Unit 1 Black Hills (Area 1)
Ponderosa-pine island on the prairie — Wyoming's best whitetail country wrapped around the Bear Lodge Mountains.
Black Hills · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
101
sq mi
Public land
30%
approx.
Elevation
3,600–6,650
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Hunt Area 1 covers all of Crook County plus the northeast corner of Weston County, the Wyoming slice of the Black Hills. It is a green, timbered island rising out of the shortgrass plains: the Bear Lodge Mountains and Black Hills National Forest at the core, Belle Fourche River bottoms and rolling ranch country on the flanks. Unlike most of Wyoming, whitetail deer are the marquee animal here, with mule deer on the higher pine ridges and a limited-draw elk herd in the Bear Lodge. Access is the story — the checkerboard does not reach this corner, but the country is a patchwork of national forest and tightly-held private ranch.
Terrain
Ponderosa-pine hills and limestone ridges of the Bear Lodge Mountains rising from surrounding grassland; cut by the Belle Fourche River and countless creek draws. Warren Peaks is the local high point.
Cover: Ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain juniper on the ridges, bur oak and green ash in the draws, cottonwood galleries along the Belle Fourche, sagebrush-grassland and hayfields in the valleys.
Landmarks: Bear Lodge Mountains · Warren Peaks · Devils Tower (NPS — no hunting) · Belle Fourche River · Sundance Mountain · Cook Lake
Access
No Union Pacific checkerboard in this corner — but public ground is limited and interlocked with large private ranches, so knowing forest boundaries matters. WGFD Walk-In and Hunter Management Areas in Crook County open otherwise-private ground; get permission slips before hunting them. Devils Tower National Monument is closed to hunting.
Managers: USFS Black Hills NF (Bearlodge Ranger District), private ranch, WY state trust, BLM
Access points: Bearlodge Ranger District roads out of Sundance and Hulett · Cook Lake Recreation Area · Warren Peaks Road · Crook County Walk-In Areas · US 14 / WY 24 corridors
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityThe Black Hills hold Wyoming's densest whitetail population. Deer bed in the pine and oak draws and feed out onto ag fields and meadow edges morning and evening.
- →Glass creek-bottom hayfields and oak draws at first and last light
- →Still-hunt pine benches and dark timber during the November rut
- →Watch transitions between national-forest timber and private ag for cross-boundary movement
- →Rattling and grunt calls can work the rut on public timber
Mule Deer
common opportunityMule deer share the higher pine ridges and open juniper breaks, generally outnumbered by whitetails but present on the rougher public country.
- →Hunt higher, more open ridges and rimrock where muleys separate from whitetails
- →Glass sage-and-juniper edges on the west side of the Bear Lodge
- →Be certain of species ID where the two overlap
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityA reintroduced Bear Lodge elk herd offers a coveted, hard-to-draw hunt in the timbered core; numbers are modest but bulls can be good.
- →Focus on Black Hills NF timber pockets and meadow parks
- →Locate bugling bulls at dawn in the dark timber, then still-hunt in
- →Expect elk to shuttle onto private at first pressure
Pronghorn
common opportunityPronghorn hold on the open grassland and sage flats fringing the hills, mostly on private ranch ground on the county's plains.
- →Glass the open prairie margins away from the timber
- →Line up private-land permission or Walk-In access early — much antelope range here is deeded
Cougar
common opportunityMountain lions track the abundant deer through the pine and rimrock; a pursuit-season resource more than a walk-up hunt.
- →Cut fresh tracks after snow on forest roads and ridges
- →Focus on rugged timber and canyon country holding deer
Pro tips
- →This is whitetail country first — hunt the rut in November for the best bucks
- →Sort out land ownership before opening morning; public and private interlock tightly with no checkerboard rule to rely on
- →Line up Crook County Walk-In or HMA permission ahead of time to expand access
- →Wet weather turns the two-tracks to gumbo — carry recovery gear and watch the sky
- →Devils Tower and its buffer are closed to hunting — know the monument boundary
Watch out for
- !Extensive private ranch interlocked with national forest — trespass is easy without a map and GPS boundaries
- !Gumbo roads after rain or snow can strand vehicles
- !Devils Tower National Monument closed to hunting
- !Verify whitetail vs. mule deer where ranges overlap
- !Early-season fire restrictions possible in the pine
Logistics
Sundance (I-90) is the hub with fuel, lodging, groceries and a hospital; Hulett serves the north end near Devils Tower. Gillette to the west is the nearest full-service city. Forest roads are graded but turn to greasy gumbo when wet.
Nearest towns: Sundance, Hulett, Moorcroft, Beulah, Gillette
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: WGFD Ask Game & Fish — Black Hills deer outlook · WGFD Hunt Planner · HuntScore — Wyoming Hunt Area 1 (Black Hills)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 1 in Wyoming?
- Unit 1 (Black Hills (Area 1)) covers about 101 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,600 to 6,650 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 1?
- Approximately 30% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Black Hills NF (Bearlodge Ranger District), private ranch, WY state trust, BLM. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 1?
- Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 1 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.