Wyoming hunt Planner

Welcome to our Hunt Planner. In the sections that follow you will find interactive maps, species specific hunt information, drawing odds, harvest information, public access and much more.

Please begin by selecting a species from the drop down menu below.

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Elk range from mountainous wilderness areas to lowland deserts and plains, and are plentiful on public and private lands. Every national forest has elk, and herds are present on mountain ranges and desert areas administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

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Hunt Area 116

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Apply For Season Dates Archery Dates License Limitations
REGION E GENERAL* Oct. 15 - Nov. 10 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Any elk
REGION E GENERAL* Nov. 11 - Nov. 30 - Antlerless elk
116-1* Nov. 11 - Dec. 31 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Any elk valid off national forest
116-1* Jan. 1 - Jan. 31 - Antlerless elk valid off national forest
116-7* Aug. 15 - Jan. 31 - Cow or calf valid off national forest
* Difficult Public Access
huntarea-deer-sample

Approx. % of Public Land: 21%
Access to Public Land: Poor
Access Notes: Nearly the entirety of elk hunting opportunities are on private land, and trespass fees or outfitting are the norm. While there is a large area of the Black Hills National Forest within this hunt area, elk numbers there are exceedingly low, and high levels of human activity tend to push the elk off the National Forest. Hunters hunting on the BHNF will need a travel management map for the Bearlodge Ranger District to determine which roads are open to which type of vehicle, and where dispersed camping and limited off road travel for elk retrieval are permitted. State lands along the Belle Fourche River are not legally accessible by the public. Planning a public land elk hunt in this area is strongly discouraged.
Mapping Resources: Sundance & Devil’s Tower

Additional Information: None
USFS Designated Wilderness Areas: None
Hunting Access in Wyoming - Public Access Summary

Parcels of land where Game and Fish facilitates management of hunters for access to hunt.


Available Walk in Hunting for this Hunt Area

Crook County Walk In Area 4 More Info

  • Nonresident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2025
  • Application Deadline: January 31, 2025
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: May 8, 2025
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: May 22, 2025
  • Preference Point Only***: July 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025
  • Resident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2025
  • Application Deadline: June 2, 2025
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: June 2, 2025
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: June 19, 2025

  • Nonresident Fees
  • Full Price Application^: $707.00
  • Full Price Landowner Application^: $707.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth Application^**: $290.00
  • Full Price Youth Application^**: $290.00
  • Preference Point Only Youth***: $10.00
  • Preference Point Only: $52.00
  • Reduced Price Cow/Calf Application^: $303.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn Application^: $303.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn Application^**: $115.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Cow/Calf Application^**: $115.00
  • Special Application^: $1,965.00
    • ^ A nonrefundable application fee of $15 is included in the amount to be remitted for each big game license applied for in the initial license drawing.
  • Resident Fees
  • Full Price Application^: $62.00
  • Full Price Landowner Application^: $62.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth Application^**: $30.00
  • Full Price Youth Application^**: $30.00
  • Reduced Price Cow/Calf Application^: $48.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn Application^: $48.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn Application^**: $25.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Cow/Calf Application^**: $25.00
    • ^ A nonrefundable application fee of $5 is included in the amount to be remitted for each big game license applied for in the initial license drawing.

** An applicant may apply for any big game license if he/she is eleven (11) years of age and has not attained eighteen (18) years of age at the time of application. Any person may take a big or trophy game animal at eleven (11) years of age if the person will attain twelve (12) years of age by the end of that calendar year. Persons who are less than eighteen (18) years of age and at least eleven (11) years of age at the time of application may apply for a youth license and remit youth fees. Applicants must be at least fourteen (14) years of age prior to September 15 of the application year in order to hunt wild bison. Applicants under the age of eighteen (18) may have their parent or legal guardian submit an application on their behalf.

Full Price Licenses

2024 Drawing odds

Nonresident Special Preference Point

Hunt Type Quota Preference Points Drawing Odds
1 6 6 100.00%
1 4 < 6 100.00%
1 3 < 5 100.00%
1 4 5 100.00%
1 3 4 100.00%
1 3 < 4 100.00%
1 0 < 3 0.00%
1 1 3 20.00%

Nonresident Special Random

Hunt Type Total Quota First choice Applicants First choice odds
1 1 8 12.50%

Topography and Vegetation: This area is dominated by rolling to steep topography of the Black Hills and their associated plains. Most elk occur in areas dominated by Ponderosa Pine and Aspen / Birch communities with openings - either natural or agricultural. During both the early and late portions of the hunting season, large groups of mostly cow and calf elk may be associated with agricultural lands and their surrounding uplands.
General Statement Regarding this Hunt Area: This hunt area has the lowest hunter satisfaction in the state. This is because the majority of elk in this area occur on private land and are rarely harvested from accessible public land. Very few elk are taken off the Black Hills National Forest, with most of the harvest there coming during the archery season. Elk movement can hamper hunting due to elk moving between different landownership parcels. Consequently, the average, reported number of hunting days required to harvest an elk is about 45, and elk hunter success averages only 18%.
Additional Hunting Opportunities: Whitetail or mule deer may be taken with a general license (consult deer hunting regulations &ampndash Chapter 6). Wild turkey hunting also occurs under a general license framework and opportunities are good (consult wild turkey hunting regulations &ampndash Chapter 20). Limited small game hunting is also available (consult the Chapter 11 Upland Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulation for season dates, license requirements and bag/possession limits).
Herd Unit Job Completion Report: See the EL740 (Black Hills) Job Completion Report for more detailed information on the management of this herd.

Area 116 - General
2023 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 116
# Days Hunted 4583
Days/Hunter 37.6
Total Area Harvest 122
Hunter Success 18.20%
View Full Harvest Report
Area 116 - Type 1
2023 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 116
# Days Hunted 764
Days/Hunter 31.8
Total Area Harvest 24
Hunter Success 32.00%
View Full Harvest Report
Area 116 - Type 7
2023 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 116
# Days Hunted 1475
Days/Hunter 17.2
Total Area Harvest 86
Hunter Success 38.70%
View Full Harvest Report

Hunter Education Requirements

No person born on or after January 1, 1966, may take any wildlife by the use of firearms on land other than that of his own family, unless the person possesses or can demonstrate they have obtained a certificate of competency and safety in the use and handling of firearms.

All Elk Hunt Area 75 and 79 (Grand Teton National Park) hunters, regardless of age, must possess and exhibit a valid hunter safety certificate.

Compliance will be checked in the field.

Hunter Education Exemptions

If you meet the Armed Forces/Wyoming Peace Officer exemption requirements or you have obtained special 1 year authorization through the Hunter Mentor Program, you are exempt from hunter education.

Hunter Mentor Program

Any person born on or after January 1, 1966, who has not received a certificate of competency and safety in the use and handling of firearms, may apply to the Department for a special authorization to take wildlife with the use of a firearm while being accompanied by a mentor. A special authorization issued to an individual shall be valid for one (1) year from the date of issue and shall be in the possession of the recipient at all times while in the field.

Animal carcasses must be disposed of properly at designated sites that allow for it. Please click on this link to locate an area near you and check with the disposal site for details regarding your carcass disposal.

Carcass Disposal Sites in Wyoming

Casper Regional Office
3030 Energy Lane
Casper, WY 82604
(307) 473-3400

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About Elk Hunting in Wyoming

Applying for a License

The total limit for elk licenses a person may possess differs from deer and antelope in that full price elk licenses and reduced price cow/calf elk licenses are combined together to calculate the total number of elk licenses allowed by any one person. An applicant shall apply for or receive no more than a total of three (3) elk licenses in any one (1) calendar year.

 

An applicant may apply for and receive one (1) general or limited quota full price elk license and one (1) limited quota reduced price cow/calf elk license through the initial license drawing. After the initial drawing, a person may apply for and receive up to a total of three (3) elk licenses, of which no more than one (1) shall be a General, Type 0, 1, 2, 3 or 9 license. However, no person shall apply for and receive more than a total of three (3) elk licenses which shall include not more than one (1) General, Type 0, 1, 2, 3 or 9 license in a single hunting season.

Grand Teton National Park and National Elk Refuge

A person may apply for a reduced price cow/calf elk license without applying for a full price elk license. However, no hunter may take more than one (1) elk in Grand Teton National Park (Elk Hunt Areas 75 and 79) regardless whether he/she possesses both a full price elk license and a reduced price cow/calf elk license valid for the hunt area in Grand Teton National Park. Applicants desiring to hunt within Grand Teton National Park must apply for Elk Hunt Area 75.

 

After the first week of the National Elk Refuge (Elk Hunt Area 77) season, all unused full price elk and reduced price cow/calf elk licenses, excluding limited quota archery only licenses, are eligible for the National Elk Refuge drawing in Elk Hunt Area 77.

 

The Department of the Interior requires hunter safety certification of all hunters, regardless of age, to hunt in Grand Teton National Park (Elk Hunt Areas 75 and 79). The Hunter Mentor Program and Hunter Safety Exemption are not valid in Grand Teton National Park.

Annual Fishing

All nonresident full price elk licenses include an annual fishing privilege. Any hunter who is issued a full price elk license does not need to purchase an additional fishing license once their license is received in June. If you wish to fish prior to receiving your full price elk license, you must purchase a nonresident fishing license. Reduced price cow/calf elk licenses do not include fishing privileges.

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