3-D satellite terrain of Unit 105, served by Wayward — the free iPhone GPS app from the people behind Sleeper Units. Drag to turn, scroll or pinch to zoom. Get Wayward and the whole unit rides on your phone, offline.
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Area 105 covers the country in the northern Bighorn Basin near Lovell and the Bighorn Lake (Yellowtail Reservoir) shoreline along the Wyoming-Montana line. Elevations run from about 3,800 feet on the reservoir shore to 5,500 feet on the surrounding sage benches. The country is mostly open: big sagebrush, greasewood, and bunchgrass flats with scattered eroded badlands, irrigated agricultural land along the Shoshone and Bighorn rivers, and the dramatic Pryor Mountains rising on the Montana side just to the north (containing the famous wild horse range). The Bighorn Lake itself is a 71-mile-long reservoir on the Bighorn River backed up by the Yellowtail Dam in Montana—deep-canyon country where the lake fills the old river canyon with red and yellow rock walls towering above. The Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area covers a chunk of the unit.
BLM, state, and private split the country with the National Park Service managing the Bighorn Canyon NRA (regulated, special hunting rules apply). US-14A and WY-310 are the paved spine. Lovell is the supply town with gas, motels, and a Pizza Hut—the kind of small Wyoming basin town that runs on irrigated ag and tourist trade from the Pryor Mountains. Cell service is fair on the highways. Antelope rifle in October is the headline; the open sage flats hold strong pronghorn numbers. Mule deer in the canyon breaks; whitetail in the cottonwood bottoms. Wind off the Pryors and Bighorns is constant.
Unit Stats
Hunting Season Temps (3-yr avg)
Sep
73°
46°
Oct
55°
33°
Nov
40°
21°
Dec
29°
12°
Jan
25°
10°
Feb
26°
8°
Recent Trophy Scores · 2020–2025
Trophy score data is tracked by county, so the overlap with GMU boundaries is approximate. These numbers tell you whether the area is capable of growing big animals — they do not indicate public vs. private land. Big elk can come from anywhere; most elk in the lower 48 trace back to Yellowstone stock that was transplanted west after the species was nearly extirpated in the early 1900s.
County
Species
Method
Count
Avg Score
Top Score
Lincoln
Elk
Archery
5
316
330
Lincoln
Mule Deer
Archery
1
185
185
Lincoln
Mule Deer
Rifle
1
181
181
Lincoln
Pronghorn
Archery
6
71
77
Lincoln
Pronghorn
Rifle
2
83
85
Sweetwater
Pronghorn
Archery
6
74
78
Sweetwater
Pronghorn
Rifle
8
83
86
Uinta
Mule Deer
Rifle
1
194
194
Uinta
Pronghorn
Archery
1
79
79
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Nearest Towns
Casper
Full services: gas, groceries (Walmart, Albertsons, Ridley's), lodging, hospital (Wyoming Medical Center). Largest central WY city.
Glenrock
Small town; gas, groceries, lodging. 20 mi E of Casper on I-25.
Thermopolis
Full services: gas, groceries, lodging, hot springs. Gateway to Owl Creek Mountains.
Shoshoni
Small town; gas, basic supplies. Junction of US-20 and US-26.
Lusk
Small town; gas, groceries, lodging. Eastern staging for units 18, 108-110.
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Campgrounds
Casper Mountain Campground
Natrona County Parks
Casper Mountain; 39 sites; 8,000 ft; popular local hunting base.
Grave Springs Campground
BLM
South of Casper; 5 sites; convenient BLM staging area.
Boysen State Park
WY State Parks
Near Shoshoni; multiple loops along Boysen Reservoir. Good base for central WY hunts.
Wind River Canyon Campground
Various
Between Shoshoni and Thermopolis; scenic canyon; limited sites.
Dispersed camping
BLM / USFS
Abundant BLM land in central Wyoming; also available on Casper Mountain and in the Bighorn foothills.
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Statewide Outfitters & Directories
These outfitters operate statewide or in multiple regions. Check each one's website to confirm they cover Unit 105.