Badwater Ranch Public Access Area: hunting, access and rules
Badwater Ranch Public Access Area is 10,211 acres in WGFD's Lander Region, Natrona County. Public Access Areas are places where WGFD has bought or leased public access, often to water and the ground around it. WGFD lists elk (hunt areas 48, 120), deer (hunt areas 34, 36) and antelope (hunt areas 73, 75) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's PAA data. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
BLMState trust landBadwater Ranch PAAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 10,211 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Lander Region |
| County | Natrona |
| Access dates | Open year round. |
| Big game listed | Elk, Deer and Antelope |
| Nearest towns | Powder River (27 mi) |
What is Badwater Ranch PAA?
In the southern Bighorn Mountains in northwest Natrona County, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission hold an easement on 4,546-acres of private land for non-mechanized recreation. The easement allows for hunting, fishing, hiking, nature study, photography, and viewing or enjoying wildlife, scenic, or scientific sites. The Badwater Ranch Public Access Area also allows for legal access to thousands of acres of BLM and OSLI lands. The easement is open to public access throughout the year. No motorized vehicles or bicycles allowed, except on Oakie Trail, Road 101 -- foot or horseback travel only. Parking permitted in designated areas only. Public horses, livestock, and pets shall be under user control at all times. Public horses and livestock shall not graze on the easement. No camping and no fires allowed. WGFD does not plow the access road and parking area in the winter.
What are the rules on Badwater Ranch PAA?
Access: Open year round.
Area regulations: Access limited to easement area marked. Access road and parking areas are not plowed in winter. No overnight camping. No motorized vehicle or mechanical modes of transportation allowed on the easement, except on marked public roads.
WGFD lists these uses: Fishing, Hunting, Hiking.
In WGFD's words, from its PAA data and its page for Badwater Ranch. WGFD's posted signs and its Chapter 23 rules for Commission lands are the final word.
What can you hunt on Badwater Ranch PAA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in areas 48 and 120; deer in areas 34 and 36; antelope in areas 73 and 75. Also listed: sage grouse and mountain grouse.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Badwater Ranch PAA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Badwater Ranch PAA, with the acres of the PAA in each and WGFD's latest harvest for the whole hunt area:
| Hunt area | PAA acres in it | Harvest, whole area | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Area 48 | 7,001 | 420 (2025) | 40.4% |
| Elk Area 120 | 3,210 | 192 (2025) | 55.8% |
| Deer Area 36 | 7,004 | 89 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 34 | 3,207 | 154 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 75 | 7,001 | 203 (2025) | 90.2% |
| Antelope Area 73 | 3,210 | 307 (2025) | 81.9% |
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 Badwater Ranch PAA?
Inside the PAA 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 |
|---|---|
| BLM | 4,804 |
| State trust land | 873 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 4,534 |
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 (10,211 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Badwater Ranch PAA?
Nearest towns: Powder River (27 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is Badwater Ranch PAA open?
Open year round.
What can you hunt on Badwater Ranch PAA?
WGFD lists elk, deer and antelope for big game, and sage grouse and mountain grouse. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
What are the rules on Badwater Ranch PAA?
Access limited to easement area marked. Access road and parking areas are not plowed in winter. No overnight camping. No motorized vehicle or mechanical modes of transportation allowed on the easement, except on marked public roads.
Where is Badwater Ranch PAA?
About 27 miles from Powder River, measured from the area's boundary.
Which hunt areas is Badwater Ranch PAA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 48 and 120, deer Areas 36 and 34 and antelope Areas 75 and 73. 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 Public Access Area details; WGFD, Badwater Ranch.
- Boundary: WGFD Public Access 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 Lander Region Elk Area 48 Elk Area 120 Deer Area 36 Deer Area 34 Antelope Area 75 Antelope Area 73