Hunt Area 165, YU Bench, Wyoming

YU Bench sits in the southern Big Horn Basin straddling the Park–Big Horn County line northeast of Meeteetse. The bench itself is characterized by relatively flat to gently rolling high-desert terrain dominated by sagebrush-grassland and invaded by cheatgrass at lower elevations. The Greybull River corridor cuts through the unit's southern and eastern edges, lined by cottonwood riparian strips. The western boundary follows Wyoming Highway 120; the northern boundary runs along US 14-16-20. Elevation ranges roughly from 4,800 ft in the river bottoms to 6,200 ft on the bench plateau. The divide between the Greybull River and Fifteen Mile Creek forms the southeastern edge. Cover is sparse — mostly big sagebrush, saltbush, and scattered juniper — with irrigated agricultural fields concentrated near private ranch bottoms.

Primary access via Wyoming Highway 120 (north–south corridor through Meeteetse) and the Lower Greybull Road (Park County Road 3LE), which runs along the Greybull River on the eastern side of the unit. Park County Road 3XQ connects to Big Horn County Lane 40-1/2 and the Fenton Pass Road (BLM Road 1222) on the southern boundary. Nearest towns: Meeteetse (~20 miles southwest, pop. ~300, limited services), Cody (~30 miles northwest, full services), Greybull (~35 miles northeast, moderate services). Much of the public BLM ground is accessible via two-track ranch roads and open bench country. The Greybull River HMA (17,427 acres, Sleeper Ranch) provides limited controlled access to private river-bottom lands northeast of Meeteetse via permission slip — contact Cody Regional Office (307) 527-7125.

moderate

CWD is the dominant management concern in this unit. Adult male CWD prevalence in MD210 averaged 47% from 2020–2024, among the highest in the Cody Region — CWD hotspots are concentrated along the Greybull River corridor where mule deer and white-tailed deer comingle near irrigated agricultural land. Mule deer population has declined 86.7% below the 4,000-animal objective; the 2024 post-season estimate of 531 deer represents a severe collapse from a 2019–2023 average of 1,817. No doe mule deer harvest has been implemented; Area 165 Type 1 is restricted to antlered mule deer only (or any white-tailed deer) in direct response to population decline. Hunter success fell from 42% (5-yr avg) to 22% in 2024; 39% of hunters reported dissatisfaction. Cheatgrass invasion at lower elevations is identified as a long-term habitat driver of decline. The herd unit review was scheduled for 2026. Type 3 and Type 8 white-tailed deer licenses were added/expanded specifically to reduce white-tailed deer density and CWD transmission pressure in the riparian corridor. Greybull River HMA prohibits mule deer hunting entirely on the Sleeper Ranch parcel. Hunters should use WGFD Hunt Planner and contact Cody Regional Office (307-527-7125) for current CWD check station locations and mandatory sampling protocols.