6,082 wells across 768 active operators, with 2 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from WOGCC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-17.
Quick answer: The Big Horn Basin formation in Wyoming has 6,082 wells on record across 768 active operators, with 2 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-17). Its most active operators by well count are Merit Energy Company, Marathon Oil Company, Contango Resources Company, Citation Oil & Gas and Breitburn Operating. Compiled from Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Big Horn Basin formation in Wyoming:
| # | Operator | Wells in Big Horn Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merit Energy Company | 1,440 |
| 2 | Marathon Oil Company | 555 |
| 3 | Contango Resources Company | 383 |
| 4 | Citation Oil & Gas | 284 |
| 5 | Breitburn Operating | 160 |
| 6 | Bpx Operating Company | 135 |
| 7 | Granite Creek Energy LLC | 106 |
| 8 | Conocophillips Company | 91 |
| 9 | Vaquero Big Horn | 82 |
| 10 | Natural Gas Processing Company | 65 |
The Wyoming counties with the most Big Horn Basin activity:
Park, Hot Springs, Big Horn, Washakie, Sheridan
The Big Horn Basin is one of Wyoming's active oil and gas plays, with 6,082 wells on file across 768 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 2 drilling permits targeting the Big Horn Basin in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Park, Hot Springs, Big Horn, Washakie, Sheridan, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Big Horn Basin footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all Wyoming oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Wyoming formations dataset (CSV)
6,082 wells target the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming, worked by 768 active operators, per WOGCC well-header records (as of 2026-08-17).
By well count, the most active Big Horn Basin operators in Wyoming are Merit Energy Company, Marathon Oil Company, Contango Resources Company, Citation Oil & Gas and Breitburn Operating. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 2 drilling permits targeting the Big Horn Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per WOGCC records.
Operators filed 2 new drilling permits targeting the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Big Horn Basin drilling, per WOGCC records (as of 2026-08-17).
Big Horn Basin activity in Wyoming currently spans 6,082 wells on record and 768 active operators, led by Merit Energy Company, Marathon Oil Company, Contango Resources Company, Citation Oil & Gas and Breitburn Operating, with 2 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-17).
The most active Big Horn Basin counties in Wyoming are Park, Hot Springs, Big Horn, Washakie, Sheridan.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Big Horn Basin well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Big Horn Basin activity in your area.
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Formation: Big Horn Basin
State: Wyoming
Total wells: 6,082
Active operators: 768
Permits 24mo: 2
Last refresh: 2026-08-17