Hunt Area 37, Copper Mountain, Wyoming

Rolling to rugged dry mountain terrain on the Copper Mountain/Bridger Mountains range; the peak summit reaches 8,312 feet (2,533 m) with Boysen Reservoir visible from the high ridges; lower basin and draw floors lie roughly 4,365 feet, giving an overall unit elevation range of approximately 4,365–8,312 feet. Topographic prominence of the summit is over 2,000 feet. Ridgelines, stark draws, and rocky slopes dominate the interior; lower fringes grade into river terrace and irrigated bottomland along the Bighorn River and its tributaries.

Primary highway access is via U.S. Highway 20 (approaching from Thermopolis to the northwest) and Wyoming Highway 172 (Black Mountain Road), which forms the unit's northern boundary. BLM Road 1409 (Murphy Dome–Mud Creek Road) runs along the eastern boundary. Kirby Creek Road (Hot Springs County Road 7) defines parts of the southern and western boundary. Within the unit, access to public land relies on unnamed, unsigned two-track BLM roads branching from Birdseye Pass Road (reached approximately five miles south of Boysen Dam off US-20); four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicles are required, and roads become impassable when wet. The 6,858-acre Copper Mountain Wilderness Study Area prohibits motorized use within its boundary; foot access only inside the WSA. Private ranch holdings are scattered throughout the unit and block direct overland access to some BLM and state parcels; hunters report that approaching from the north (off US-20 and Birdseye Pass Road) provides better access than from the south. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department maintains a Public Access Area near Thermopolis that allows walk-in hunting on enrolled private land.

Upper slopes carry scattered limber pine and Rocky Mountain juniper on rocky, dry terrain; mid-elevation draws support Wyoming big sagebrush and mixed sage-steppe; lower elevations and basin floors are sagebrush-grassland with native bunchgrass; irrigated agricultural fields line the Bighorn River corridor and the Buffalo Creek drainage on the unit's western and northern margins. Cheatgrass invasion has been documented as a growing concern throughout the unit, degrading native forage quality and displacing perennial grasses and sagebrush understory.

Mule deer are the primary big game species; the unit falls within the Southwest Bighorns Mule Deer Herd (MD208), a herd that as of 2024 stood at approximately 8,455 animals — well below the population objective of 16,000. The herd has been recovering slowly after a major winter mortality event in 2018–2019 and ongoing CWD pressure. White-tailed deer are present, particularly in the agricultural bottomlands and creek drainages at lower elevations; dedicated limited-quota white-tailed deer licenses exist for the area. Elk are present in the broader Bighorn Basin and are known to migrate through the area, with GPS-collared animals documented moving into portions of areas 37, 39, and 40 from lower wintering grounds (specifically from the CWD hotspot near Hunt Area 164). Pronghorn are found on adjacent sagebrush flats; the Copper Mountain Pronghorn Herd (PR201) occupies adjacent antelope hunt areas 76, 79, 114, and 115 in the same landscape. Mountain lion (cougar) is hunted statewide including in this area. Chronic wasting disease prevalence is an active concern: the five-year average CWD prevalence in adult male mule deer in the Southwest Bighorns herd is 23%, with a spike to 38% in 2023 (n=29) and 24% in 2024 (n=59).

1. The 2023 harvest data (88.4% success, 38 harvested, 43 active hunters, 49 licenses sold) is specifically for the Type 1 mule deer / antlered deer license in Area 37; verified directly from the 2023 WGFD Deer Harvest Report. 2. White-tailed deer harvest for Type 3 and Type 8 licenses are tracked cross-area (37 and 39 combined) and could not be separated by unit — reported as null. 3. The Southwest Bighorns herd (MD208) population is documented at 47.2% below objective as of 2024; hunting seasons are conservative. 4. CWD prevalence verified: adult male mule deer 5-year average 23% (2020–2024, n=183); 2023 spike 38% (n=29); 2024 = 24% (n=59). Hunters are encouraged to participate in WGFD mandatory CWD sampling. 5. Season dates confirmed from 2026 Chapter 6 regulations (same structure as 2025 JCR): Type 1 archery Sep 1–Sep 30, general Oct 15–Oct 31; Type 3 archery Sep 1–Sep 30, general Nov 1–Dec 15; Type 6 archery Sep 1–Sep 14, general Sep 15–Nov 30 (Buffalo Creek drainage irrigated land only); Type 8 archery Sep 1–Sep 30, general Oct 15–Dec 15. 6. Region M nonresident quota for 2025 is 400 licenses total across all Region M areas (35–37, 39–40, 164). 7. Draft claim that Area 37 is in Hot Springs and Washakie counties confirmed by boundary description starting at Bighorn River/Walter's Draw confluence. 8. Elk season note corrected: GPS collar data confirms mule deer (not elk) movement through areas 37/39/40 from Hunt Area 164 CWD hotspot; elk presence noted but not directly documented by collar data in this JCR.