Shirley Basin Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Shirley Basin Hunter Management Area is 36,673 acres in WGFD's Laramie Region. Hunter Management Areas are private and leased lands where WGFD arranges hunting access; hunters need a WGFD permission slip for the area. WGFD lists elk (hunt areas 7, 16) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's HMA data. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
National forestBLMState trust landShirley Basin HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 36,673 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Laramie Region |
| Big game listed | Elk |
| Nearest towns | Medicine Bow (15 mi), Casper Mountain (22 mi) and Rock River (25 mi) |
What is Shirley Basin HMA?
The Shirley-Basin Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located north of the town of Medicine Bow, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of Heward’s 7E and Heward’s 25 Ranches (Please note the Spenrath Ranch is no longer enrolled in this HMA).
What are the rules on Shirley Basin HMA?
A permission slip from WGFD is needed to hunt an HMA; WGFD issues them on its website, often by drawing or first come, first served, with limits per hunter. WGFD's page for Shirley Basin has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Shirley Basin set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Shirley Basin HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in areas 7 and 16.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Shirley Basin HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Shirley Basin HMA, with the acres of the HMA in each and WGFD's latest harvest for the whole hunt area:
| Hunt area | HMA acres in it | Harvest, whole area | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Area 7 | 31,253 | 2,386 (2025) | 46.4% |
| Elk Area 16 | 5,401 | 562 (2025) | 56.8% |
| Elk Area 19 | 19 | 287 (2025) | 45.1% |
| Deer Area 64 | 36,654 | 538 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 66 | 19 | 489 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 47 | 36,654 | 1,289 (2025) | 87.9% |
| Antelope Area 32 | 19 | 1,065 (2025) | 87.6% |
| Bighorn sheep Area 19 | 36,673 | 10 (2025) | 90.9% |
Harvest: WGFD harvest reports, latest year each area was reported (WGFD harvest reports). Acres measured by FilledTag from WGFD's boundaries.
What land is around Shirley Basin HMA?
Inside the HMA boundary, by manager (WGFD's own holdings and leases are not in the federal and state layers, so they show as unlisted land):
| Manager | Acres inside |
|---|---|
| State trust land | 2,237 |
| BLM | 1,808 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 32,628 |
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land) inside WGFD's boundary (36,673 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Shirley Basin HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 487 and WY 77. Nearest towns: Medicine Bow (15 miles), Casper Mountain (22 miles), Rock River (25 miles) and Alcova (26 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Shirley Basin HMA?
WGFD lists elk for big game. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Shirley Basin HMA?
About 15 miles from Medicine Bow, and 22 miles from Casper Mountain, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Shirley Basin HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Shirley Basin lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Shirley Basin HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 7, 16 and 19, deer Areas 64 and 66 and antelope Areas 47 and 32. Each hunt area's season applies to the ground inside it.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area facts, access dates, rules and species: WGFD Hunter Management Area details; WGFD, Shirley Basin.
- Boundary: WGFD Hunter Management Area boundaries. Surrounding land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land).
- Hunt area harvest: WGFD harvest reports, 2021 to 2025.
FilledTag is not part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Numbers are copied from WGFD and the other agencies named, or measured by FilledTag from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag. WGFD's regulations are the final word on every rule.
Wyoming hunting Laramie Region Elk Area 7 Elk Area 16 Elk Area 19 Deer Area 64 Deer Area 66 Antelope Area 47