Hunt Area 50, Upper Shell-Beaver Creek, Wyoming

Rugged mountain terrain throughout the unit. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,500 feet at the canyon floors along the western Bighorn National Forest boundary to roughly 10,100 feet on the high ridgelines and plateaus of the northern Bighorn Mountains. Shell Creek drains much of the unit and cuts a narrow canyon on its descent westward. Sections of canyon wall and cliff terrain make portions of the unit extremely steep and physically demanding.

The unit is accessed almost entirely via two federal highways and one high-elevation USFS road. U.S. Highway 14 (Bighorn Scenic Byway) enters Shell Canyon from the west and climbs east through the unit toward Burgess Junction; Shell Creek Campground (USFS) sits just off this highway on Paintrock Lakes Road (Forest Road 17). U.S. Highway 14A (Medicine Wheel Passage) forms the northern boundary, running east-west between Lovell and Burgess Junction and passing near the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark. Hunt Mountain Road (USFS Road 10) forms the eastern boundary, traversing the northern Bighorn Mountain backbone at approximately 9,000–10,000 feet for roughly 22.6 miles; it is rated easy-to-moderate for high-clearance vehicles when dry but becomes muddy and rutted when wet, and may be snowblocked into late spring. Adelaide Trailhead (off US-14) provides foot and horse access into the Shell Creek drainage and Cloud Peak Wilderness area. The area is approximately 100% public land (Bighorn National Forest); private ranch land flanks the western and northern approaches at lower elevations in the Bighorn Basin.

The unit spans several distinct vegetation zones. Lower canyon floors and western slopes support open grassland and sagebrush-steppe with riparian cottonwood and willow along Shell Creek and its tributaries. Mid-elevation slopes (roughly 6,500–9,500 feet) are dominated by mixed conifer forest — primarily Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir — with scattered aspen groves in draws and south-facing slopes. Higher plateaus and ridge tops along the Hunt Mountain Road corridor transition to subalpine meadow, timber stand parks, and exposed rocky outcroppings. The upper ridgeline terrain is open, offering long-distance visibility typical of high Bighorn Mountain terrain.

Mule deer are the primary big-game target and are present throughout the unit. The North Bighorn mule deer herd (MD321, covering hunt areas 50–53) has been below its population objective for several years due to prolonged drought and rising Chronic Wasting Disease prevalence; WGFD reported improved fawn production in 2024 and cautious optimism for stabilization. White-tailed deer are also present, concentrated in riparian corridors and lower-elevation cover along Shell Creek. CWD is confirmed in both mule deer and white-tailed deer within the MD321 herd unit (hunt areas 50–53); the five-year average CWD prevalence for adult male white-tailed deer in the MD321 territory is 46% (2020–2024, n=59), per the 2024 Cody Region JCR WD201 Table 2. Elk inhabit the broader Bighorn National Forest and may be encountered within the unit boundary; primary elk hunt areas on the west slope are areas 41 and 45 (Medicine Lodge herd, EL211) under separate licenses. Moose are present in the Bighorn Mountains in suitable willow and riparian habitat; separate draw-only moose licenses are required. Black bear are present on the Bighorn National Forest. Mountain lion are hunted statewide under a quota system. Wild turkey (Merriam's) are reported in Big Horn County.

1. The 3-point-or-better APR on mule deer in Area 50 is confirmed in the 2026 Ch. 6 draft (retained from 2025); youth hunters are exempt. 2. No Type 3 or Type 8 white-tailed deer limited quota licenses exist for Area 50 in the 2026 Ch. 6 draft or the 2024–2025 WD201 season table — the Gen license covers any white-tailed deer. 3. The 46% CWD figure (5-yr avg, adult males, n=59) is for white-tailed deer in the MD321 territory (hunt areas 50–53) per the 2024 Cody Region JCR WD201 Table 2; it was incorrectly attributed to mule deer in the original draft. The MD321 North Bighorn mule deer herd section is not in the 2024 Cody Region JCR. 4. Wyoming does not designate a separate muzzleloader-only deer season for Area 50; muzzleloader use is valid under the general license during the regular season. 5. The area boundary description (BNF boundary to Hwy 14A to Hunt Mountain Road/USFS Road 10 to Hwy 14) is confirmed verbatim in Ch. 6 Section 7.