Hunt Area 115, Thorofare, Wyoming

Extremely remote wilderness occupying all drainage of the Yellowstone River upstream from Yellowstone Lake and outside Yellowstone National Park, in Teton County. Elevation ranges from approximately 7,962 to 11,058 feet (GoHunt; not confirmed from official WGFD source). The unit consists of rugged alpine and subalpine terrain with dense conifer forest, open meadows, alpine lakes, and high-elevation ridges. Snow is common early in the season and can accumulate to three or more feet by mid-winter. The Thorofare is widely regarded as the most remote wilderness in the contiguous United States. No roads exist within the unit.

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CRITICAL UNIT NUMBER DISAMBIGUATION: Wyoming uses the number '115' for two entirely different geographic areas depending on species. Deer/big game Chapter 6 Area 115 = Thorofare (Teton County, all drainage of Yellowstone River upstream of Yellowstone Lake outside Yellowstone National Park). Antelope Chapter 5 Area 115 = Upper Nowood (Washakie/Big Horn County foothills, east of Worland). Elk Chapter 7 has no Area 115 — the Thorofare is Elk Area 60. Hunters must confirm the correct area number for their target species on their license. | NONRESIDENT GUIDE REQUIREMENT: Wyoming Statute § 23-2-401 requires nonresident hunters to be accompanied by a licensed professional guide or a resident guide (who must obtain a free non-commercial resident guide license from WGFD) to hunt big or trophy game in any federally designated wilderness area. Ratio: one guide per two nonresident hunters maximum. A resident guide may not guide more than two nonresidents per calendar year and may not accept compensation. The entire Thorofare deer unit falls within designated wilderness. | GRIZZLY BEARS: The Thorofare has a high concentration of grizzly bears. Grizzly bear food storage and safety regulations (Bridger-Teton National Forest) apply. Bear spray is strongly recommended. | CWD: CWD has not been specifically confirmed in Deer Area 115 (Thorofare) per the WGFD 2025 surveillance report, though 111 of 127 statewide mule deer hunt areas are confirmed positive as of Dec. 31, 2025. Area 115 is not named in any WGFD CWD focus area announcement reviewed. Hunters should check WGFD's current CWD focus areas flyer (published by August 1 annually). | DRAFT REGULATION NOTE: Chapter 6 season data sourced from Draft 03.16.2026.4 — confirm against final adopted regulation at wgfd.wyo.gov before hunting. Chapter 5 sourced from Draft 01.06.2026.2 — similarly confirm final version. | UPPER NOWOOD HMA: The 3,983-acre Upper Nowood Hunter Management Area (antelope Area 115) requires both a permission slip and vehicle pass; contact Cody Regional Office (307) 527-7125, 2 Tilden Trail, Cody, WY 82414.