Hunt Area 125, Fifteen Mile, Wyoming

Hunt Area 125 covers two distinct geographic units that share the same number. FIFTEEN MILE (deer unit, Big Horn County): roughly 950 sq mi of low-elevation Bighorn Basin badlands, approximately 3,948–6,295 ft elevation. Rugged eroded badlands and sage-covered benches dominate; the Bighorn River runs the eastern edge from Worland north toward Greybull. Notable topographic features include Bobcat Draw, Buck Buttes, Tatman Mountain, Sheets Mountain, East Ridge, and Dutch Nick Flat. Vegetation is primarily sagebrush-steppe, rabbitbrush, and native grasses with riparian cottonwood corridors along creek drainages. ELK MOUNTAIN (elk unit, Carbon County): 274 sq mi of high-plains desert and forested mountain terrain centered on Elk Mountain, roughly 6,600–11,000 ft elevation. The unit straddles the I-80 corridor between Hanna and Elk Mountain town, encompassing Pass Creek Canyon and surrounding foothills. Rapid weather changes and heavy snow are common October through January.

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IMPORTANT: Wyoming uses hunt area number 125 for two geographically separate units. The FIFTEEN MILE unit (deer) is in Big Horn County/Bighorn Basin near Worland; the ELK MOUNTAIN unit (elk) is in Carbon County near Hanna along the I-80 corridor. The Elk Mountain unit is only a small fraction public land; the Elk Mountain HMA and Carbon 12 Walk-In Area are the primary options for public-land hunters. Corner-crossing is not considered legal access in this unit. CWD — DEER: The Basin Mule Deer Herd (MD209, Hunt Areas 125+127) has very high CWD prevalence: 54% in adult males in 2024 (n=13), 5-year average 34% (CI 15–49%). Herd population is 77.1% below management objective (IPM postseason estimate 824 animals; objective 3,600), and has been below objective for 17 consecutive years. Drought, late-winter die-offs (2018-2019), and CWD are all contributing factors. This herd has not been prioritized for CWD mandatory sampling due to insufficient licenses to achieve the target sample size of 200 adult males within a three-year timeframe; voluntary submission is encouraged. CWD — ELK: Hunt Area 125 (Elk Mountain) is included in the WGFD Snowy Range elk CWD monitoring program (areas 8–12, 110, and 125). Sampling is VOLUNTARY — hunters are encouraged but not required to submit samples. EHD: Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease has historically affected white-tailed deer in the Bighorn Basin. Management note: For the 2025 season, the cross-area option on the Hunt Area 127 Type 3 license (which had been also valid in Area 125) was eliminated due to minimal harvest; a new Type 8 WTD doe/fawn license was added to Area 125 to maintain white-tailed deer harvest opportunity. 2025 nonresident quota for Basin Mule Deer (MD209, Region X, areas 125+127 combined): 100 licenses. 2025 hunter satisfaction: 40% satisfied.