3-D satellite terrain of Unit 45, 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 45 covers the country around Glenrock and the southern Powder River Basin between Casper and Douglas—rolling sage prairie, eroded breaks along the North Platte and Big Muddy Creek, and the long benches that climb gently up toward the Laramie Range to the south. Elevations run from about 4,500 feet on the river bottoms to 6,500 feet on the higher benches. The North Platte cuts through with cottonwood-and-willow bottoms and irrigated hay meadows; the surrounding country is sage prairie with scattered ponderosa pine on the breaks where coal-bearing formations have eroded. The region's coal-bed methane and oil and gas activity is everywhere—pumpjacks, gas plants, gravel pads, and the network of lease roads that come with extraction. The wildlife adapts; the country is still good country.
BLM, state trust, and significant private with extensive HMA and Walk-In access. I-25 frames the south; US-20/26 cuts east-west; county and lease roads thread the basin. Glenrock has gas and a grocery store; Casper is the full-service hub 25 miles west. Cell service is fair on I-25 and reasonable through the developed gas fields. Antelope rifle in October is the headline—the open sage holds strong pronghorn numbers and the broken creek-side country is where the mature bucks live. Mule deer use the breaks and pine-edge country; whitetail are in the river bottoms. Wind is constant, energy traffic is constant, and the country is bigger than it looks driving I-25.
Unit Stats
Hunting Season Temps (3-yr avg)
Sep
74°
51°
Oct
54°
35°
Nov
41°
24°
Dec
34°
17°
Jan
31°
15°
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
Big Horn
Elk
Archery
5
294
313
Big Horn
Pronghorn
Archery
11
76
81
Big Horn
Pronghorn
Rifle
3
84
88
Johnson
Elk
Archery
10
313
350
Johnson
Elk
Rifle
1
394
394
Johnson
Mule Deer
Archery
2
154
155
Johnson
Pronghorn
Archery
17
72
78
Washakie
Elk
Archery
2
296
310
Washakie
Pronghorn
Rifle
2
82
82
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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 45.