August 2023 - 36

Thunder Basin National Grassland
After enjoying the mountains of northwest Wyoming,
I headed east toward the lower-elevation
prairie of Thunder Basin National Grassland. The
rolling, verdant landscape looked like a rainbow
of green hues across the hills, as if a painter only
filled their palette with shades reminiscent of sage,
celery, asparagus and lime. I hoped to see newborn
pronghorn fawns on this leg of the trip. I was not
disappointed as the fawns seemed to be dropping
before my eyes.
Beyond pronghorn, this region offers a plethora of
unexpected wildlife. Prairie animals like black-tailed
prairie dogs, common nighthawks, killdeer, horned
larks and western meadowlarks were expected, but
seeing a small group of elk cross the road and Wilson's
phalaropes, blue-winged teals and pintails
feeding in a pond caught me by surprise. Burrowing
owls, skunks and swift foxes also call this region
home. Staying open-minded and exploring the dirt
roads rather than the main highways through the
region will offer unique experiences and wildlife
viewing opportunities.
Thunder Basin National Grassland is a vast area
in northeast Wyoming of more than 560,000 acres
in the Powder River Basin. Sitting between the Bighorn
Mountains and the Black Hills, the elevation
ranges from 3,600-5,200 feet of semi-arid prairie. A
lot of the land in this region is a patchwork of private
and public land, and a four-wheel drive vehicle
may be best for exploring the public road system.
A doe and fawn pronghorn enjoy the lush
landscape of the Thunder Basin National
Grassland. (Photo by Dawn Wilson)
Several species of birds, like this
lark bunting, can be spotted in
Thunder Basin National Grassland.
(Photo by Dawn Wilson)
36 | August 2023

August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2023

August 2023 - 1
August 2023 - 2
August 2023 - 3
August 2023 - 4
August 2023 - 5
August 2023 - 6
August 2023 - 7
August 2023 - 8
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
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