3-D satellite terrain of Unit 15, 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 15 covers the Bighorn Basin floor between Greybull, Basin, and Worland—flat-to-rolling sagebrush and agricultural country at modest elevations. Elevations range from about 3,800 feet on the Bighorn River to 5,500 feet on the surrounding benchlands. The terrain is classic Wyoming basin: big sagebrush flats, irrigated hay fields and beet fields along the Bighorn River, cottonwood-lined river bottoms, and eroded badland formations on the benches. This is pronghorn country first and foremost—the open sage flats support excellent antelope numbers. Mule deer use the breaks and river-bottom cover, and whitetail are increasingly present in the cottonwood corridors along the Bighorn and its tributaries.
Land ownership is a mix of BLM, state trust, and private agricultural land. The BLM ground is generally accessible and provides ample pronghorn hunting territory. US-20 and US-16/20 provide the main access corridors, with county roads and two-track reaching the benchlands. Greybull, Basin, and Worland all have gas, groceries, and basic lodging. Cell service is decent along the highways. This is a windshield-and-glass pronghorn hunt—cover the sage flats from the road, identify a buck, plan a stalk using terrain features for concealment, and execute. The flat terrain makes long-range stalking a chess game of using every shallow draw and sagebrush clump for cover. Mule deer hunters should focus on the breaks and badland formations where the terrain provides more security cover. October weather is pleasant on the basin floor—the Bighorn Basin sits in the rain shadow of the surrounding mountains and gets less precipitation than almost anywhere in Wyoming.
Area 15 on the Bighorn Basin floor is pronghorn country — nonresidents can typically draw antelope tags with 0-1 preference points, making it an excellent entry point for first-time Wyoming hunters. The area has zero wilderness designations and no grizzly bear concerns. Access is predominantly BLM and state trust land on the benchlands, with private agricultural land along the Bighorn River and its tributaries. The resident/nonresident allocation favors residents but the quota is generous enough that nonresidents draw regularly. The area is known for high antelope densities on the sage flats with good public access, plus an underappreciated whitetail deer opportunity in the cottonwood river bottoms. Mule deer in the benchland breaks are a secondary draw. The flat, open terrain makes this a spot-and-stalk proposition where optics and patience matter more than physical fitness.
Unit Stats
Hunting Season Temps (3-yr avg)
Sep
71°
46°
Oct
53°
32°
Nov
39°
22°
Dec
30°
15°
Jan
26°
11°
Feb
25°
9°
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
Carbon
Elk
Archery
19
315
347
Carbon
Elk
Rifle
2
374
380
Carbon
Mule Deer
Rifle
2
186
191
Carbon
Pronghorn
Archery
9
74
78
Carbon
Pronghorn
Rifle
13
84
89
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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 15.