Hunt Area 33, Red Fork, Wyoming

A mix of sagebrush-covered rolling uplands and deeply incised canyon country defined by the Red Wall — a 700–800-foot-thick band of red Triassic Chugwater Group sandstone and siltstone that forms dramatic red-rock escarpments with 1,000–1,400 feet of relief. The Red Fork and Middle Fork of the Powder River and their tributaries (Beartrap Creek, Arch Creek) have carved these canyons through the landscape. Elevations rise from approximately 4,600 feet along the Powder River drainage on the northeastern edge to around 7,000–8,000 feet approaching the Bighorn Mountain front to the west. The unit transitions from open high-plains terrain in the east to more rugged, dissected canyon-and-ridge terrain toward the west.

Primary motorized access is via I-25 at the Kaycee interchange (Exit 254), then west on Wyoming Highway 191 approximately 1 mile, then south on Wyoming Highway 190 (Barnum Road) approximately 16 miles to Barnum, then left on Bar C Road to the BLM boundary, then approximately 5 miles to the campground. The BLM Middle Fork Powder River Recreation Area, approximately 21 miles southwest of Kaycee, requires high-clearance vehicles; 4WD is required for the Ed O. Taylor Wildlife Habitat Management Area west of the campground. The recreation area is closed to all motorized use January 1 through April 14. The Outlaw Cave Campground (fee-free, vault toilet, no potable water) serves as the main staging point. Legal public access along the Middle Fork corridor extends approximately 9 miles west from Outlaw Cave to the first private land parcel. The Ed O. Taylor Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) is adjacent and closed to human presence January 1 through May 14 for wildlife protection. The North Fork of the Powder River Wilderness Study Area (10,089 BLM acres, managed by the BLM Buffalo Field Office, 307-684-1100) has NO direct public access — it is surrounded by private land and requires landowner permission to reach. Much of Area 33's interior is dominated by large private ranches; access to public land parcels may require crossing private land with permission. Hunters should use WGFD Hunt Planner overlaid with BLM 1:100,000 surface management maps to identify accessible public land before entering. Johnson County Assessor's MapServer is recommended for identifying specific landowners for permission requests.

North-facing canyon slopes support ponderosa pine-dominated forest with Douglas fir and limber pine; south-facing slopes carry sagebrush-grassland shrubland. Stream bottoms along the Red Fork, Middle Fork, and tributary creeks support narrow cottonwood and willow riparian corridors. The broad upland benches and basin floors are dominated by big sagebrush-steppe interspersed with native bunchgrasses (blue grama, western wheatgrass). This mosaic of pine-canyon habitat and sagebrush steppe provides thermal cover and diverse forage for mule deer and white-tailed deer.

The area falls within the Upper Powder River Mule Deer Herd Unit (Areas 30, 32, 33, 163, 169). As of the most recent WGFD herd assessment (February 2020 sightability survey), the mule deer population for this herd unit is estimated at approximately 8,500 animals — well below the management objective of 18,000; the herd has been below objective since the early 2000s. Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are present, with whitetails concentrated in riparian and canyon-bottom habitats. Elk winter in canyon drainages, particularly the North Fork of the Powder River canyon. Pronghorn occupy the open sagebrush-steppe portions of the unit. Black bear and mountain lion are confirmed present — WGFD has established liberal hunting seasons for black bears, mountain lions, elk, and white-tailed deer in this herd unit specifically to address predation pressure on the struggling mule deer herd, while buck harvest is considered not limiting and doe harvest remains extremely limited. Migratory raptors (falcons, hawks, eagles) pass through the canyon country seasonally. Upland birds including sage grouse are present in sagebrush habitat across the broader Powder River basin.