The U.S. natural gas rig count fell two units to 158 for the period ending Thursday (April 6), while a two-rig decline in the oil patch dropped the overall domestic tally four units to 751, according to the latest numbers from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Land drilling declined by three units domestically for the period, with the Gulf of Mexico dropping one unit to finish at 16. Horizontal drilling decreased by five units in the United States, partially offset by a net increase of one vertical rig.

The 751 active U.S. rigs as of Thursday compares with 689 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus. Driven by a pullback in oil drilling, the U.S. rig count sits well off its recent peak of 784 reached in late...