1. Denver independent Bill Barrett Corp. completed a Uinta Basin exploratory test in Duchesne County, Utah, that initially flowed 512 bbl. of oil, 221,000 cu. ft. of gas and 862 bbl. of load water per day. The #5-33-46 DLB is in Section 33-4s-6w and produces from two zones—Green River, perforated between 4,136 and 5,086 ft., and Wasatch, perforated between 5,104 and 5,858 ft. It was tested following 10 stages of fracture stimulation, seven in Green River and three in Wasatch. Flow was gauged through a 24/64-in. choke with a tubing pressure of 900 psi. Directionally drilled to 6,230 ft., the true vertical depth is 5,983 ft. It's on Barrett's Blacktail Ridge-Lake Canyon prospect on the southwestern flank of Altamont Field.

2. Gas flowed at a combined rate of 10.16 million cu. ft. with 3,208 bbl. of water per day at a Green River Basin wildcat. The #1-3 Big Sandy-Federal by Grynberg Petroleum of Denver is in Section 3-27n-106w of Sublette County, Wyo. Production is from four fractured Mesaverde intervals at 13,433-13,536 ft.; 13,650-13,790 ft.; 14,234-14,396 ft.; and 14,634-14,726 ft. Gauged on a 14/64- and 20/64-in. choke, the casing pressure ranged between 1,400 and 4,185 psi. The well was drilled to 17,010 ft. Two deeper zones at 15,696-15,929 ft. and 16,453-16,828 ft. in the Baxter shale were closed off by a cast-iron bridge plug at 15,700 ft.

3. According to IHS Inc., Bill Barrett Corp. completed a horizontal Gothic shale delineation test that initially flowed 651,000 cu. ft. of gas, eight bbl. of condensate and 241 bbl. of load water per day. The Paradox Basin completion, #2s-29-38-16 Rose, is in Section 29-38n-16w, Montezuma County, Colo., and produces from a horizontal Gothic shale interval at 6,004-10,116 ft. It was tested following a 14-stage fracturing and flow was gauged through a 38/64-in. choke with a tubing pressure of 330 psi. The lateral extends southward to 10,200 ft. in the southern part of the same section. The true vertical depth is 5,866 ft.

4. In a previously undrilled township in Dawson County, Mont., Petro-Hunt LLC has completed a vertical wildcat as an oil discovery in Red River (Ordovician). According to IHS Inc., #18-54-11B-3-1 Nissley Farms is in Section 11-18n-54e and produced 953 bbl. of oil, 217,000 cu. ft. of gas and 702 bbl. of water from Red River in six days during December 2010. In January 2011, the well averaged 117 bbl. of oil, 13,562 cu. ft. of gas and 114 bbl. of water per day. Petro-Hunt is based in Dallas.

5. In Roosevelt County, Mont., Slawson Exploration Co. completed a horizontal exploratory test that initially flowed 630 bbl. of oil per day. The Denver-based company's #1-10H Renegade is in Section 10-26n-59e, and produces from a fractured horizontal Middle Bakken lateral drilled to 13,911 ft., 10,209 ft. true vertical, at a bottom-hole location in the northwest part of the same section. IHS Inc. reported that the new producer had an initial 30-day average of 330 bbl. of oil per day and a 60-day average of 260 bbl. of oil per day. Houston-based GeoResources Inc. is a 25% working interest partner in the well.

6. A horizontal Middle Bakken venture by Zavanna LLC flowed oil at a restricted rate of 1,320 bbl. per day during flowback operations in North Dakota's Stockyard Creek Field. The Denver-based company's #1-14H Rodney is in Section 14-154n-99w, Williams County, and was tested following 16 stages of fracture stimulation. Middle Bakken production is from a lateral extending from 11,600 ft. northwestward to 17,222 ft. with a bottom-hole location in the northwest part of the same section. True vertical total depth is 11,263 ft. Samson Oil & Gas Ltd., a 26.3% working interest owner in the well, reported that 1.7 million pounds of proppant were pumped in the well with 15 individual fracture plugs in place.

7. Tracker Resource Development II completed a stepout from the Truax Field area in Section 18-153n-98w, southern Williams County, N.D. The #18-1H T.R. Slette initially flowed 1,213 bbl. of oil, 1.9 million cu. ft. of gas and 535 bbl. of water per day. Production comes from a horizontal lateral in Middle Bakken extending southward to a measured total depth of 20,890 ft. at a bottom-hole location in Section 19-153n-98w. Flow was gauged through a 24/64-in. choke with a tubing pressure of 1,700 psi and was tested following 30-stage fracture stimulation between 11,686 and 20,712 ft.

8. A Lodgepole exploratory test by Oil for America Exploration LLC initially flowed 75 bbl. of oil per day. The #22-1 Zastoupil is in Section 22-139n-97w, of Stark County, N.D., and produces from perforations at 9,585-9,700 ft. The Dickinson, N.D.-based company has drilled five more presumed Lodgepole wildcats in Stark County during 2011, including #14-1 Dohrmann in Section 14-140n-94w; #13-1 Dohrmann in Section 13-140n-95w; 23-1 Wieglenda in Section 23-139n-94w; 29-1 Wolf in Section 29-139n-95w; and 27-2 Froelich in Section 27-138n-97w. The company has not released any completion details.

9. A horizontal Niobrara producer by Midland, Texas-based Rubicon Oil & Gas LLC was reported in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. The #4-11-1 Pawnee initially pumped 194 bbl. of 38-gravity oil and 50 bbl. of water per day. The completion is in Section 11-8n-66w of Weld County, Colo., and produces from an untreated, openhole horizontal lateral in Niobrara extending from 7,795 ft. northward to 11,224 ft. at a bottom-hole location in the same section. It was first drilled as an 8,450-ft. pilot hole and was then plugged back to 6,732 ft. to drill the lateral.

10. SM Energy completed a horizontal Niobrara producer, #1-19H Atlas, in Laramie County, Wyo. The Denver-based company's well flowed 800 bbl. of 45.9-gravity oil, 698,000 cu. ft. of gas and 131 bbl. of water daily. Production is from a fractured horizontal lateral in the Niobrara B2 extending from 8,025 ft. southwestward to a total depth of 12,104 ft. at a bottom-hole location in the same section. The true vertical depth is 8,057 ft. Flow was measured through a 20/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 700 psi.

11. In Colorado's Hereford Field, EOG Resources Inc. completed a horizontal Niobrara producer. The #18-22H Critter Creek flowed 37-gravity oil at an initial daily rate of 192 bbl. per day, with 156,000 cu. ft. of gas and 92 bbl. of water. Located in Section 22-11n-63w of Weld County, production is from a fractured horizontal Niobrara interval at 7,602-12,233 ft. Flow was gauged through a 20/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 185 psi. The lateral was drilled southeastward to a measured total depth of 12,605 ft. with a bottom-hole location in the southeast part of the same section. The true vertical depth is 7,290 ft. It's a southeast offset to the Houston-based company's #10-16G Red Poll, which was completed in 2010 flowing at an unstimulated rate of 1,100 bbl. per day.

12. In Laramie County, Wyo., Rex Energy Corp. of State College, Pa. has completed its first two horizontal Niobrara producers in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. The #1H Herrington Farms initially pumped 173 bbl. of oil and 175,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. This producer is in Section 26-15n-62w and was tested in a 4,700-ft. horizontal lateral in Niobrara following 15-stage fracture stimulation. It was drilled to 11,950 ft. The company holds a 100% working interest and an 82.5% net royalty interest in the new producer, which it characterized as a "matrix porosity only"-type well. To the northwest, Rex completed #41-22H Silo-State in Section 22-15n-64w, which initially pumped 54 bbl. of oil with 50,000 cu. ft. of gas and 303 bbl. of load water per day from a horizontal Niobrara interval at 8,353-11,135 ft. following 13-stage fracturing. The Niobrara lateral extends from 8,126 ft. to the south-southwest at 11,700 ft., 7,875 ft. true vertical. Rex holds a 75% working interest and a 59.2% net royalty interest.