Unit 21 Baggs (Area 21)
Big-country general elk on the Sierra Madre backbone above famous Baggs mule deer range.
Sierra Madre / Little Snake River · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,004
sq mi
Public land
93%
approx.
Elevation
6,200–11,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Area 21 spans roughly a thousand square miles of south-central Carbon County, from the broken sage prairie and Atlantic Rim breaks around Baggs up onto the timbered eastern flank of the Sierra Madre in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. It is a rare high-public-land unit here (well over 90 percent public), holding a healthy general-license elk herd in the forest and one of Wyoming's best-known mule deer migration corridors on the lower country. Pronghorn are abundant across the basin sage.
Terrain
Broken high-desert prairie and rimrock breaks in the west rising to steep, timbered mountain slopes on the Sierra Madre backbone (Bridger Peak ~11,000 ft) along the eastern edge.
Cover: Big sagebrush, grass and greasewood flats on the basin; aspen, lodgepole and spruce-fir timber with mountain-shrub parks and riparian willow along the Little Snake River bottoms.
Landmarks: Little Snake River · Atlantic Rim · Sierra Madre Range · Bridger Peak · Savery Creek · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Access
The lower Little Snake basin and Atlantic Rim are a classic Union Pacific land-grant checkerboard of alternating public/private sections; corner-crossing to reach landlocked public is contentious in Carbon County, so verify section lines with an on-X-style layer. The National Forest on the east side is largely contiguous public with forest-road access.
Managers: BLM, USFS Medicine Bow-Routt NF, WY state trust, private ranch
Access points: Wyoming Highway 70 (Battle Pass) into the Sierra Madre · Savery/Dixon county roads · BLM roads off WY 789 north of Baggs · Forest Road access from Encampment side
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityGeneral-license Sierra Madre elk hold in the timbered eastern forest; solid success for a general tag but you must climb into the National Forest to find them.
- →Hunt aspen/conifer edges and dark timber pockets on the east flank
- →Glass forest parks and burns at first and last light
- →Push higher and away from roads as pressure builds through the general season
Mule Deer
common qualityThe Baggs herd is one of Wyoming's storied migratory mule deer populations, recovering from hard winters; bucks funnel through the corridor between Atlantic Rim winter range and Sierra Madre summer range.
- →Time hunts to migration pushes when weather moves deer off the mountain
- →Glass sage draws and rim breaks off the Atlantic Rim
- →Work the timber/sage transition on the forest fringe
Pronghorn
abundant qualityAbundant on the Little Snake basin sage flats; strong buck numbers on accessible BLM.
- →Glass from high rim points across sage basins
- →Spot-and-stalk using draws and cutbanks
- →Focus water sources and two-tracks midday
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityA modest whitetail presence uses the Little Snake River bottoms and irrigated valley cover.
- →Hunt river cottonwood and willow bottoms mornings/evenings
- →Secure permission for private valley land
- →Watch field edges at dusk
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears inhabit the Sierra Madre timber and berry patches on the east side.
- →Glass avalanche chutes and berry-rich slopes late summer/fall
- →Still-hunt aspen benches
- →Watch oak/serviceberry pockets
Pro tips
- →Treat this as two hunts: alpine timber for elk on the east side, sage basin for deer and pronghorn on the west.
- →Download a current parcel/section layer before you go; the Atlantic Rim checkerboard hides landlocked public.
- →For elk, get into the National Forest and away from the road system where pressure concentrates.
- →Watch the weather window for both migratory deer and elk pushes.
- →Carry recovery gear and extra fuel; services in the Little Snake valley are minimal.
Watch out for
- !Union Pacific checkerboard and corner-crossing disputes in the lower Little Snake/Atlantic Rim country.
- !Private ranch inholdings and irrigated valley land requiring permission.
- !Gumbo roads impassable when wet; early mountain snow.
- !Long distances between services and limited cell coverage.
Logistics
Baggs, Dixon and Savery offer only basic services (fuel, small store, limited lodging); Rawlins to the north and Craig, Colorado to the south are the nearest full resupply and motels. Cell coverage is spotty off the highways. High-clearance/4WD is strongly advised for BLM two-tracks and forest roads.
Nearest towns: Baggs, Dixon, Savery, Rawlins, Encampment
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT Wyoming Elk Unit 21 (Baggs) Profile · WGFD Baggs Mule Deer Migration Corridor · WGFD 2025 Wyoming Hunt Forecast
FAQ
- How big is Unit 21 in Wyoming?
- Unit 21 (Baggs (Area 21)) covers about 1,004 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,200 to 11,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 21?
- Approximately 93% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, USFS Medicine Bow-Routt NF, WY state trust, private ranch. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 21?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Whitetail Deer, Black Bear. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 21 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.