
Access summary
Wyoming, the nation's 10th largest (and least populated) state, offers vast territory to roam. Nearly half (48 percent) is federal public land, and the State of Wyoming owns another 5.6 percent. With a little research and a basic understanding of Wyoming's access laws you can plan your trip with good information about accessible hunting areas. Land status and topographic map layers are commercially available from private vendors for download onto portable GPS units. Reminder: Land status can change without notice so update your GPS unit with the latest information.
Bureau of Land Management land status maps display BLM lands in yellow, U.S. Forest Service lands in green, National Park Service lands in purple, state in blue and private lands in white. Forest Service maps use similar color coding, but check the map legend for ownership color coding. The largest contiguous areas of accessible public land are in central and western Wyoming. Private lands dominate the eastern third of the state. However, smaller tracts of accessible state and federal public lands are found there.
BLM and Forest Service lands provide access for public recreation, including hunting. State lands also are open for hunting except on cultivated cropland.
To legally access public or state lands, the person must travel onto those lands the following ways:
- Public road or highway.
- Floating on navigable water.
- Walking from bordering public or state lands that are legally accessible.
- Entering from bordering private land you have permission to cross or hunt on.
The two major categories of federal public lands in Wyoming are:
- BLM – 27,860 square miles.
- U.S. Forest Service – 14,460 square miles.
In addition, State lands total approximately 5,500 square miles and lands administered by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department total approximately 800 square miles.
Additional access opportunities
National Parks are closed to hunting except in designated portions of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). In GTNP, only Elk Hunt Areas 75 & 79 are open to elk hunting with a valid elk license and Park permit (refer to Chapter 7 Elk Hunting Regulations). The National Park Service (NPS) also administers the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, both of which are open to public hunting. Prior to hunting these NPS administered lands, please review current species- specific hunting regulations for any specific restrictions that may apply.
Access Yes Program
The Access Yes Program was created in 1998 to enhance and maintain public hunting and fishing access on Wyoming's private and landlocked public and state lands. Hunting access is provided by enrolling lands in one of three subprograms: Walk-In Area; Hunter Management Area and Hunter-Landowner Assistance Program. Lands enrolled in Access Yes can vary from year to year, and current-year landowner enrollment information is published in the summer. Although the majority of properties are enrolled for multiple years, be aware that a property enrolled in your area of interest the previous year could potentially drop out of the program at any time.
Access opportunities
Agency/Lands | BLM map color | Area available | Additional permit requirement | Restrictions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Agency/Lands Bureau of Land Management | BLM map color Yellow | Area available 27,860 mi2 | Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply – see BLM Rules.3 |
Agency/Lands U.S. Forest Service (Includes national forests, national grasslands, and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area) | BLM map color Light Green (Bankhead- Jones Lands are pink) |
Area available 14,460 mi2 | Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply – see USFS Rules.4 Guide requirement for nonresidents hunting in designated wilderness areas – see WGFC Regulations. |
Agency/Lands WY State Lands | BLM map color Blue | Area available Approx. 5,500 mi2 | Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions No public use of cultivated crops. Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply. No camping and No open fires – see State Land Board Rules.5 |
Agency/Lands USFWS National Wildlife Refuges |
BLM map color Dark Green | Area available All or portions of some refuges – refer to specific refuge rules. | Additional permit requirement None except on the National Elk Refuge (Elk Hunt Area 77)2 | Restrictions Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply – See individual refuge rules. |
Agency/Lands WGFD Habitat Management Areas (WHMAs) & Access Areas | BLM map color Not Shown | Area available >800 mi2 (38 WHMAs; 119 Access Areas) |
Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply. Seasonal closures apply on some WHMAs and are posted by signs. Some access areas are not open to hunting (signs posted). |
Agency/Lands Bureau of Reclamation | BLM map color Stippled pink or tan | Area available >150 mi2 | Additional permit requirement None1 | Restrictions BOR lands are open unless specifically closed. Areas within and near facilities are considered closed whether posted or not. |
Agency/Lands National Parks | BLM map color Purple | Area available All national parks are closed except elk hunting is allowed in the portions of Grand Teton National Park in ElkHunt Areas 75 & 79. | Additional permit requirement Park Permit Required in addition to an Elk Hunt Area 75 and 79 elk license,2 | Restrictions Restrictions including designated parking areas and closed areas are outlined in the Park Permit rules. |
Agency/Lands Other Park Service administered lands | BLM map color Purple | Area available John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway (24,000 acres) Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (68,000 acres) |
Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Off-road vehicle travel restrictions apply. Specific area closures as posted by signs. |
Agency/Lands Private | BLM map color White | Area available | Additional permit requirement Requires landowner permission to hunt1,2 | Restrictions Permission of the landowner is required to hunt on private lands in Wyoming. By statute, the hunter’s license must bear the signature of the landowner, lessee, or agent of the owner on whose private property he is hunting or the legitimate proof as evidence that permission to hunt has been granted. Some landowners charge a fee to hunt or cross their property. |
Agency/Lands WGFD Walk-in Areas (WIA) | BLM map color Not shown | Area available Varies from year to year – 660,000 acres in 2014 | Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Open for species and time periods shown in the online WIA Atlas. Additional rules may apply to each property. |
Agency/Lands WGFD Hunter Management Areas (HMA) | BLM map color Not shown | Area available Varies from year to year – 1.1 million acres in 2014 | Additional permit requirement Permit required for each HMA1,2 | Restrictions Open for species and time periods specified on permit. Other rules provided with each HMA permit. |
Agency/Lands Hunter Assistance Program | BLM map color Not shown | Area available Varies from year to year | Additional permit requirement None1,2 | Restrictions Landowner permission required. Contact information posted online. Landowner will specify species, open areas and other rules. |
1A pheasant special management permit is required when hunting on lands that are stocked with pheasants by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Refer to Wyoming Game and Fish Commission pheasant hunting regulations for specific requirements.
2An elk special management permit is required when hunting in certain elk hunt areas with elk feedgrounds in western Wyoming. Refer to WGFC elk hunting regulations.
3http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/information/docs.Par.7510.File.dat/wynf-0025.pdf
4http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/ohv_maps.shtml
5http://slf-web.state.wy.us/Surface/brochure.pdf