Wyoming Hunting

Overview

Known For

Wyoming is known for being a bucket list state for big game hunters. From trophy mule deer, antelope, and elk to Bighorn sheep and black bear, Wyoming’s diverse landscape and healthy, huntable populations of game animals make it a stand-out state for hunters.

Terrain

Wyoming has a little of everything. From the alpines of the Bighorn and Wind River mountain ranges to the foothills of Shirley Basin and its eastern plains and expansive Red Desert, Wyoming’s drastic, changing terrain is home to many different animals.

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Wyoming Hunting Seasons

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Wyoming Draw Specifics

WYOMING – ELK, DEER, ANTELOPE

Point System

• For elk, deer and antelope Wyoming uses a Preference Point system if you are a nonresident
• There is no point system for Wyoming residents applying for elk, deer and antelope – tags are issued via a Random Draw
• Preference Points are like a place in line – 1st in 1st out. The applicants with the most Preference Points draw before those with less
• Nonresidents buy species specific Preference Points during an application window in the late summer – you do not buy points at the time of your tag application
• You cannot buy Preference Points for a species if you successfully drew your 1st choice for that species in the same year
• If you draw your 1st choice for a species, your Preference Points are purged back to 0
• If nonresidents fail to apply or buy a Preference Point for a particular species in 2 consecutive years, they will lose all accumulated Preference Points for that species

Tag Allocation

• For elk 16% of the total number of tags available for a given hunt are allocated to nonresidents and nonresident landowners
• For deer and antelope 20% of the total number of tags available for a given hunt are allocated to nonresidents and nonresident landowners
• For every individual hunt code, 75% of the total number of nonresident tags available for that hunt will be awarded to the applicants with the most Preference Points
• The remaining 25% of nonresident tags for any given hunt code will be issued in the Random Draw – without any regard to Preference Points. Everyone has the same random chance regardless of Preference Point total
• For residents all tags are issued via a Random Draw
• For nonresidents, Wyoming has 2 draw types: “Regular” and “Special”
• Tags obtained in the Regular draw are cheaper; the Special draw is more expensive. This is the distinguishing difference – otherwise they are the same tag
• Because of the cost difference, odds in the Special Draw can generally be a bit better
• For a given hunt code, 60% of the total number of nonresident tags available are allocated to the Regular Draw, and 40% to the Special Draw
• General Example(excluding landowner tags for simplicity):
  • Elk Hunt Code X has 200 total tags
  • 84% to residents: 168
  • 16% will be available to nonresidents: 32
  • 60% of those 32 will be in the Regular Draw: 19
  • 75% of those 19 will be in the Regular Preference Point Draw: 15
  • 25% of those 19 will be in Regular Random Draw: 4
  • 40% of those 32 will be in the Special Draw: 13
  • 75% of those 13 will be in the Special Preference Point Draw: 10
  • 25% of those 13 will be in Special Random Draw: 3

Understanding the Draw Odds

• In Wyoming for nonresidents, we include 4 draw odds columns in our List View: Minimum Points to Draw – Regular, Random Odds Regular, Minimum Points to Draw – Special, Random Odds Special:
• Minimum Points to Draw columns: These are the columns that indicate how many Preference Points were required to successfully draw a tag in the Preference Point portion of the draw for each respective type (Regular and Special). So 25% @ 16 pts means that 25% of the applicants with 16 Preference Points were successful. In this example there are more applicants at 16 points than tags left to issue, so they randomly select from the pool of 16 point applicants until the quota is reached. It also means that 100% of applicants with more than 16 Preference Points were successful, and that 0% of applicants with less than 16 Preference Points drew a tag in the Preference Point draw. Use these columns to evaluate if you have any shot to draw a particular hunt using Preference Points given your total. It’s also a key indicator of demand for the hunt, and it’s implied quality.
• Random Odds columns: In Wyoming, all applicants are eligible to draw in the Random drawing and Preference Points have no impact. Every applicant has the same odds in the Random Drawing for each particular hunt code. Unless you are shooting to draw a tag in the Preference Point draw for a given hunt, these are important columns to consider.

Other Tips

• When it comes to draw odds, Wyoming is one of the few states very friendly to group applications. They average Preference Points for the group, so if you have 2 points and your buddy has 10 points, your group application goes in with 6 points. And, Wyoming will issue tags that exceed the stated quotas if the last successful application actually has more members than tags left in the pool. For example, if there is only 1 tag left to give, and they draw your group of 3, all 3 in the group will still get a tag. This is unusual compared to other states.
• For elk, deer and antelope you only lose your accumulated Preference Points if you draw the 1st choice on your application, so don’t be afraid to apply for hunts that are in less demand with your 2nd choice (cow elk for example).

WYOMING – MOOSE, SHEEP, MOUNTAIN GOAT

Point System

• For moose and bighorn sheep Wyoming uses an optional Preference Point system
• Preference Points are like a place in line – 1st in 1st out. The applicants with the most Preference Points draw before those with less
• Species specific Preference Points are purchased during an application window in the late summer – you do not buy points at the time of your tag application
• You cannot buy Preference Points for a species if you successfully drew for that species in the same year
• There is no point system for mountain goat and bison – all tags are issued in a random drawing
• If you draw a moose or sheep tag, your Preference Points are purged back to 0 and there is an additional 5 year waiting period to apply again
• If you fail to apply or buy a Preference Point for a particular species in 2 consecutive years, you will lose all accumulated Preference Points for that species

Tag Allocation

• For moose, bison, bighorn sheep and mountain goat, 10% of the total number of tags available for a given hunt are allocated to nonresidents
• For every individual sheep and moose hunt code, 75% of the total number of tags available for that hunt will be awarded to the applicants with the most Preference Points
• The remaining 25% of sheep and moose tags for any given hunt code will be issued in the Random Draw – without any regard to Preference Points. Everyone has the same random chance regardless of Preference Point total
• There needs to be at least 4 nonresident tags available for a hunt in order for a random tag to be available to nonresidents

Understanding the Draw Odds

• In Wyoming for bighorn sheep and moose, we list 2 draw odds columns: Minimum Points to Draw and Random Odds
• Minimum Points to Draw column: This is the column that indicates how many Preference Points were required to successfully draw a tag in the Preference Point portion of the draw. So 25% @ 16 pts means that 25% of the applicants with 16 Preference Points were successful. In this example there are more applicants at 16 points than tags left to issue, so they randomly select from the pool of 16 point applicants until the quota is reached. It also means that 100% of applicants with more than 16 Preference Points were successful, and that 0% of applicants with less than 16 Preference Points drew a tag in the Preference Point draw. Use these columns to evaluate if you have any shot to draw a particular hunt using Preference Points given your total. It’s also a key indicator of demand for the hunt, and it’s implied quality.
• Random Odds column: In Wyoming, all applicants are eligible to draw in the Random drawing and Preference Points have no impact. Every applicant has the same odds in the Random Drawing for each particular hunt code. Unless you are shooting to draw a tag in the Preference Point draw for a given hunt, this should be your focus. There needs to be at least 4 nonresident tags available for a hunt in order for a random tag to be available to nonresidents.

Other Tips

• Bighorn sheep, moose and mountain goat tags are generally very difficult to draw anywhere. Consider steering clear of the very hardest to draw hunts and focus on the lower ⅔ if you are hoping to get lucky in the random drawing. It may not seem like a big difference between .10 % odds and .05% odds, but consider that is actually 1 in 1000 against 1 in 2000. If you are late to the game in accumulating points, you’ll need all the luck you can get to overcome the odds.

Wyoming Licenses, Permits, and Regulations

Wyoming hunting licenses, permits, and regulations for resident and non-resident hunters can be purchased on the official website of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. Click below to view the website.

Hunting Layers

WY Private Lands

Over 280,000 parcels mapped by the onX team, this layer helps you know who the property owners are in Wyoming. Tap any parcel to learn more info about the owner and acreage.

WY Gov Lands

onX has the most accurate maps of Gov Lands, covering over 35,000,000 acres in Wyoming. Not all Gov Lands offer access opportunities, check regulations before recreating.

SUBLAYERS (16)

WY Hunt Areas

Wyoming Hunt Areas. Please hunt responsibly, obey all signage and have a safe legal hunt.

Includes 16 Sublayers

• Antelope Hunt Area
• Bighorn Sheep Hunt Area
• Bison Hunt Area
• Black Bear Hunt Area
• Elk Hunt Area
• Moose Hunt Area
• Mtn. Goat Hunt Area
• Mtn. Lion Hunt Area
• Mule Deer Hunt Area
• Sage Grouse Hunt Area
• Turkey Hunt Area
• Whitetail Deer Hunt Area
• Wolf Hunt Area
• Sandhill Crane Hunt Area
• Migratory Game Bird Hunt Area
• Pheasant Hunt Area

SUBLAYERS (5)

WY Hunt Limitation Areas

Wyoming hunting limitation areas

Includes 5 Sublayers

• Elk Hunt Limitation Areas
• Deer Hunt Limitation Areas
• Antelope Hunt Limitation Areas
• Bighorn Sheep Hunt Limitation Areas
• Mountain Goat Hunt Limitation Areas

WY Possible Access

onX has mapped 140,000 acres of possible access lands in Wyoming including timber companies and land conservation groups. Research rules on these private lands before recreating.

WY Walk In Hunting Areas

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department Walk In Hunting Areas. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.

WY Walk In Fishing Areas

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department Walk In Fishing Areas. All fishermen are expected to know the rules of the program. Please access responsibly.

WY Hunter Management Program

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department Hunter Management Program Areas. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.

Public Access Area

Public Access Area, only displaying areas open to hunting.

SUBLAYERS (7)

WY Species Ranges

WY species ranges

Includes 7 Sublayers

• Antelope
• Bighorn Sheep
• Elk
• Moose
• Mule Deer
• Rocky Mountain Goat
• Whitetail Deer

Antler Regulation Area

Antler Regulation Area, area with specific antler hunting regulations by the WY Fish and Game. Please check regulations for specific rules.

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