Gastar Exploration Announces Initial Production Rate From Recent Well Completion

HOUSTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gastar Exploration Ltd. (NYSE Amex:
GST and TSX: YGA) today announced that it has completed the Wildman Trust #5
well in one lower Bossier zone at a restricted gross sales rate of
approximately 15 MMcfd with over 12,000 psi of flowing casing pressure.
Gastar successfully drilled the Wildman Trust #5 well, a lower Bossier test,
to a total depth of 19,000 feet and has logged approximately 60 net feet of
pay in five lower Bossier and one middle Bossier zones. Gastar owns a 66.7%
working interest before payout (54.5% net revenue interest before payout) in
the Wildman Trust #5.

"The Wildman Trust #5 well is completed in only the deepest lower Bossier zone
and the sales rate is being restricted," commented J. Russell Porter, Gastar's
President and Chief Executive Officer. "The zone currently completed has
tested at over 25 MMcfd and is capable of higher rates. As a result of the
high rate capable from this zone, we have decided to delay any further
completions on the well and will reserve the deliverability available from the
behind pipe zones to be produced when natural gas prices are more attractive.
The Wildman Trust #5 was drilled and completed for approximately $9.5
million."

About Gastar Exploration
Gastar Exploration Ltd. is an exploration and production company focused on
finding and developing natural gas assets in North America and Australia. The
Company pursues a strategy combining deep natural gas exploration and
development with lower risk CBM and shale resource development. The Company
owns and operates exploration and development acreage in the deep Bossier gas
play of East Texas and Marcellus Shale play in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Gastar's CBM activities are conducted within the Powder River Basin of
Wyoming and concentrated on more than 6 million gross acres controlled by
Gastar and its joint development partner in Australia's Gunnedah Basin (PEL
238, PEL 433 and PEL 434) located in New South Wales. For more information,
visit our web site at www.gastar.com.

Safe Harbor Statement and Disclaimer
This news release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Act of 1934. A statement identified by the words "expects", "projects",
"plans", and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed
forward-looking statements. Although Gastar believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements
involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and
results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this
news release. These include risks inherent in the drilling of natural gas and
oil wells, including risks of fire, explosion, blowouts, pipe failure, casing
collapse, unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards,
and other operating and production risks inherent in the natural gas and oil
drilling and production activities, which may temporarily or permanently
reduce production or cause initial production or test results to not be
indicative of future well performance or delay the timing of sales or
completion of drilling operations, risks with respect to natural gas and oil
prices, a material decline in which could cause Gastar to delay or suspend
planned drilling operations or reduce production levels, and risks relating to
the availability of capital to fund drilling operations that can be adversely
affected by adverse drilling results, production declines and declines in
natural gas and oil prices and other risk factors described in Gastar's Annual
Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the
SEC at www.sec.gov and on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and
Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com.

The NYSE Alternext US LLC and Toronto Stock Exchange have not reviewed and do
not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Company Contact:
Gastar Exploration Ltd.
J. Russell Porter, Chief Executive Officer
713-739-1800 / rporter@gastar.com

Investor Relations Counsel:
Lisa Elliott / Anne Pearson
DRG&E : 713-529-6600
lelliott@drg-e.com / apearson@drg-e.com

SOURCE Gastar Exploration Ltd.

J. Russell Porter, Chief Executive Officer of Gastar Exploration Ltd.,
+1-713-739-1800, rporter@gastar.com; or Investor Relations Counsel, Lisa
Elliot, lelliott@drg-e.com, or Anne Pearson, apearson@drg-e.com, both of
DRG&E, +1-713-529-6600, for Gastar Exploration Ltd.