This area is very large, covering Douglas all the way down to Cheyenne. Don’t be discouraged though, you really only need to focus on the northern portion in the Laramie Mountains. It can be difficult to find access to National Forest land in this area. There is a lot of private land scattered throughout the National Forest; there is a chance that landowners will allow you to access their land to hunt bears if you gain their permission first. This area can be deceptive. If you use a maps service, you will see over 50,000 acres of walk-in hunting areas throughout this unit. All of these are currently only set up for access to elk hunting areas, not black bears. There are currently no Grizzlies in this unit.

With a good yearly bear harvest, no Wilderness Areas, and no Grizzlies, this area should not be overlooked.

You are going to see everything Wyoming has to offer in terrain features here, from sagebrush prairies and badlands to windblown 10,000-foot mountain peaks. Once on the mountain, you will find big rolling hills and big open valleys and draws.

As far as publicly accessible land goes, this area is good. There are many roads and trails throughout the mountain, making the use of vehicles, ATVs, side by sides, mountain bikes and foot travel very easy. However, even with the number of roads and trails, if you are willing to hike, you can get far enough away to do a backcountry hunt. When selecting an area to hunt, finding an area with multiple food sources will be beneficial.

The majority of this area is off the mountain and covered in sagebrush prairies and badlands. You will find irrigated farm fields along the rivers and streams. Once on the Bighorns, the most common trees you will find on the mountain will be lodgepole pines, along with small patches of aspen. There are also large sections of willows and berry patches in the creek bottoms. Some old burns scattered throughout the area make for great habitat in the spring once green up starts.

There are not many options in this area for modern lodging, unless you are willing to do a lot of driving to and from your hunting location. Douglas and Wheatland are really the only towns close to this unit. There are only two small campgrounds located in this unit, with six spots per site. However, there is an unlimited number of camping spots on the National Forest.