law does not prohibit nonresidents from hiking, fishing or hunting game birds, small game, or coyotes in wilderness areas.

Access in and around the National Forest is great, which could be a problem if you are trying to do a true backcountry style hunt and distance yourself from other hunters. There are a number of different roads and trails throughout the Sierra Madres. Wyoming Highway 70 runs from the east to the west, through the mountain range, with dozens of roads branching off of it. Nonresidents should be mindful of the two Wilderness Areas located in the southwest corner of the National Forest. The Hog Park and Rim Road both travel very close to these Wilderness Areas.

As far as vegetation, this unit is like every other unit in Wyoming, with prairies and farms low, and timber in the mountains. The mountain ranges here have thick timber slopes at lower elevations, and beautiful alpine meadows and lakes at higher elevations. The most common trees found in this mountain range are lodgepole pines, with some scattered aspen patches as well. The alpine areas will hold grass and berries.

There are a number of camping and lodging spots available in the National Forest area, and thousands of undeveloped camping spots on the mountain range in this unit. As for developed campsites, there are over a dozen to choose from. There are quite a few homesteaded chunks of private land scattered throughout the National Forest, so make sure you know where you are and that you are not trespassing. Baggs and Saratoga, the two towns near this area, both provide grocery stores, hotels and gas stations, but are off the mountain quite a ways.