This unit is found on the western side of the state, just north of Dubois at the southern end of the Shoshone National Forest. The mountains in this area are very rugged, and steep with cliffs everywhere. Unfortunately, this unit is not known for black bears. This is not a prime unit, and should not be high on your list.

Unfortunately, this unit does not hold a lot of black bears.

The lower elevations consist of sagebrush, prairies, and farm and ranch land. Mountains in this unit are very rugged, with vertical cliffs and knife edge ridges in almost every draw and valley. Once you get above timber line, these mountains are wide open and most are plateaued. If you decide to hunt this unit, plan on gaining and losing a lot of elevation.

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 to public land in this unit is outstanding. There is more than enough public land and roads accessing them. Horse Creek Road, leaving Dubois, heads directly north to the mountains and the National Forest. Off that road, there are several trails and secondary roads where you can access other sections of this mountain range. Off State Highway 26, going northwest of Dubois, there are a number of different roads. One thing nonresidents need be mindful of is the Washakie Wilderness Area north of Dubois which takes up a lot of the huntable land. There is no Wilderness Area to the northwest of Dubois.

Sagebrush covers the lower elevations while timber covers the mountains. In the mountains, the majority of the trees you will find are lodgepole pines. The higher you get in elevation, the more alpine vegetation you will see, and once on top the only cover you are going to have is topography or rocks.

Dubois will be the only town in this unit with supplies, although, there is not much in this town other than a few hotels, a couple campgrounds and a small grocery store. There are a few established campgrounds on the National Forest. Two of them are north of Dubois, off of Horse Creek Road, Horse Creek Campground at the beginning of the National Forest and Double Cabin Campground at the very end of the road. Northwest of Dubois along State Highway 26, there are a few more campgrounds as well as a couple lodges. One thing to remember is with all the National Forest, you can set up a campsite just about anywhere.