Hunters in Wyoming's Area 145, Salt River, highlight a few recurring themes: local disregard for road closures leading to increased ATV traffic and the critical role of understanding winter kill impacts on deer populations. Longtime enthusiasts stress the importance of conducting thorough pre-season research, particularly on winter survival rates, to ensure better odds of success. One hunter, excited after a 9-year wait, emphasized the value of August scouting to gain insights into the area's conditions and shared his mixed experience of encountering both challenges with hunter congestion and the thrill of spotting quality bucks. Overall, the sentiment is positive with a shared appreciation for the learning and adjustments necessary for a successful hunt, encouraging collaboration and information exchange among hunters.
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Mule Deer | 160"-180" | 190"+ |
| Whitetail Deer | 120"-140" | 140"+ |
High
Low
Located on the west end of the state along the Wyoming/Idaho border. Most of this unit has terrain that makes access difficult, but is not designated wilderness.For nonresidents, this area is part of Region G and tags drawn for this area are also valid in: 135, 143, 144.
This area has become popular with mule deer hunters over the last few years, and is mainly made up of steep and rugged terrain. Since the terrain here is so rough, it lets hunters get away from crowds. Considered a general season tag for residents. Hunters can buy an archery permit to hunt early season. Long season dates give hunters a lot of time to harvest.
Terrain here is very steep and rugged with large peaks and high-elevation basins. There is a great trail system that gives hunters access to most of the peaks and basins in the area. The low-elevation areas are mainly farmland or large sagebrush flats. Water sources can be limited in high elevations and hunters will want to identify these areas prior to hunting the unit.
Most of the low-elevation land here is private, but the western-facing slopes are public with good trail systems that hunters can use to access remote parts of the unit. Well-maintained trails give hunters access to Red Top Mountain, Rock Lake Peak and a number of other peaks in the area. There are seasonal road closures in this area and hunters will want to identify closures before hunting the unit.
High elevation is timbered with pines, firs and some aspen with grass, sagebrush and other high-elevation shrubs. Some high-elevation tundra with low-lying alpine vegetation can also be found here. Middle elevations primarily have canyons with pockets of aspens, meadows, sagebrush and scrub oak along with some pinyon/juniper. Low terrain is mostly covered in sagebrush, pinyon/juniper, pines and oak brush.
A lot of hunters will camp in remote areas, and camping is permitted on all U.S. Forest Service and BLM land. There are several locations that have good, flat camping locations for travel trailers or tents. Gas, lodging and other supplies can be found in Afton, Alpine and Smoot.
Roughly 484 square miles
61.4% public land
Elevations from 6,200-10,800 feet
ATVs recommended
Snow and rain can delay travel on dirt roads
Four-wheel drive is necessary to travel most roads in bad weather