1 Bepco Inc., Metaire, La., will try its luck at a remote wildcat in Webster County, Miss. The county has no production, and only six wells have been drilled within its borders. The company's #1 Mt. Zion is in Section 26-20n-9e in the northwestern Black Warrior Basin, about 0.75-mile north of the #1 Salt Creek, another wildcat planned by Bepco. Both wells will look for natural gas at 15,700 ft. about two miles west of the town of Eupora. The nearest previous drilling is some 10 miles west in Montgomery County, where the #1 E.C. Mitchell was completed as an oil producer in 1938, but few details are available. The nearest commercial production to the Bepco site is some 15 miles east-southeast in Oktibbeha County where Total E&P owns the only producing wells. Its 11-well Maben Field and 1-well Maben South Field have produced 41.52 billion cu. ft. of gas and 78 bbl. of water from Pennsylvanian and Ordovician Knox zones. Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Midland, Texas, abandoned two wildcats in Webster County earlier this year after drilling to 16,700 and 12,000 ft. about 10 miles northeast of the Bepco well, according to IHS Energy. 2 Independent S. Lavon Evans Jr. Inc. will drill its #1 Koon "21-2" wildcat to Ordovician at 10,000 ft. in northeastern Pickens County, Ala. There is no production from a comparable depth in the area. The Laurel, Miss., operator chose a site in Section 21-19s-13w, about five miles east of Reform and 3.3 miles west of the Tuscaloosa County boundary line. The closest drilling is an abandoned test a third-mile north. The company has a coalbed-methane exploration program about 30 miles east-northeast. About five miles north-northwest of the Ordovician wildcat, Elysium Energy LLC, Denver, permitted the #1 Gulf States "29-11" wildcat to 5,500 ft. 3 Schmude Oil Inc., Traverse City, Mich., permitted a Silurian Brown Niagaran horizontal well in Section 34-25n-13w, Colfax Township, in southeastern Benzie County, Mich. The well will reach a true vertical depth of about 5,590 ft. The #1-34 D1 Dinger is about 2.5 miles east of Thompsonville in northwestern Michigan and 1.5 miles southeast of the now-abandoned discovery well for Colfax 29-25n-13w Field. That well, the United Security Associations #1-29 State Colfax, tested at 30 bbl. of oil a day from Brown Niagaran perforations between 5,058-64 ft. and produced less than 1,000 bbl. of oil from May 1993 to July 1994. 4 Oakland County, Mich., will gain a wildcat when Wellmaster Production Co. LLC, Rothbury, Mich., drills its #1-36 State Milford & Jar Co. in Milford Township, Section 36-2n-7e. The well will target Brown Niagaran at 4,400 ft. The nearest production is 3.5 miles northeast in 09-01n-07e Field, where production also comes from Brown Niagaran. The town of Wixom is about 2.7 miles east. 5 RK Petroleum Corp., Midland, Texas, will drill a remote wildcat in a nonproducing area about 3.5 miles northeast of Marshall, Ill., on the northern flank of the Illinois Basin. The #1 Stepp will investigate Silurian zones to about 2,300 ft. in Section 27-12n-11w in northeastern Clark County, Ill. The nearest fields are about six miles away. Weaver Field lies southeast and has produced some 2.88 million bbl. of oil, primarily from Devonian above 2,100 ft. Elbridge Field lies north-northeast of the RK well in Edgar County. That field has produced some 1.28 million bbl. of oil primarily from Devonian and Pennsylvanian zones shallower than 2,000 ft. 6 In Wyandot County, Ohio, Mar Oil Co., Calgary, will drill the #1 Annabelle wildcat to test Trempealeau for oil and gas at 2,600 ft. The well is in Section 18, Nevada Quad. The well is about four miles southeast of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and Sandusky Field, which produces from Trenton. 7 Independent Great Lakes Energy Partners, Hartville, Ohio, plans to drill its #2 Laird wildcat to 2,500 ft. to test for Queenston gas in Seneca County, N.Y. The well is almost five miles north of Waterloo, N.Y., in Section C, Genevan Quad, Junius Township. The nearest production is from an unnamed field about 1.6 miles southwest. That field produces from Lockport. 8 Mercer County, Pa., has received a lot of exploration attention, with at least three companies planning wildcats, reports IHS Energy. D&L Energy LLC, Youngstown, Ohio, plans the #6GRDC to Devonian gas at 4,000 ft. in Section A, Fredonia Quad, Delaware Township, about 1.5 miles north of New Hamburg Field, which produces from Devonian, and 3.1 miles south of Greenville East, Pa. Energy Resources of America Inc., Canfield, Ohio, has permitted the #2 Zawistowski Unit to look for Devonian gas at 5,200 ft. in Section A, Fredonia Quad, Hempfield Township, approximately 2.1 miles northeast of New Hamburg Field and 2.7 miles south of Greenville East. Cobra Resources LLC, Ellsworth, Ohio, has four wells in the works, all seeking gas at 5,200 ft. Targeting Oriskany, the company plans the #2 Taylor in Section A, Sharpsville Quad, West Salem Township, about 3.1 miles northeast of Orangeville; the #1 R. Luplow in the same township 3.3 miles northeast of Orangeville; and the #1 F. Raiti in Section A, Sharpsville Quad, Pymatuning Township, 2.6 miles northeast of Orangeville. Aiming at Medina at the same depth, the company will drill the #1 H. Sewinsky in Section A, Sharpsville Quad, West Salem Township, 3.2 miles northeast of Orangeville. 9 Mid East Oil Co., Indiana, Pa., staked the Bel-#26 Chagrin wildcat with plans to drill to 5,000 ft. to look for gas. The well is in Section D, Penfield Quad, Huston Township, Clearfield County, about 6.6 miles east of Treasure Lake, Pa. The nearest production to the proposed well is an unnamed field approximately 1.5 miles northeast. 10 Atlas Resources Inc., Moon Township, Pa., continued its long-term exploration program in Fayette County, Pa., as it staked the #1 Kirmeyer wildcat to evaluate gas potential in Devonian at approximately 4,000 ft. The well is in Section E, Fayette City Quad, Jefferson Township, nearly three miles southeast of the town of Fayette. The nearest production is 1.3 miles northwest in Waltersburg Field, which gets its production from Devonian. 11 Three wildcats have been staked in Braxton County, W.Va., as veteran operator Columbia Natural Resources Inc., Charleston, W.Va., will look for Devonian gas potential in zones up to 6,650 ft. The company plans to drill to 6,650 ft. at its #625507 Charles and Paul Hall in Otter District, Gassaway Quad, some 6.6 miles west of Gassaway and 2.3 miles southwest of an unnamed field that produces from Mississippian. The second well is the #625509 Dennis Moyer in the same quad. That well is projected to 6,310 ft. The company will also drill the #625585 White to a proposed total depth of 5,700 ft. in Birch District in Gassaway Quad, about 6.2 miles west of Gassaway and 2.1 miles northeast of another unnamed field that produces from the Blue Monday formation. 12 Energy Search Inc., Marietta, Ohio, has permitted the #167 Beaver Coal Co. exploratory test to look at Devonian zones to 7,000 ft. in Raleigh County, W.Va. The wildcat site is in Shady Spring District, Crab Orchard Quad, less than two miles from an unnamed field that gets its production from Weir. It also is 3.7 miles southeast of Coal City, W.Va. 13 In Breathitt County, Ky., Kentucky Gas Development LLC, Lexington, will drill the #2 Fred R. and Linda Combs to look for gas in the Big Six Sand to 2,499 ft. The well is in Quicksand Quad, 1.2 miles southwest of Stevenson Field, a Big Six producer, and 1.8 miles northeast of Jackson. 14 Three more wells are in the planning stages in Daugherty Petroleum Inc.'s continuing exploration in Harlan County, Ky. All three will look for Devonian gas at 4,900 ft. The Lexington, Ky., operator will drill all three wells in Nolansburg Quad. The #SPI-361 Bessie Ray is 2.2 miles west of an unnamed Devonian field and 5.6 miles from Evarts, Ky. The #DPI-377 Kentucky River Coal Corp. is 2.7 miles south of the Devonian field and 7.8 miles north of Evarts, and the #DPI-367 Ruth Miller et ux is 1.8 miles south of the unnamed field and 8.1 miles north of Evarts. 15 Major Crude Oil LLC, Knoxville, Tenn., has staked a Wayne County, Ky., wildcat in search of oil in the Murfreesboro Lime. The 2,000-ft. #7 Don Richardson is more than 1.5 miles from the nearest production in an unnamed field that produces from Beaver in Parmleysville Quad, more than 14 miles south of Monticello. 16 Nami Resources Co. LLC, London, Ky., has permitted four new wildcats as part of an ongoing program in Bell County, Ky. All the wells are in Pineville Quad and all will look for gas in Clinton Shale at 4,000 ft. The #1 Fred Gregory is 3.5 miles northwest of Pineville and 1.3 miles southwest of an unnamed field that produces from Waverly. The #2 Donna E. Smith is 3.7 miles northeast of Pineville and 1.3 miles southeast of an unnamed Big Lime Field. The #34 Lewis Heirs is 2.4 miles northwest of Pineville and 1.4 miles northeast of the unnamed Clinton field. The #3 Donna Smith is 3.4 miles northeast of Pineville and 1.3 miles southeast of the unnamed Big Lime field, according to IHS Energy.