Wyoming

As a haven for big game, pro­tect­ing road­less areas in Wyoming ben­e­fits both back­coun­try and front-country hunters.

• About 9.2 of Wyoming’s 62.6 mil­lion acres (about 15 per­cent) are pub­lic U.S. For­est Ser­vice lands.

• Of those 9.2 mil­lion acres of U.S. For­est Ser­vice Lands, about 3.3 mil­lion acres, or 35 per­cent are inven­to­ried road­less areas.

• About 17,000 acres, or 0.18 per­cent of total U.S. For­est Ser­vice Lands are rec­om­mended for wilder­ness designation

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Spot­light on South­ern Wind River Range

The Wind River Moun­tains are one of Wyoming’s most iconic and most vis­ited ranges.  Locally and nation­ally the Winds are a sportsmen’s des­ti­na­tion.  Whether look­ing to kill a tro­phy bull or catch a golden trout, there is some­thing for everyone.

Up Close

Guard­ing the south­ern tip of the range are 157,522 total acres of For­est Ser­vice back­coun­try lands that serve as the gate­way to the range.  These lands con­tain excel­lent hunt­ing and fish­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties as well as great access for sports­men of all stripes. Guides and out­fit­ters depend on the region’s qual­ity habi­tat and access to the moun­tains, while local hotels and busi­nesses are full of hunters and anglers dur­ing the sum­mer and fall seasons.

Hunt­ing

The South­ern Winds pro­vide excel­lent big game hunt­ing for deer and elk. On the East­ern side of the range, such as in hunt area 28, elk hunters can pur­chase an over the counter gen­eral elk tag that allows them to shoot any elk for a three week sea­son.  An addi­tional 283 late sea­son cow tags were avail­able in 2011 with a 100 per­cent draw rate for first choice appli­cants.  On the West­ern side elk tags are lim­ited quota but there are good draw rates and long seasons.

Fish­ing

The South­ern Winds serve as the head­wa­ters for the Big Sandy, Sweet­wa­ter and all three Forks of the Popo Agie rivers. These fish­eries con­tain some of the best wild trout fish­ing in the state from brook trout in their upper reaches to browns, rain­bows and cut­throat fur­ther down.  Sev­eral moun­tain lakes, con­tain­ing a vari­ety of fish species includ­ing golden trout, which the Wind River Moun­tains are famous for, are in road­less areas.

Con­tacts: