Hunt Area 101, Black Butte, Wyoming
Which slopes are warming, which way the wind is drifting up or down the draws, and the benches and points that fit a mature buck's bed, mapped inside this unit's boundary.
Mule Deer — season & harvest40% draw46% success
- Tag type
- Limited Entry Draw
- Applicants
- 850
- Reported harvest
- 16
Pronghorn — season & harvest60% draw72% success
- Tag type
- Limited Entry Draw
- Applicants
- 480
About this unit
Sign in to contributeWyoming uses the number 101 for two distinct, geographically separate hunt areas under different species chapters: Deer Hunt Area 101 (Black Butte), located in Sweetwater County south of Rock Springs, is a highly regarded limited-quota mule deer unit covering roughly 1,094 square miles of BLM-dominated sagebrush and canyon country at 6,600–8,700 feet elevation with 66% public land. Antelope Hunt Area 101 (Yellow Point), in Sublette County near Pinedale, is a separate unit bounded by the Green River, WY-351, the New Fork River, Boulder Creek, and US-191, with 97.3% public land. There is no elk, white-tailed deer, moose, or bighorn sheep season designated within deer Area 101 under 2026 regulations. Both units are limited-quota draw only with no general over-the-counter license available.
DEER AREA 101 (Black Butte, Sweetwater County): Rugged canyon and butte country south of Rock Springs dominated by sagebrush flats, bitterbrush, juniper, pinyon pine, and prairie grass. Long, deep canyons separate elevated buttes — Black Butte and Pine Butte are prominent high points — that provide extensive glassing vantage points. Elevation ranges from approximately 6,600 to 8,700 feet. The area is a sea of sage with scattered canyon drainages flowing toward the Colorado border. ANTELOPE AREA 101 (Yellow Point, Sublette County): Rolling high-desert terrain at 6,500–7,500 feet in the Green River valley and New Fork River corridor near Pinedale. Open sagebrush flats with limited tree cover, good road access, and views across broad basins typical of the Upper Green River country.
DEER AREA 101 (Black Butte): Bounded by Wyoming Highway 430 (western boundary, from the Colorado state line northwest to Rock Springs), Interstate 80 (northern boundary from Rock Springs east to Bitter Creek Road), the Bitter Creek Road (Sweetwater County Road 19, eastern boundary), the Cow Creek-Powder Wash Road corridor (southeastern boundary), and the Wyoming-Colorado state line (southern boundary). Rock Springs (population ~23,000) is the nearest town and provides services. Four-wheel drive recommended; snow chains and a shovel required during rifle season in November. Cell service is limited. No wilderness designations restrict nonresident hunter access. ANTELOPE AREA 101 (Yellow Point): Bounded by Wyoming Highway 28 and the Green River (southwest), Wyoming Highway 351 (south from the Green River to the New Fork River), the New Fork River (northern boundary to Boulder Creek), Boulder Creek (northern boundary east to US-191), and US Highway 191 (eastern boundary south to WY-28). Pinedale is the nearest full-service town with good road access throughout the unit.
low
CRITICAL GEOGRAPHIC DISTINCTION: WGFD assigns the number 101 to two unrelated hunt areas under different species management chapters. Deer Hunt Area 101 (Black Butte) is in Sweetwater County, south of Rock Springs, bounded by WY-430 (west), I-80 (north), Bitter Creek Road/Cow Creek-Powder Wash Road (east and southeast), and the Colorado state line (south). Antelope Hunt Area 101 (Yellow Point) is in Sublette County near Pinedale, bounded by the Green River and WY-28 (southwest), WY-351 (south), New Fork River (north), Boulder Creek (north), and US-191 (east). These areas do not overlap geographically. | CWD STATUS (Deer Area 101 Black Butte): The Chapter 6 regulation text does not designate area-specific CWD zones, directing hunters to the regulation brochure. WGFD's CWD focus-area maps are updated annually (typically by August 1). The claim that Area 101 is formally classified as 'non-endemic' cannot be confirmed from the adopted regulation text or publicly available WGFD web pages and should be verified directly at wgfd.wyo.gov before publication. The 'Black Butte Feedground' mentioned in elk CWD reports is a different Black Butte located in Sublette County near Pinedale (Elk Hunt Area 93), not Sweetwater County Deer Area 101. | DRAW ODDS: Per third-party sources (HuntScore, GoHunt), approximately 15 preference points required for a realistic draw chance on the 25-tag deer quota. The unit scores highly on trophy-potential indices and is widely regarded as one of Wyoming's premier mule deer opportunities. These draw odds are third-party estimates, not official WGFD data. | QUOTA DATA SOURCE: The 2026 deer Type 1 quota of 25 and the 2026 antelope Type 1 quota of 50 come from the final adopted WGFD regulations dated April 22, 2026. Confirm current quotas and any leftover draw availability at wgfd.wyo.gov before applying. | PUBLIC LAND: 66% public (BLM-dominated) per GoHunt for Deer Area 101. The 97.3% public land figure applies only to Antelope Area 101 (Yellow Point, Sublette County). | SOUTH ROCK SPRINGS HERD: Deer Area 101 falls within the South Rock Springs mule deer herd unit (Areas 101 and 102). The herd avoided the severe 2022-23 winter losses seen in other Wyoming herds, with some older age classes available to hunters. This herd affiliation is sourced from third-party references; confirm current herd unit designation at wgfd.wyo.gov. | HUNTING PRESSURE: Low for deer due to 25-tag quota and large unit size (~1,094 sq mi). Pronghorn Area 101 moderate pressure with 50 tags.
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Boundaries: WGFD official Deer Hunt Areas. Community info last updated 115d ago.