Unit 34 Upper Powder River (Area 34)
Big-country elk and outlaw canyons where the southeast Bighorns spill into the Powder River ranchlands.
Southeast Bighorn Mountains / Upper Powder River · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
827
sq mi
Public land
41%
approx.
Elevation
4,600–10,500
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Area 34 stretches from the timbered southeast flank of the Bighorn Mountains east across the Middle Fork Powder River and the legendary Hole-in-the-Wall / Red Wall country toward the wide private ranchlands of the Powder River Basin in Johnson and Washakie counties. It is a genuinely mixed unit: respectable elk numbers hold on the mountain, mule deer and pronghorn work the breaks and sage, and whitetails haunt the river bottoms, but roughly 41 percent of the unit is public and much of the basin is locked up in large deeded ranches. Hunters who put in the legwork to reach the rugged, remote pockets can find some very good bulls.
Terrain
High-plains sage and river breaks around 4,600 feet along Crazy Woman and the Middle Fork Powder River rising west into the timbered, moderate-to-rugged southeast Bighorns, topping out near Hazelton Peak/Pyramid around 10,500 feet.
Cover: Sagebrush-grass basins, greasewood river bottoms and cottonwood/willow along the Powder River drainages, giving way to mountain shrub, aspen, and dense lodgepole and Douglas fir on the mountain.
Landmarks: Middle Fork Powder River · Hole-in-the-Wall / Red Wall · Outlaw Cave (BLM) · Hazelton Peak · Crazy Woman Creek · Powder River Basin · Bighorn National Forest (southeast edge)
Access
Public and private are heavily interwoven: the Bighorn National Forest and BLM tracts (including the Outlaw Cave / Middle Fork Powder River area) offer the best walk-in country, but the eastern basin is dominated by large deeded ranches and scattered state sections. This is not the southern Union Pacific checkerboard, yet corner-crossing and isolated state/BLM sections are a real concern, so verify section lines before crossing between public parcels. Some access runs through Hunter Management / walk-in arrangements and ranch permission.
Managers: private ranch, BLM, USFS Bighorn NF, WY state trust
Access points: I-25 / Kaycee as the basin gateway · Middle Fork Powder River / Hole-in-the-Wall and Outlaw Cave BLM roads west of Kaycee · Bighorn NF roads off the mountain's southeast flank · county and ranch roads across the Powder River Basin (permission where private)
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityElk hold mostly on the timbered southeast Bighorns and can produce some excellent bulls, but the split of public timber and private ranchland means you must hunt hard and reach the rugged, remote pockets.
- →Get above the roads into the timbered high country and hunt the dark-timber-to-park edges at first and last light
- →Hunt early before pressure and storms push elk onto inaccessible private ground
- →Glass mountain parks and burn edges, then still-hunt the timber stringers
- →Scout access and private boundaries thoroughly before the season
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer use the mountain shrub, aspen benches and the rough Powder River breaks; mature bucks tuck into the canyon country and rimrock around the Middle Fork and Red Wall.
- →Glass the rimrock, draws and mountain-shrub benches at dawn
- →Work the sage-to-timber transition on the mountain flank
- →Hunt the broken canyon country around the Middle Fork Powder River
Pronghorn
common qualityThe Powder River Basin sage flats hold strong pronghorn numbers, though much of the best ground is private ranchland requiring permission or accessed via BLM/state parcels.
- →Glass the open sage from basin rises and spot-and-stalk with terrain folds
- →Check water sources and two-tracks midday
- →Line up ranch permission or public BLM/state access ahead of time
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityWhitetails inhabit the cottonwood and willow bottoms along the Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek, mostly on private ground.
- →Hunt the river-bottom cover edges morning and evening
- →Focus on cottonwood/willow corridors and adjacent alfalfa
- →Secure landowner permission for bottomland access
Pro tips
- →Hunt the mountain early and hard, before elk drift to inaccessible private ground.
- →Map the public/private mosaic carefully; scattered state sections and corner-crossing situations are common here.
- →The Outlaw Cave / Middle Fork Powder River BLM country is legitimate public access into rugged canyon terrain west of Kaycee.
- →Line up ranch or walk-in permission for basin pronghorn and river-bottom whitetail well before the season.
- →Carry recovery gear; the clay roads are treacherous after rain or snow.
Watch out for
- !Only about 41 percent public; large deeded ranches dominate the basin.
- !Scattered state/BLM sections and corner-crossing pinch points between public parcels.
- !Gumbo clay roads and early snow that can strand vehicles.
- !Fall storms pushing elk onto private ground; verify boundaries with a mapping app.
Logistics
Kaycee, just off I-25, is the practical basin gateway with fuel and basic services; Buffalo to the north offers full lodging, groceries and gas. The mountain side is a boots-and-horses proposition on Bighorn NF and BLM roads, while the basin requires long drives on county and ranch roads. Carry high-clearance/4WD, recovery gear and water; cell coverage is spotty off the interstate.
Nearest towns: Kaycee, Buffalo, Barnum, Mayoworth
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT Wyoming Elk Unit 34 (Upper Powder River) Profile · HuntScore Wyoming Hunt Area 34 (Johnson & Washakie Counties) · WGFD 2023 Elk Hunt Area Maps
FAQ
- How big is Unit 34 in Wyoming?
- Unit 34 (Upper Powder River (Area 34)) covers about 827 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,600 to 10,500 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 34?
- Approximately 41% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch, BLM, USFS Bighorn NF, WY state trust. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 34?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Whitetail Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 34 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.