The U.S. natural gas rig count fell two units to 158 for the week ended Friday (Feb. 3), while declines in the oil patch sent the combined domestic tally tumbling 12 units lower to 759, according to the latest tally from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

rigs

Along with the loss of two natural gas-directed rigs, domestic declines for the week also included 10 oil-directed rigs. Land drilling declined by 11 rigs, with the Gulf of Mexico count easing one unit lower to 12, down from 16 in the year-earlier period. The United States saw net losses of seven directional rigs and five horizontal rigs, with vertical units unchanged week/week.

The combined 759 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 613 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data...