3,940 wells across 768 active operators, with 3 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 Bighorn Basin formation in Wyoming has 3,940 wells on record across 768 active operators, with 3 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 Bpx Operating Company. Compiled from Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Bighorn Basin formation in Wyoming:
| # | Operator | Wells in Bighorn Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merit Energy Company | 594 |
| 2 | Marathon Oil Company | 361 |
| 3 | Contango Resources Company | 222 |
| 4 | Citation Oil & Gas | 112 |
| 5 | Bpx Operating Company | 97 |
| 6 | Breitburn Operating | 72 |
| 7 | Conocophillips Company | 63 |
| 8 | Bareto Energy, LLC | 59 |
| 9 | Husky Oil Company | 46 |
| 10 | Granite Creek Energy LLC | 46 |
The Wyoming counties with the most Bighorn Basin activity:
Park, Hot Springs, Big Horn, Washakie, Sheridan
The Bighorn Basin is one of Wyoming's active oil and gas plays, with 3,940 wells on file across 768 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Bighorn 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 Bighorn 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.
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3,940 wells target the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming, worked by 768 active operators, per WOGCC well-header records (as of 2026-08-17).
By well count, the most active Bighorn Basin operators in Wyoming are Merit Energy Company, Marathon Oil Company, Contango Resources Company, Citation Oil & Gas and Bpx Operating Company. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Bighorn Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per WOGCC records.
Operators filed 3 new drilling permits targeting the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Bighorn Basin drilling, per WOGCC records (as of 2026-08-17).
Bighorn Basin activity in Wyoming currently spans 3,940 wells on record and 768 active operators, led by Merit Energy Company, Marathon Oil Company, Contango Resources Company, Citation Oil & Gas and Bpx Operating Company, with 3 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 Bighorn 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 Bighorn 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 Bighorn Basin activity in your area.
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Formation: Bighorn Basin
State: Wyoming
Total wells: 3,940
Active operators: 768
Permits 24mo: 3
Last refresh: 2026-08-17