Unit 11 Medicine Bow River (Area 11)
Legendary Shirley Basin pronghorn country along the Medicine Bow River, deer in the bottoms and a few mountain elk to the south
Shirley Basin · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
693
sq mi
Public land
60%
approx.
Elevation
6,600–12,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Area 11 spans the sage basin and river-bottom country of the Medicine Bow River as it runs north out of the Snowy Range toward the North Platte, taking in the southwest edge of the famous Shirley Basin near the towns of Medicine Bow and Hanna. This is some of the best pronghorn ground in the world, with mule deer using the breaks and river bottoms, whitetail creeping up the willow-lined drainages, and a small elk herd holding on the national-forest high country at the unit's southern edge. Access is a patchwork of BLM, state and big private ranches, with the Medicine Bow River and Simpson Ridge Hunter Management Areas layered on top.
Terrain
Mostly open high-plains sage basin at 6,600-7,800 ft along the Medicine Bow River and Shirley Basin, rising to rugged foothills and, at the far southern edge, the timbered Snowy Range/Elk Mountain high country. Big, rolling, glassable country that eats miles.
Cover: Wyoming big sagebrush and grassland across the basin; greasewood and willow-lined bottoms along the Medicine Bow River; aspen, lodgepole and spruce-fir on the southern national-forest slopes.
Landmarks: Medicine Bow River · Shirley Basin · Como Bluff · Freezeout Hills · Simpson Ridge · Elk Mountain (to the south) · town of Medicine Bow
Access
Around 60% public but broken up by large private ranches and Union Pacific land-grant checkerboard sections in the basin — many public parcels are surrounded or corner-locked. Two WGFD Hunter Management Areas help: the Medicine Bow River HMA (23,094 ac of the Herman and Medicine Bow River ranches, just south of Medicine Bow, antelope-only, permission slip + vehicle pass required) and the nearby Simpson Ridge HMA — but you may hold a slip for only one of the two. Southern elk ground is on Medicine Bow NF.
Managers: BLM, WY state trust, private ranch, USFS Medicine Bow NF
Access points: US-30/US-287 through Medicine Bow and Hanna · WY-487 north into Shirley Basin · county/BLM roads off the highways · Medicine Bow NF access roads at the southern edge
Species notes
Pronghorn
abundant qualityThe headline species — the Shirley Basin/Medicine Bow country is world-class antelope range with excellent buck numbers and consistently high success. The Medicine Bow River HMA opens otherwise-private ground to antelope hunters who draw a permission slip.
- →Glass the sage benches and basin edges at first and last light, then spot-and-stalk
- →Chase an HMA permission slip to unlock the river-bottom private ground
- →Early-season bucks tie to water; sit or still-hunt tanks and river access
- →Learn the checkerboard so a stalk doesn't dead-end on private
Mule Deer
common opportunitySteady mule deer numbers in the breaks, coulees and river bottoms; more of an opportunity/meat hunt than a trophy destination, though heavier bucks live in the rougher draws and the southern foothills.
- →Work the broken rim and draw country rather than open flats
- →Hunt river-bottom edges at dawn/dusk
- →Push higher toward the foothills for bigger bucks
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityA limited but real whitetail presence in the willow-lined Medicine Bow River bottoms and irrigated ag edges, mostly on private ground.
- →Focus on river-bottom cover and ag edges
- →Access hinges on landowner permission or HMA/walk-in ground
- →Hunt travel corridors between bedding cover and feed at first/last light
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityA small elk herd holds on the Medicine Bow NF timber at the unit's southern edge; mostly a migratory/edge opportunity rather than a core elk area.
- →Hunt the southern national-forest timber and its sage/timber edges
- →Glass parks at dawn and be ready to cover ground
- →Weather and pressure move these elk between the forest and lower private
Pro tips
- →Put in for a Medicine Bow River or Simpson Ridge HMA permission slip to reach otherwise-private antelope ground — but you can hold only one
- →Map the checkerboard and ranch boundaries before the hunt; this basin is a public/private jigsaw
- →Shirley Basin rewards glassing over walking — cover country with optics from high benches
- →Fuel and resupply in Rawlins or Laramie; the small towns have little
- →Watch the sky — a Snowy Range storm can turn the roads to gumbo within the hour
Watch out for
- !Large private ranches plus UP land-grant checkerboard — verify every section and corner
- !HMA permission slips and vehicle passes required; you may hold only one of Medicine Bow River / Simpson Ridge
- !Gumbo roads impassable when wet; limited services in the small towns
- !Relentless wind and fast-moving fall storms off the mountains
Logistics
Medicine Bow and Hanna offer basic fuel and limited lodging; Rawlins and Laramie (each about an hour) have full services. Cell coverage is spotty off the highways. Basin dirt roads are fine when dry but turn to gumbo in rain or snowmelt.
Nearest towns: Medicine Bow, Hanna, Elk Mountain, Rawlins, Laramie
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: WGFD Medicine Bow River HMA · GOHUNT Wyoming Unit 11 Medicine Bow River profile · WGFD Hunt Planner
FAQ
- How big is Unit 11 in Wyoming?
- Unit 11 (Medicine Bow River (Area 11)) covers about 693 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,600 to 12,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 11?
- Approximately 60% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, WY state trust, private ranch, USFS Medicine Bow NF. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 11?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 11 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.