Hunt Area 30, Upper Powder River, Wyoming

Mixed high-plains basin and foothill terrain ranging from approximately 4,600 feet on the lower sagebrush flats along the Powder River drainage to about 8,300 feet near the Bighorn National Forest boundary. The lower reaches feature wide sagebrush flats, agricultural benches, and deep-cut coulees; elevation rises into rocky, steep canyons (including Crazy Woman Canyon on the northern boundary), long drainages (Middle Fork of the Powder River and its tributaries), and forested foothills.

Primary road access is via Wyoming Highway 196 (the Buffalo-to-Kaycee corridor, which bisects the unit north-south) and U.S. Highway 196 / Mesa Road (Johnson County Road 115) running southwest from I-25. Interior county roads include the Mayoworth Road (Johnson County Road 266) leading to the small community of Mayoworth, the Slip Road (JCR 67), and the Hazelton Road (JCR 3) along the southern boundary. The Crazy Woman Canyon Road (Johnson County Road 14 / USFS Road 33) forms part of the northern boundary, connecting the plains to Powder River Pass on U.S. Highway 16; the road is a narrow, one-lane dirt route (~13 miles) with a seasonal closure from approximately March 1 through June 20. USFS Road 452 (Gold Mine Road) provides access to the Bighorn National Forest interior from the western edge. BLM Buffalo Field Office (307-684-1100) manages approximately 780,000 surface acres across Campbell, Johnson, and Sheridan counties; a significant portion of that BLM land is within and adjacent to Area 30. Private land covers roughly two-thirds of the unit. Many interior ranch roads were built for oil and gas access and are private. WGFD Walk-In Hunting Areas (WIA) in Johnson County exist but individual parcels near Area 30 should be confirmed each season via the WGFD Walk-In Atlas. The Ellis Wildlife Habitat Management Area (~3,835 acres, WGFD-managed) straddles the Johnson-Washakie county line southwest of Kaycee, adjacent to public BLM lands and the Ed O. Taylor WHMA, and provides documented public elk and deer habitat on the Middle Fork of the Powder River.

Lower elevations support sagebrush-grassland steppe with shortgrass prairie, dryland and irrigated agriculture (hay, wheat), and riparian willow/cottonwood corridors along Powder River tributaries. Transitional foothills carry mountain mahogany, serviceberry, and mixed shrubs. Upper reaches near the BHNF boundary transition into ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest. Mule deer occupy the full elevational range; white-tailed deer concentrate in riparian creek bottoms and irrigated crop areas at lower elevations.

Mule deer are present throughout the entire unit at all elevations; the Upper Powder River Mule Deer Herd Unit (encompassing deer hunt areas 30, 32, 33, 163, and 169) was estimated at approximately 8,500 animals in a February 2020 sightability survey — significantly below the management objective of 18,000. The herd has been below objective since the early 2000s; identified mortality factors include vehicle collisions, disease, and malnutrition associated with drought and deteriorated habitat. WGFD has maintained liberal predator seasons and restricted doe harvest to support herd growth. White-tailed deer are present and huntable, concentrated primarily in riparian creek bottoms and agricultural lands at lower elevations. Elk use the Bighorn National Forest foothills on the western edge of the unit and adjacent elk hunt area 34 (Upper Powder River elk area). Pronghorn antelope occupy the sagebrush flats and open grasslands; Antelope Hunt Area 102 (Buffalo) covers much of the same geography. Black bear and mountain lion are present in the western foothill and forested portions adjacent to the Bighorn National Forest. Sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse inhabit the sagebrush and grassland habitat in the lower portions of the unit. Wild turkey are present in Johnson County riparian corridors. Moose are present but uncommon at lower elevations of this area.

1. SEASON DATES: Confirmed from official WGFD Chapter 6 (2025 regs, signed April 16 2024). Three General rows for Area 30: Oct 15–Oct 31 antlered mule deer or any WTD; Nov 1–Nov 30 any WTD; Dec 1–Dec 31 antlerless WTD only. Draft incorrectly described the December period as 'any white-tailed deer' — corrected to antlerless only. 2. HARVEST: 2024 data confirmed from WGFD Table III-A: 265 active hunters, 55 harvested (all bucks, 0 doe, 0 fawn on general license), 20.8% success, 22.8 days/harvest. Resident success 13.2% (20 harvested); nonresident success 30.7% (35 harvested). 3. TYPE 8 QUOTA: 1,000 shared across areas 30, 32, 33, 163, 169 for private-land Sep 1–Sep 30 period. A second Type 8 entry (Oct 15–Dec 31, entire area) has no separately stated quota — draft omitted this second window. 4. NO MUZZLELOADER SEASON: Confirmed. 5. POPULATION: 8,500 estimate confirmed from WGFD February 2020 sightability survey; management objective 18,000. 6. PUBLIC LAND PCT: 33% sourced from GoHunt; not independently verified against cadastral data. 7. 2026 SEASON: Commission adopted Chapter 6 with modifications April 2026; final signed text not yet public. Draft shows identical Area 30 dates to 2025.