Unit 55 is mainly rugged and thick timbered. Most of the area is in the Washakie and North Absaroka designated wilderness areas. The different seasons give a hunter a couple of different options here. This is a decent hunt for a guided nonresident looking for a mature bull in the 330” range. For the DIY nonresident you have a very limited range of where you will be able to hunt. This is also big grizzly country and proper precautions need to be taken.

A nonresident will need to hire an outfitter or hunt with a registered Wyoming resident to hunt most of the unit that is covered by wilderness. Backcountry bowhunting with an outfitter, or hunting the rough Shoshone River drainage on public land could be a good hunt. There are good populations of animals that occupy this unit, so those willing to hunt hard should find success.

There is a lot of rugged terrain here. Steep rocky drainages with heavily-timbered north facing slopes and open hillsides and meadows are on southeast side. Parts of the unit, north of Highway 20 have been burned.

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.

There are several major creeks here, including Eagle Creek, Fishhawk Creek, Grinnell Creek, Gun Barrel Creek and the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Creeks provide riparian habitat with a lot of different vegetation. With higher elevations, terrain becomes more grassy with timbered slopes. There is a lot of timber on the south side of the unit and in Grinnell Creek on the north side. Lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Douglas fir, whitebark pine and limber pine can all be found here. Higher elevations typically have more of rocky slopes with grassy pockets.

A few short roads running south off of Highway 20 can serve as a jump off point into the backcountry on the south side of the unit. Some public land, non-wilderness areas can be found along the North Fork of the Shoshone that runs directly through the area.

Cody is the closest town and has several hotels, campgrounds, gas stations, markets, restaurants and bars. Camping is allowed on public lands. Hunting here is typically horseback or backpack-style hunting. Usually guides and outfitters operate wall tent hunting camps in the backcountry. Camping is allowed on public lands.