Unit 116 North Black Hills (Area 116)
Wyoming's pine-timbered northeast corner around the Bear Lodge Mountains and Devils Tower — the state's whitetail stronghold, where private access defines success.
Black Hills / Bear Lodge Mountains · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
2,295
sq mi
Public land
25%
approx.
Elevation
3,500–6,700
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Area 116 covers Wyoming's northeast corner — essentially Crook County and the portion of Weston County north of U.S. 16 or east of U.S. 85 — centered on the ponderosa-pine Bear Lodge Mountains and the Bearlodge Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest. It is an anomaly for Wyoming: a wooded, higher-rainfall island of Black Hills country with the state's best whitetail deer hunting, resident mule deer, wild turkey, and a Black Hills elk herd that lives mostly on private ground. The unit is large but public land is a relatively small share, so access is the central challenge.
Terrain
Ponderosa-pine ridges, limestone canyons, and grassy parks of the Bear Lodge Mountains rising above surrounding rangeland, river valleys, and rolling agricultural bottoms.
Cover: Ponderosa pine forest with bur oak, aspen, and shrubby draws in the Black Hills core; grasslands, sagebrush, and hay-meadow river bottoms with cottonwood and brush around the mountains.
Landmarks: Bear Lodge Mountains · Black Hills National Forest (Bearlodge Ranger District) · Devils Tower National Monument · Warren Peaks · Belle Fourche River · Sundance
Access
Public land is a minority of this large unit and is concentrated in the Black Hills National Forest (Bear Lodge / Bearlodge district); the surrounding lower ground is dominated by private ranch and farmland. Not a Union Pacific checkerboard unit, but game — especially elk and the biggest whitetails — spends most of its time on private, so securing landowner permission or hunting national-forest edges is decisive. Devils Tower National Monument is closed to hunting. Some private is enrolled in WGFD Hunter Management / walk-in access; the Crook and Weston county assessor offices help with landowner contacts.
Managers: private ranch, USFS Black Hills National Forest, WY state trust, BLM
Access points: Sundance (I-90) · Hulett and Alva along WY-24 · Black Hills National Forest / Bearlodge district roads · Warren Peak / Cook Lake Recreation Area roads · U.S. 14 / U.S. 85 corridors
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityWyoming's premier whitetail country — the Black Hills timber, oak draws, and river bottoms hold strong whitetail numbers and mature bucks, though the best hunting is on private ground.
- →Hunt the transition edges where pine timber, oak brush, and hay/ag bottoms meet at dawn and dusk
- →Still-hunt or stand-hunt travel corridors between bedding timber and feed
- →During the rut, focus on doe concentrations in the river-bottom and field-edge cover
- →Secure private access or work national-forest edges where deer move off private
Mule Deer
common opportunityMule deer share the country, favoring the more open sage-and-grass breaks and pine ridges; bucks are spread out and abundant fall cover/water can make them harder to pin down.
- →Glass open ridges, parks, and breaks separate from the whitetail bottoms
- →Hunt higher pine-and-grass terrain of the Bear Lodge foothills
- →Cover country and glass at first and last light
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityThe Black Hills elk herd is present but densities on the Bearlodge National Forest are low in fall; elk are quickly displaced by pressure onto private land, where most harvest occurs.
- →Hunt national-forest timber early before pressure pushes elk to private
- →Glass forest-edge parks and meadows at first light
- →Private-land access is the highest-percentage path to an elk here
Pro tips
- →Line up private-land permission early — it is the difference-maker for elk and the biggest whitetails
- →Hunt the timber-to-ag edges at first and last light for whitetails
- →Use the Crook/Weston county assessor offices to find and contact landowners
- →Work national-forest ground early in the season before pressure pushes elk onto private
- →Devils Tower National Monument is closed to hunting — know the boundary
Watch out for
- !Limited public land in a large unit — most quality hunting is on private
- !Elk and big whitetails concentrate on private ranchland
- !Devils Tower National Monument closed to hunting
- !Early Black Hills snow and muddy forest/ranch roads
- !Fire restrictions in the national forest during dry spells
Logistics
Sundance on I-90 is the main hub with fuel, lodging, and supplies; Hulett near Devils Tower offers limited services. The Black Hills National Forest has developed campgrounds (e.g., Cook Lake, Reuter). This corner gets more moisture and heavier timber than the rest of Wyoming — expect real forest hunting and be ready for early snow. County assessor offices are a practical resource for landowner contacts.
Nearest towns: Sundance, Hulett, Moorcroft, Gillette (west), Spearfish SD (east)
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: WGFD — Black Hills deer outlook (Ask Game and Fish) · WGFD Elk Hunting Guide · GOHUNT — Wyoming Area 116 (North Black Hills) Unit Profile · USFS Black Hills National Forest
FAQ
- How big is Unit 116 in Wyoming?
- Unit 116 (North Black Hills (Area 116)) covers about 2,295 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,500 to 6,700 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 116?
- Approximately 25% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch, USFS Black Hills National Forest, WY state trust, BLM. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 116?
- Whitetail Deer, Mule 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 116 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.