Hunt Area 31, Salt Creek, Wyoming

Rolling high-plains basin terrain on the Salt Creek anticline, cut by shallow badland gullies, rounded shale slopes, and sandstone escarpments rising 50–100 feet above the surrounding flats. Elevations range from roughly 4,900 to 5,500 feet. There is no significant mountain relief; the landscape is open and wind-swept with oil field roads and production infrastructure dispersed throughout.

Primary entry points follow Wyoming Highway 192 (Sussex Road) from the northeast corner at Linch, Wyoming Highway 387 (which crosses Natrona, Johnson, and Campbell counties connecting Midwest/Edgerton to Wright), and Interstate 25 along the southwestern boundary. The West Sussex Oil Field Road forms the northern and eastern boundary and provides interior access. Oil company lease roads are numerous but some are gated or restricted to authorized vehicles; always verify road status before relying on specific field roads. Public land (BLM and Wyoming State) comprises approximately 52% of the unit; the remainder is private ranch and oil company surface. No wilderness, roadless areas, or national forest are present. Private land tracts block direct cross-country access in several portions of the unit. WGFD Walk-In Hunting Areas may supplement access — check annual WGFD Walk-In maps. Cell service is reported as spotty throughout the area; carry extra water and fuel given remote conditions and minimal services outside of Midwest and Edgerton.

Dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush and mixed-grass prairie (blue grama, western wheatgrass). Riparian draws along Salt Creek and tributary drainages support sparse cottonwood and willow. There is no conifer forest within the area. Annual precipitation averages approximately 10 inches, producing an arid shrub-steppe ecosystem. CWD is present in the broader Casper Region mule deer population.

Mule deer are the primary big game species; populations in the broader Casper Region (Region C) have been documented below management goals in recent years due to drought, habitat change, and CWD pressure. White-tailed deer are present but sparse, concentrated along creek and river bottoms. Pronghorn are present across the sagebrush flats (served by a separate antelope hunt area numbering system). Sage grouse occupy sagebrush habitat. Mountain lion are present statewide under a quota system. Coyote are common. No elk, moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat have established huntable populations in this open basin area.

1. Season dates reflect the 2026 draft Chapter 6 regulations (draft dated 03.16.2026); confirm final published dates before hunting. 2. CRITICAL CORRECTION from draft: the 2026 draft adds an antler point restriction (3 points or more on either antler for mule deer under General license) that was NOT present in the 2025 regulations; this is a proposed change pending final adoption. 3. Area 31 is in WGFD Nonresident Deer Region C (areas 17-19, 23, 26, 29, 31) — the draft source claiming this is a Sheridan Region change is incorrect; Area 31 is the Casper/Region C corridor. 4. No muzzleloader-only season for Area 31 appears in the regulations table. 5. Hunter success and harvest numbers are not publicly available in disaggregated per-area format from WGFD online sources. 6. The 52% public land figure is sourced from GoHunt and is approximate. 7. CWD is present in the Casper Region mule deer herd; check current brochure for carcass transport restrictions. 8. White-tailed deer Type 8 license is shared Areas 29 and 31 per the regulations table.