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.

Resident status:

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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 12, 13, 15, 110

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Apply For Season Dates Archery Dates License Limitations
GENERAL Oct. 15 - Oct. 31 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Any elk
GENERAL Oct. 15 - Oct. 31 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Any elk
REGION S GENERAL Oct. 15 - Oct. 31 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Any elk
012-7* Aug. 15 - Jan. 31 - Cow or calf valid on private land
015-6 Oct. 1 - Dec. 31 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Cow or calf
* Difficult Public Access
huntarea-deer-sample

Approx. % of Public Land: 57%
Access to Public Land: Fair
Access Notes: The northern edge of the area occurs within a checkerboard of alternating public and private lands. Public lands in this area are primarily administered by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Several sections of State Trust Land are also accessible for elk hunting. Most of the private land is in the southeastern portion of the hunt area. Ranches tend to be large, so significant blocks of the private lands in this portion of the area are either unavailable for hunting or available only to outfitted clients.
Mapping Resources: Saratoga, Baggs, and Rawlins

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

  • Nonresident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2026
  • Application Deadline: February 2, 2026
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: May 8, 2026
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: May 21, 2026
  • Preference Point Only***: July 1, 2026 - November 2, 2026
  • Resident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2026
  • Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: June 18, 2026

  • Nonresident Fees
  • Full Price Landowner License: $692.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth License**: $275.00
  • Full Price License: $692.00
  • Full Price Youth License**: $275.00
  • Preference Point Only Youth***: $10.00
  • Preference Point Only: $52.00
  • Reduced Price Cow/Calf License: $288.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn License: $288.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $100.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Cow/Calf License**: $100.00
  • Special License: $1,950.00
  • Resident Fees
  • Full Price Landowner License: $57.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth License**: $25.00
  • Full Price License: $57.00
  • Full Price Youth License**: $25.00
  • Reduced Price Cow/Calf License: $43.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn License: $43.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $20.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Cow/Calf License**: $20.00

** 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

Reduced Price Cow/Calf Licenses

2025 Drawing odds

Nonresident Landowner

Hunt Type Total Quota Landowner Licenses Issued Landowner License Odds
6 48 0 100.00%
7 64 0 100.00%

Nonresident

Hunt Type Total Quota First choice Applicants First choice odds
6 48 152 31.58%
7 64 91 70.33%

Topography and Vegetation: Elevation ranges from 6,700 to 10,800 feet. The area is topographically diverse with cottonwood dominated river bottoms along the North Platte River irrigated hayfields and meadows along major rivers and creeks desert saltbush in the northern extremes of the area open slopes dominated by sagebrush and mountain shrubs and high elevation forests in the Sierra Madre Mountains. The high elevation forests are a mix of Spruce-fir, lodgepole pine, and aspen. The effects of an intense mountain pine beetle infestation are obvious in the Sierra Madre Mountains as thousands of acres of pine trees have died.
General Statement Regarding this Hunt Area: Most elk in this area summer at higher elevations on National Forest and winter at lower elevations at the edge of or out of the lower timberline. Elk will use heavily timbered areas and areas with a large amount of deadfall timber for refuge during the fall hunting seasons. The more severe the fall/winter weather the more elk will use private lands especially along the North Platte River. A large group of elk spend fall west of Highway 230 in the Cow Creek area, which has very limited public access. Some elk will avoid areas with high levels of dispersed recreational activity and high hunter densities on public land by moving to private lands. The rut in this area usually peaks between the third and last week of September.
Additional Hunting Opportunities: Cottontail rabbit are most abundant in sagebrush/greasewood habitats in the area. Sage-grouse can be found in sagebrush grasslands and near wet meadows along the eastern boundary of the area. Blue (Dusky) grouse can be found in the National Forest. Consult the Chapter 11 Upland Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulation for season dates, license requirements and bag/possession limits. Mountain lion and black bear can occasionally be found in the forested areas (Chapter 42 and 3). The North Platte River offers excellent trout fishing (Chapter 46) opportunities.
Herd Unit Job Completion Report: See the EL425 (Sierra Madre) Job Completion Report for more detailed information on management of this herd.

Area 15 - General
2025 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 15
# Days Hunted 5553
Days/Hunter 23.9
Total Area Harvest 232
Hunter Success 25.60%
View Full Harvest Report
Area 15 - Type 6
2025 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 15
# Days Hunted 1213
Days/Hunter 14.3
Total Area Harvest 85
Hunter Success 49.70%
View Full Harvest Report
Area 15 - Type 7
2025 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 15
# Days Hunted 70
Days/Hunter 0
Total Area Harvest 0
Hunter Success 0.00%
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

Laramie Regional Office
1212 S. Adams St.
Laramie WY 82070
(307) 745-4046

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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.

General Elk Licenses

General elk licenses are full-price licenses that are unlimited in the number of licenses issued statewide and are available for purchase "over-the-counter" for Wyoming residents.  Hunters may apply for or purchase a maximum of one general elk license per year.  General elk licenses may be used in any hunt area open to general license hunting and are subject to the season dates and limitations for that hunt area as set forth in the Chapter 7 Elk Hunting Season Regulation.    


 

Nonresident elk hunters wishing to hunt a general area must obtain a Region General License specific to a select region. Region General Licenses allow a nonresident to hunt elk in any hunt area within that region that is open to general license hunting and are subject to the season dates and limitations for that hunt area as set forth in the Chapter 7 Elk Hunting Season Regulation.  For example, nonresident Region S Licenses are valid in Elk Hunt Areas 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 21, 105, 106, 107, 110, and 130, which are open to general license hunting. However, Region S licenses are NOT valid in Elk Hunt Areas 8, 11, 30, 31, 32, 108, 124, and 125 (although these eight hunt areas fall within Region S) as these hunt areas are limited quota. Many general license elk hunt areas also have additional limited quota full-price and/or reduced-price licenses available.

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.

General Hunting Information

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