Hunt Area 46, Cloud Peak, Wyoming

High mountain terrain rising from approximately 7,000 feet at the lower forest edges to 13,167 feet at Cloud Peak, the highest summit in the Bighorn Mountains. The Cloud Peak Wilderness (191,914 acres, established 1984) occupies much of the unit's interior and features glacier-carved U-shaped valleys, sharp summits, sheer rock faces, alpine lakes, and permanent ice fields including Cloud Peak Glacier — the only remaining active glacier in the Bighorn range. Powder River Pass on the south boundary reaches 9,677 feet. Long, deep canyons cut the flanks at mid-elevation, transitioning to alpine meadows and tundra above timberline.

The unit is 100% Bighorn National Forest with no private land inside the boundary; however, private ranch land along the lower flanks and in adjacent areas (particularly Big Horn Basin to the west) can complicate route planning to trailheads. The legal boundary runs from Granite Pass on US Highway 14 along the Bighorn Mountain divide southeasterly to Powder River Pass on US Highway 16, then west along US-16 to the Bighorn National Forest boundary, north along that boundary to USFS Road 338 (Alkali Road), east along that road to USFS Road 17 (Shell Ranger Station-Paint Rock Lakes Road), and northwest along that road back to US Highway 14. Primary paved access routes are US Highway 14 along the north boundary (Bighorn Scenic Byway, connecting Shell and Burgess Junction) and US Highway 16 along the south boundary (Cloud Peak Skyway, connecting Tensleep and Buffalo over Powder River Pass). Nine trailheads provide non-motorized access into the Cloud Peak Wilderness interior: West Tensleep (most heavily used, on US-16 corridor), Circle Park, Paintrock Lake, Coney Creek, Coffeen Park, Battle Park, Adelaide, Edelman, and Lily Lake. The Cloud Peak Wilderness is closed to all motorized and mechanized use. IMPORTANT: Non-resident hunters pursuing big or trophy game inside any federally designated wilderness area in Wyoming (including Cloud Peak Wilderness) must be accompanied by a licensed Wyoming professional outfitter OR a Wyoming resident who has obtained a resident guide license (W.S. 23-2-406).

Lower forest elevations (below approximately 9,500 ft) are dominated by lodgepole pine with transitions to Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir at higher montane elevations, interspersed with aspen groves in drainages and on moist north-facing slopes. Above timberline the landscape opens to alpine meadows with nutrient-dense high-country grasses and forbs, rocky tundra, and numerous alpine lakes. Riparian corridors along headwater streams support willows and sedge meadows. Sagebrush-grassland habitat occurs at the very lowest fringes near the forest boundary, particularly approaching the western escarpment.

Mule deer are the primary big game target and part of the Paintrock Mule Deer Herd (MD207, covering hunt areas 41, 46, and 47) managed with a population objective of 8,000 deer; the 2024 post-season population estimate was 7,124 (CL=5,838-8,755), approximately 11% below objective. White-tailed deer are present in lower-elevation riparian zones and forest edges. Elk are abundant throughout the Bighorn National Forest and move between the high country and adjacent private lands seasonally. Moose are documented in riparian corridors and subalpine willow flats. Black bears are present throughout the forested zone. Mountain lions inhabit the area year-round and have been documented as a cause of doe mule deer mortality in GPS-collar data from the Paintrock herd. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep inhabit the Bighorn Mountains; sheep hunt areas use entirely separate numbering. CWD is present in the Paintrock herd with an adult male 5-year average prevalence of 16% (2020-2024); mandatory CWD sampling applies to harvested bucks.