Quick Tips
- GPS, maps, or a compass are highly recommended
- Focus your efforts on the mountain when trying to find bears
- Off trail/road travel can be difficult due to terrain steepness on the western slope of the mountain range
On The Ground
This hunting area is found in the north central area of the state and features some incredible scenery and bear hunting. This is a deceptively large area, but it isn’t really that big when looking for bear habitat. To find the bears you will need to look at the Eastern side of the unit where the Bighorn National Forest is located. Once on the mountain, you will find a lot of open meadows and valleys allowing you to glass a lot of land from one position. There are no Grizzly Bears located in the hunt area currently.
With the average bear harvest and no Wilderness Areas or Grizzlies in this unit, this is a great place for nonresidents to hunt.
Terrain
You are going to see everything Wyoming has to offer in terrain features in this area, from sagebrush prairies and badlands, to wind blown 10,000-foot mountain peaks. The majority of this area, however, is sagebrush prairies and badlands. You will find bears on the Bighorn Mountains. Once on the mountain, you will find big rolling hills and large open valleys and draws. The western slope, however, is very steep and rocky.
Roughly 696 square miles
90% public land
Elevations range from 5,500-10,500 feet
Vegetation
The majority of this area is off the mountain and is covered in sagebrush prairies and badlands. Irrigated farm fields are located 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 aspens scattered throughout the area. Large sections of willows and berry patches are located in creek bottoms. There are some old burns scattered throughout the area which make for great habitat in the spring, once the grass comes up.
Access
As far as publicly accessible land goes, this area is great! There are many roads and trails throughout the mountain area, making the use of vehicles, ATVs, side by sides, mountain bikes or travelling on foot very easy. With the number of roads and trails, remote backcountry areas will be hard to find. You can get away from other hunters, but there will be a road or trail within a mile in most cases. When selecting an area to hunt, be sure to watch over areas with multiple food sources for the bears.
Camping and Lodging
There are a few options for modern lodging in the northern part of the Bighorn Mountains, located at Burgess Junction, Bear Lodge Resort and Elk View Inn. Both lodges have a restaurant and minimal supplies available. Bear Lodge has showers available for use for only $2.00 if you need one. There are also 8 developed campgrounds scattered through the area. You will find thousands of established undeveloped camping spots off every road on the mountain. The Forest Service has a free RV dump and water site located at Burgess Junction. Lovell and Greybull are the only two towns with grocery stores closeby, but they are located about 50 miles west.
Modern lodging available
Unlimited number of places to camp
Sporting goods available in Sheridan
Shell Falls and Medicine Wheel, located on HWY 14, are great places to visit while in the area
Historical Temperatures
High
Low
Moon Phases
March 2025
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5