Hunt Area 41, Lower Nowood, Wyoming

The unit spans a wide elevation range of roughly 3,900 to 8,700 feet, dropping from the timbered foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in the east to the broad irrigated valley floor near Worland. The western low-elevation portion is characterized by sagebrush flats, cut banks, deep coulees, and agricultural bottomland along the Nowood River, Tensleep Creek, and the Bighorn River. Moving east, terrain transitions to rocky canyon walls, cedar- and juniper-covered bluffs, long drainages, and steep escarpments approaching the Bighorn National Forest boundary.

About 71.5 percent of the unit is public land managed primarily by the BLM, with state trust lands mixed in; the Bighorn National Forest (USFS) forms the eastern boundary but the bulk of the forested terrain lies just outside the deer hunt area boundary. The unit is served by U.S. Highway 16-20 (the main east-west corridor through Worland), Wyoming Highway 31 (connecting Manderson to Hyattville), and BLM/county roads including Alkali Road (BLM Road 1111) and Cold Springs Road (Big Horn County Road 268 / BLM-USFS Road 344). Private agricultural land in the Bighorn River and Nowood River valley floors creates significant access obstacles — irrigated farms and ranches block direct travel to adjacent public land, and hunters should confirm access routes before hunting the valley bottoms. Walk-In Hunting Areas (WIAs) operated by WGFD provide additional access to private land within the unit: WIA 1 (1,712 acres, open Aug 15–May 31 for deer among other species), WIA 6 (44 acres, Sept 1–Feb 28), and WIA 9 (580 acres, Aug 15–Feb 28) — all explicitly list Deer Hunt Area 41 parcels. The Lower Nowood Hunter Management Area (606 acres on the Galloway Ranch, located north of Ten Sleep) offers 50 permission slips via annual draw (application window approximately July 21–Aug 11) for deer hunting Oct 15–Nov 15; contact the Cody Regional Office (307-527-7125). Nearest services are in Worland (full services) and Ten Sleep (camping, motels, gas, basic groceries).

Lower elevations are dominated by sagebrush-steppe grassland and shrubland interspersed with irrigated cropland (alfalfa and grain fields) and riparian cottonwood-willow corridors along the Nowood River, Tensleep Creek, and Bighorn River. Mid-elevation foothills support juniper/cedar woodlands on rocky ridgelines. The eastern edge of the unit grades into the lower ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer stands of the Bighorn National Forest. Sagebrush steppe is the dominant cover type across most of the unit, providing key winter-range habitat for mule deer.

Mule deer are the dominant big-game species and are part of the Paintrock Herd Unit (encompassing Hunt Areas 41, 46, and 47), which carries a population management objective of 8,000 animals. The herd has run below historical levels observed in the mid-2000s; buck age structure skews young, with yearlings and 2-year-olds making up the majority of observed males. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected and is actively monitored — Hunt Area 41 is a priority CWD sampling area; CWD prevalence in bucks has climbed but remained under 20%, substantially lower than the severely impacted adjacent Basin, Greybull River, and Shoshone River herds (60%+). WGFD has implemented late-season doe/fawn hunts and liberal white-tailed deer quotas to manage disease transmission. White-tailed deer are also present along creek and river bottoms near agricultural fields. Elk use the unit associated with the Paintrock elk herd (elk Hunt Areas 41 and 45 in Cody Region), which met its management objective in 2025 with license reductions. Pronghorn occupy the sagebrush flats in Washakie County. Moose and black bear are documented in Washakie County. Mountain lion is present statewide under a quota system. Sage grouse inhabit sagebrush steppe portions of the unit. Ring-necked pheasant, wild turkey, and Hungarian partridge are present in the agricultural and riparian zones.

1. Season dates reflect 2025 regulations and 2026 draft data; the 2026 Chapter 6 regulation was still in draft form as of research date and must be verified against the final signed regulation before hunting. 2. Wyoming does not operate a separate statewide muzzleloader-only deer season; muzzleloader hunters use the general season tag with weapon-specific equipment rules — season_muzzleloader set to null. 3. Harvest statistics (success rate, reported harvest) for Hunt Area 41 specifically could not be sourced from public data; the WGFD Deer Report is a binary Excel file. Contact the WGFD Cody Regional Office (307-527-7125) for current harvest data. 4. Public land percentage (71.5%, rounded to 72) is from GoHunt unit profile and should be treated as approximate. 5. Paintrock herd (deer areas 41, 46, 47) management objective 8,000 deer confirmed; CWD in bucks under 20% confirmed per WyoFile/WGFD sources. 6. Paintrock elk herd (elk hunt areas 41 and 45, Cody Region) met its management objective in 2025 with license reductions per WGFD 2025 forecast. Elk and pronghorn use separate WGFD hunt area numbering — verify with WGFD before applying. 7. Lower Nowood HMA (606 acres, Galloway Ranch, north of Ten Sleep): 50 permission slips by annual draw; 2025 application window July 21–Aug 11, draw Aug 13; season Oct 15–Nov 15. Permission slip required in addition to appropriate deer license (Type General, 6, or Region R).