Hunt Area 171, Crowheart Butte, Wyoming

Varies from sagebrush-covered high plains and river breaks near the Wind River (elev. ~5,578 ft) to the foothills and rugged terrain of the Wind River Range approaches (~10,100 ft). Topographic features include ridges, flats, buttes, creeks, and draws. The Wind River drains the unit westward from Dubois toward Boysen Reservoir. Terrain scoring indicates exceptional solitude (99/100) and relatively easy access (90/100) on the small fraction of huntable land.

Area 171 is defined as all non-Indian-owned fee title lands within the Wind River Reservation exterior boundaries, explicitly excluding Deer Hunt Area 157, portions of the Spence and Moriarity Wildlife Management Area east of the East Fork of the Wind River, and lands within Hot Springs County. Approximately 94% of the total acreage is tribally owned and closed to public hunting. The remaining ~6% consists of private non-Indian fee title (~5%), BLM (~1%), and State (~1%) parcels. Hunters must thoroughly verify land status before entry; the WGFD regulatory description notes that lawful access must be investigated carefully. No prominent Walk-In Areas (WIAs) are documented for this unit. The Wind River/Bighorn Basin BLM District Office administers federal lands nearby.

Lower elevations support big sagebrush steppe interspersed with native grasses and river-bottom cottonwood/willow riparian corridors along the Wind River. At higher elevations transitioning toward the Wind River Range foothills, terrain shifts to mixed shrub and scattered timber. Irrigated agricultural fields adjacent to the Wind River provide key winter range and attract deer year-round.

Mule deer and white-tailed deer utilize river bottom and irrigated agricultural areas along the Wind River corridor, with seasonal movements onto adjacent uplands and draws. The rut period runs approximately late October through late December. Doe/fawn mule deer valid only on or within one mile of irrigated land (General license); whitetail licenses (Type 3) allow any white-tailed deer; antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer valid under Type 6. The 2025 Lander Region forecast noted mule deer populations throughout most of the region continue to trend below management objectives with reduced fawn recruitment.

Area 171 is an unusual unit: the legal hunting area consists only of non-Indian-owned fee title parcels inside the Wind River Reservation boundary. Total unit size is ~1.49M acres (2,326 sq mi), but nearly all is tribally owned and off-limits to non-tribal hunters. Effective huntable public/accessible land is a very small fraction. Season dates and quotas confirmed from WGFD Chapter 6 regulations signed April 22, 2025. Harvest data from WGFD 2024 Deer Harvest Report (reporting 2024 season). Hunter success percentage for mule deer calculated from herd unit table (17.2% pooled). White-tailed deer active hunters and success rate not directly available at hunt-area resolution from the 2024 report tables reviewed; whitetail harvest total 232 from method table.