This unit is located on the western side of the state around Pinedale and the Green River, and has some amazing country to hunt, from the western side of the Windriver Mountain Range to the southern end of the Teton National Forest. This unit can be deceptive to nonresidents though. Almost all of the Windriver Mountain Range will be off limits unless you are with an outfitter or resident companion with a guide permit due to the Wilderness Area.

This unit should not be overlooked, even with the large amount of Wilderness Area in it.

This unit is like most areas in Wyoming, with sagebrush in the lower elevations, steep rugged mountain peaks and everything in between. The Windriver Mountain Range, on the eastern side of this unit, is just like every photo or video you have seen of the Rocky Mountains. In the northern portion of this unit is a huge valley with the Green River splitting the Windriver Mountains from the southern end of the Gros Ventre.

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.

When looking at access here, consider splitting this unit into two areas: The Windriver Mountain Range and north of Green River. The Windriver Mountains present an obstacle for nonresidents because the majority of it is Wilderness Area. There are many roads and trails that lead up from State Highway 191. To the north in the Green River valley, Green River Lakes Road and Union Pass Road are the main roads to access this area. There is so much public land in this unit, you will not have an issue finding places to hunt. If you are only going to hunt the very northeast portion of this unit by Union Pass, you may want to consider driving in from Dubois. The drive is much shorter from there to this portion of the unit.

Like most units in Wyoming, you will find sagebrush prairies and farmland in the lower elevations and timber covered mountains at higher elevations. In the mountains, the majority of the trees you will find are lodgepole pines. The more elevation you gain, the more alpine vegetation you will see. One thing this unit has that a lot of others don’t, is a huge river valley and more than six large lakes. Along these waterways, you are going to find a lot of willows, berries and grass, providing the bears a very good food source.

In this unit, there are really only two towns that you need to worry about when looking for provisions and accommodations, Pinedale and Dubois. Dubois should only be considered if you are going to hunt the northeast portion of this unit near Union Pass. Other than that, go to Pinedale. There are almost two dozen established campgrounds throughout this unit as well as an unlimited number of places you can camp on the National Forest.