Wyoming Expert Analysis

Overview

Attention non-resident trophy species applicants | As the new 90/10 tag allocation takes effect this year, the odds of drawing one of these tags will be significantly less than years past. With 50% of the non-resident moose, goat and bison, and 60% of the non-resident sheep tags removed from the equation, things will be drastically different for your chances to draw a tag from here on out.

Other than odds that are cut in half, or worse, the largest change could be the fact that there will no longer be any random draw tags available in the random pool for non-resident applicants for sheep and maybe even moose. This means unless you have more than 20 sheep or moose points, you are much better off just buying a point and not even bothering to apply and front the heavy cost to do so in this year’s draw.

The State does have a proposal on the table to convert all sheep and moose points for both residents and non-residents alike to bonus points instead of preference points starting in 2027. This will give those with high point totals the chance to use their preference points over the next five years. This will make draw odds horrific with anything less than 18-24 preference points. Many high point applicants only buy points and do not actually apply. This will change creating massive point creep inside an already depleted tag pool. The next five years are going to be rough, very rough.

The non-resident goat quota will go from 16 tags to only six, while the bison quota will drop from 30 to 15. The non-resident moose quota will fall from 70 to 36 tags and the sheep quota will plummet from 45 non-resident tags to only 18 tags. Keep in mind it will take at least 40 non-resident tags to even have a hope in having a single tag in the random draw for sheep or moose.

With a new moose quota of only 36 tags and a sheep quota of 18 tags, there will no longer be a single random tag for either species offered until the draw system is changed to a modified random draw in 2027 at best, IF the proposal to do so is adopted and passed by the Wyoming legislature and signed by the Governor. For this reason, I am highly suggesting all low point applicants for sheep and moose simply buy points for the next few years. Save your money.

Bison and Rocky Mountain goat applicants will not be affected as these draws are already 100% random and preference points are not applicable for these species. The only effect will be a significant reduction in draw odds for non-resident applicants.

Deer & Pronghorn Overview

The winter in Wyoming has gone from a “good old-fashioned winter” to something beyond that classification. With a snowpack level that is above 150% in some areas and more than 130% statewide on average and temperatures that have nearly broken all-time records, the winter has been rough to say the least. The hardest hit areas are the game rich regions of the western and southern parts of the state. As for what this will bring in the end, come fall, no one really knows at this point for sure, but I am guessing we will see some pretty serious winter kill on our antelope and mule deer this year causing the Game and Fish Department to further reduce tag quotas in most regions of the state. This move will make already rough draw odds even worse. Add to that the fact that massive amounts of additional applicants have been flooding into the draw system since Covid and we have a perfect storm for very, very tough draw odds on the immediate horizon.

Going into the winter, the antelope were in the beginnings of a rebound while the mule deer continued to suffer a historic decline not seen in this state since, well, forever really. This winter is sure to slow or stop the antelope rebound and accelerate the mule deer decline. It’s not a very rosy picture indeed.

The outlook for mule deer hunting this year might actually be better than that of the antelope. This is mostly due to the fact that the antelope grow their horns in the winter, which was brutal, and at least the mule deer that do manage to survive will have a very green and lush landscape to inhabit once the wrath of winter is finally over. I fully expect some fairly drastic tag quota reductions for mule deer in Wyoming this summer. This will make the odds of drawing a tag even steeper than usual.

Coming off of a very poor year for Wyoming mule deer, this is some very tough news to digest. The 2022 hunting season saw barely 15,000 mule deer bucks harvested in the state of Wyoming. This is an all-time low and less than 50% of the harvest of more than 32,000 bucks seen during the 2006 hunting season. This is proof that the tag reductions seen in Wyoming have not kept up with the harvest success failures over the past two decades. More needs to be done, in my opinion.

Even with the bad winter conditions, I am sure there will still be a few big bucks killed in Wyoming somewhere. It just gets much harder to predict where those bucks will come from, as the habitat degrades and the winter kill mounts. If I was a non-resident hunter, I think I would be buying preference points for deer and antelope this year and see how all this shakes out, particularly if I had more than 10 points to protect.

The antelope outlook is as bad or worse, if I had to venture a guess. Antelope are tough critters and can handle some pretty darn serious weather conditions, however, given the temperatures and massive snow drifting we have seen this year, I am not optimistic about antelope survivability at this point. Ten-foot snow drifts and -50 degrees Fahrenheit are some pretty gnarly weather conditions, even for an antelope. When I see antelope huddling tight together and standing like zombies, it’s usually a sign of bad things to come.

As for the hunting side of the equation, I would be very reluctant to bet my 10 or 15 points on any area in the state right now. If I had to apply, I would look toward the Bighorn Basin region for a big buck or the historic areas around Rawlins hoping for a miracle. The Bighorn Basin region has seen about a normal snow year and temperatures that have been below normal. This is the only region of the state that has experienced a somewhat normal winter and will be the least impacted area of the state.

The 2023 hunting season will be one of mixed results for both trophy buck antelope and trophy mule deer. With overall herd numbers waning and trophy quality dipping due to habitat and age class deficiencies, high point applicants will need to be aware of what they are getting into on many of the tougher to draw hunts this year.

Overview
Why Hunt Deer in Wyoming
Mule Deer Analysis

Wyoming’s mule deer herds have suffered catastrophic declines statewide over the past decade and this winter seems to have accelerated that trend.”

Mule Deer Overview
There isn’t much good to write about Wyoming’s mule deer, so if you want to just cut it short, buy preference points this year and hope for better days to come in the future. If you want to be depressed either pop Old Yeller on a screen or just continue reading.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department continues to struggle with a rapidly dwindling mule deer herd statewide. The Cowboy State is home to a mule deer herd that, going into the winter, was depleted by nearly 40% on average. The dreadful winter weather we are now seeing is surely to compound that situation drastically. By the time spring finally arrives we could very well see a mule deer herd that is below half of its already anemic objective levels. The outlook is far less than ideal, even bordering on alarming at this point.

How did we get here? For starters, the perfect storm has descended on our mule deer herd. An intense, three-year drought followed up by a once-in-a-generation winter has made a bad situation even worse for our mule deer herds. With very large snowpack levels and nearly unbelievable low temperatures, this winter has been very serious. Although we do not know the full impacts on our deer herds at this point, time will tell.
That said, from what I have been hearing around the state, things are not looking good. Unlike the antelope herds that should bounce back fairly quickly, the mule deer seem to be stuck in a very serious, ongoing rut. With hunter success rates near all-time lows, only to be beat out by all-time low hunter satisfaction surveys, the deer hunters in Wyoming are feeling the pain, particularly those who have burned large banks of preference points to draw.

The Fish and Game finds themselves facing a serious, double-edged sword right now. With a dwindling deer herd comes dwindling tag quotas which in turn brings dwindling draw odds. As those odds drop, the amount of points to draw a tag increases and so do expectations. In Region G for instance, now taking a decade to draw a tag, the expectation for that hunt explodes versus what was expected a decade ago when that same hunt took only five points to draw. Now, add the fact that Wyoming has seen a 95% increase in non-resident deer applicants entering the system since 2020, and this hunt could very well become a 20 point hunt in the next few years.
The massive number of new applicants into the Wyoming draw system is probably one of the most concerning situations any non-resident hunter with preference points could imagine. To put it in perspective, there are now over 100,000 non-resident applicants with four points and less in the system for deer, elk and antelope, nearly three times as many applicants as there are with five points or more. This means once you draw that tag in Wyoming you will move to the back of one hell of a massive line. With over 150,000 applicants now in the system for non-resident licenses, you will likely never see a good tag again in Wyoming once you draw. So, be very careful when and how you burn your points if you have five or more preference points, and particularly if you have ten or more.

With now 151,000 non-residents in the antelope system and roughly 29,000 buck antelope tags on quota, there are about five year’s worth of applicants to get through, and the deer situation is three times that bad. A non-resident applicant in Wyoming has to be smarter than ever when making choices for areas and hunts.

One important thing to remember when it comes to Wyoming mule deer is the fact that the state of Wyoming does not manage for true trophy mule deer like some other states might. Wyoming manages for herd numbers and hunter satisfaction, which means the big game managers and biologists in Wyoming want a healthy population of mule deer and a fair number of bucks that hit maturity. In a nutshell, Wyoming does not manage for six and seven-year-old buck deer, period. The winters here are too severe and the state does not want to leave too much resource on the table when a rough winter strikes, which occurs about every five to seven years and this is one of those years.

With that said, at this point in time, the fact remains that the vast majority of the areas you will study in this section are managed to an “at-or-near” objective herd level, and a buck-to-doe ratio in the 30-40 per 100 range. This is not the Arizona Strip or the Henry Mountains folks, and for that reason, a boatload of preference points will not easily buy you into a 200-inch deer in the Cowboy State. That said, Wyoming is seeing a deer herd that is well below objective levels, off by nearly 50% and buck-to-doe ratios well below the 30-40 range in most areas where ratios are in the high teens and low twenties. Add to that the fact that hunter success rates are well below average, even knocking on the door of all-time lows as well as all-time lows in hunter satisfaction ratings. Mix in some alarming CWD data and the way I see it, the outlook really couldn’t get much worse.

If you do, for some reason, still want to apply for a deer hunt in Wyoming, there are two different types of draw hunts in Wyoming. The first is the general, region-wide tag. These are big regions consisting of a dozen or so individual hunting units. A tag draw for the region allows a hunter to hunt bucks in any open general hunt area within that region. Believe it or not, this is where the vast majority of Wyoming’s biggest deer are killed each fall.

However, to kill a big buck here, you are going to have your work cut out for you. Historically speaking, the best general regions for big bucks are Regions G, H, K, D and L in that order. Regions G and H are very rough and rugged and can offer up a very tough hunt for big bucks, but the payoff can be exceptional here if you hunt hard and get lucky on the right year. To draw a tag in either of these regions can take anywhere between eight and nine preference points for the likes of Region G and only four or five preference points for Region H. There are three 200-inch bucks hanging in our office, all three of which are products of Wyoming’s general region hunts. Keep in mind however, these hunts can be very heavy with hunting pressure because resident hunters can purchase these tags over-the-counter every year without restrictions.

The second type of hunts are the limited quota hunts. Most of these hunts are for individual hunt areas with a limited number of tags available for both residents and non-residents alike. These hunts have limited hunting pressure with later season dates, generally during the middle of October. Throughout the entire state of Wyoming there are now 33 limited quota mule deer hunts, which is somewhat scarce when compared to the nearly 70 limited quota elk hunts and 123 limited quota antelope hunts available. Historically, of these 35 total hunts, a very small handful of them are what I would consider “Blue-Chip” grade hunts or top-quality areas. Most of the high point holders will hold out for these hunts. These hunts tend to be a bit easier to find bucks, but sometimes lack in over-all, top-end buck potential.

Unlike any other state, more than 75% of the records book quality bucks in Wyoming are taken in a general hunt region, and not in high profile limited quota areas like some may think. But, if you desire a higher quality hunt with easier country and limited hunting pressure for a good buck in the 160” to 190” class, the limited quota hunts are probably your best option.
All deer hunts in Wyoming are any weapon hunts where a hunter can hunt both the archery and rifle seasons with their deer license. Wyoming does not offer any archery only or muzzleloader hunts for buck deer at this point in time.

Why Hunt Deer in Wyoming
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has slashed the mule deer hunt quotas in nearly all general and limited quota hunt regions over the past few years and shortened many of the hunting seasons in a desperate attempt to try and control what they can to help the State’s struggling mule deer. Over the past ten years, Wyoming has removed nearly half of the non-resident general region tags from the draw, which equates to over 10,000 non-resident mule deer tags. This fact alone is the main reason a Region G tag has shot up to an enormously high eight preference points to draw. Region G alone had an astronomical quota of 3,500 non-resident tags available when I graduated high school in 1990, today that total is a measly 400 tags and holding steady. At 2008 tag quota levels alone, Region G would only require three or four points to draw. Region H has also seen drastic cuts in quota but still remains a four or five preference point hunt, which seems much more in line with the quality of the hunt available.

As for the Wyoming limited quota mule deer units, there have also been drastic tag quota cuts causing draw odds to plummet. Many of these areas contain very arid sagebrush habitat and have been hit very hard by the one-two punch of drought and extreme winter conditions. Like most of the state, almost all of these 35 mule deer hunt areas have seen drastic decreases in mule deer populations and buck-to-doe ratios over the past few years. The average buck-to-doe ratio in the limited quota units, based on recent 2021 surveys, is about 22 bucks per 100 does. That’s a nearly 14 buck drop in the past three years.

Historically speaking, Wyoming does have some very good big buck potential. Wyoming remains the fourth best state to kill a records class buck behind only the historic mule deer powerhouses of Colorado, Idaho and Utah. When it comes to a pure county-by-county breakdown, Wyoming holds two of the top ten counties in the entire country, Lincoln and Carbon. Only the mule deer mega-mecca of Colorado has more top ten counties for monster bucks over the past 20 years.

The snowpack level this year has been heavy and sits right now at about 130% of the 20 year average in the mountains and higher elevations. The lower elevations are seeing an even larger snow impact with nearly unprecedented levels of snow and drifting snow. Spring is still a long way off for the Cowboy State. As usual by this time of year, we will have to wait and see what the late spring and summer moisture levels bring when it comes to habitat improvement.

The top general region mule deer tag, Region G took 9.5 preference points to draw in 2022. We fully expect this tag to take nine and maybe even ten points to draw this year. The next best general regions of H and K took five and four points respectively to draw last year.

If you want to hunt a top-quality general unit you need to plan for about five or six preference points, but if you want to commit to a top-quality limited quota area, plan on sticking with the system for about 12 years or more.

A quick draw tip for the wise: the vast majority of the remaining general region tags can usually be drawn as a second choice, therefore saving your preference points for another year, particularly in the more expensive “special” draw.

Wyoming Mule Deer Analysis
Purely on a statistical basis, the chance of killing a Boone & Crockett mule deer buck in Wyoming is about 4,000 or 5,000 to 1 while Colorado has a 10X better chance for killing a monster mule deer buck. Two of the biggest bright spots in Wyoming are Carbon and Lincoln Counties. Carbon County alone has 26% of the total records book entries for Wyoming, and more than 30% of them have come in the past 15 years.

The newly formed limited quota areas in the heart of Carbon County, Areas 78, 79, 80 and 81 are fairly easy to draw and keep getting better and better each year. In my opinion, there could be a real diamond in the rough sitting inside this block of relatively new limited quota hunt units particularly for those who don’t have a massive amount of preference points.

When you look at the master deer chart for Wyoming it is very important to keep in mind that last year, as a conservative measure, I downgraded a lot of mule deer hunts from Blue-Chip to Green and I have chosen to keep this trend in place for another year. This year, I could only bring myself to rate one single hunt in Wyoming as a Blue-Chip, top quality hunt for 2023. The hunt in Area 128 seems to be improving each and every year and there is a slight chance that this will continue into 2023. Since the chart is mostly based on historical data, most of these areas will look much stronger on paper than they actually are at this point in time.

If you have any draw questions or possible confusions, I highly suggest you check out and join our TagHub online research tool and service. Through that platform we are able to take questions and concerns as well as hand out advice regarding hunt areas in all the Western states. There you will also find the charts in their entirety along with additional information not found in the magazine for space reasons. Helpful data such as herd and horn data, terrain data and additional hunts not listed in the magazine pages is available at www.taghub.eastmans.com.

GO TO MAP & CHARTS

Deer Tables - Recently updated March 8, 2023

2023 WY DEER Tables_1

2023 WY DEER Tables_1

Changes for 2023 | Wyoming Elk
Outlook & Overview
Why Hunt Elk in Wyoming?
Preference Points
Applying for Elk in Wyoming

Blue Chip Units
Area 16 (Shirley Mountains)
Area 22, 111 (Ferris)
Area 30 (Aspen Mountain)
Area 31 (Little Mountain)
Area 32 (Pine Mountain)
Area 53 (Dead Indian)
Area 54 (Bald Ridge)
Area 56 (Wapiti Ridge)
Area 58 (Sage Creek)
Area 59 (Boulder Basin)
Area 61 (North Greybull River)
Area 111 (Seminoe)
Area 113 (Rochelle Hills)
Area 124 (Powder Rim)

Changes for 2023 | Wyoming Elk

The 2022 draw season for elk in Wyoming brought forth very few changes from the Game and Fish Department in Cheyenne. One of the most notable changes for 2022 was the change in Area 2 from a very high demand limited-quota tag to now a general-season hunt. This is mostly due to the fact that most of the elk habitat in Area 2 is controlled by only a select few landowners making access nearly impossible for this elk hunt. The new year also brought in the addition of some Type-2 elk tags that were designated for bulls five-points or less, in areas 7, 100 and 113. Both very highly sought-after tags for bull elk. This is no doubt an effort to control the bull-to-cow ratio without allocating more trophy class, Type-1 elk tags for these areas.

As far as changes for the upcoming 2023 season are concerned, we don’t really have any indication at this point in time that much, if anything major, will be brought to the table in the way of change for this season. The one possible change hanging out there is the concept of making non-resident, general applicants choose a region similar to that of the deer draw. The state has mapped out 12 general elk regions and has proposed making non-resident and possibly, even resident elk hunters choose which region they want to apply for. I think this would actually be an improvement, and we have called for this to happen in the past. At this point, I am not convinced the state can get this change approved in time for the 2023 draw, but if it doesn’t happen next year, it will probably happen the year after (2024).

Another change that might be headed our way in the next five years would be the implementation of a waiting period for “high-demand” elk, deer and antelope tags. According to the meeting I attended last week here in Cody, the state math gurus claim that a three- to five-year waiting period for high demand tags is the most effective way to curb the demand and draw issues we are seeing with regard to the current system. At this point, it seems like the state is considering this as a solution to the resident draw demand in place of a preference point system. We are not sure if this will be considered an option to try and curb the phenomenon of non-resident point creep as well.

To keep better track of future changes to the Wyoming elk draw, I would highly suggest subscribing to our digital research platform, TagHub, where more up-to-date information and data will be housed. It’s well worth the extra few bucks if you want to be kept in the loop on such changes and additions for any of the western states we cover in the MRS section. www.eastmans.taghub.com. 

Outlook & Overview

The elk hunting in Wyoming continues to steadily get better each and every year. With mild winters and ample moisture in the summer months, Wyoming elk herds continue to expand steadily throughout the state. We are finally seeing some very solid increases in both herd size and bull quality in the higher elevation areas in and around Yellowstone National Park in the Jackson and Cody regions. Aggressive predator control and smarter elk have had a hand in improving the situation in these very key historic elk areas.

Over the past decade, the Cowboy State has seen some very solid elk hunting with regards to the quality of the hunt and the quality of the bulls taken. In addition, Wyoming continues to be a “go-to” state for elk hunting opportunities with more than 300 total elk hunts available for applicants to choose from.

The elk management strategy in Wyoming can best be defined as consistent. The Cowboy State is home to a massive elk herd, more than ever before, in fact. The state Game and Fish Department continues to do a very good job in regard to overall blend and balance between bull quality and elk quantity. As of the past few years, the big game managers in Wyoming have continued to work hard to reduce and keep in check some elk herds in various parts of the state that have become a bit heavy with regards to population objectives. This has created more opportunity than ever before to hunt elk with an ever-expanding spectrum of antlerless hunts and opportunities.

As usual for this time of year, the official results from the 2022 elk hunting season are not yet available, but I would guess that hunters this past fall did very well in the field. The spring and summer saw very solid moisture loads throughout the state in most areas, causing a much welcomed break from the drought conditions over the last few years. The rut was very late this year, causing the bowhunters to struggle while the early-rifle hunters seemed to have done very, very well during the first few weeks of October. The quality of the bulls this past fall was exceptional in the higher elevations, while the bulls in the lower regions seemed to remain about average in size but nicely dispersed throughout the habitat. Overall, I would say the elk hunting in Wyoming this past fall was well above average and probably at about an eight or nine out of 10 if I had to put a number on it. This certainly beats the sixes and sevens we have been seeing over the past few years.

The winter season turned out to be very mild last year followed by a mild but wet spring and a very moist summer with about average heat. The fall saw very green conditions with well above average habitat growth. The snow was late to come as the fall weather was mild with a continued Indian Summer well into the month of October. The final week of October turned very cool with good snow accumulation in the higher elevations and the snow has been somewhat heavy ever since. At this point, it looks like we will not lack water next summer, and the high elevations should see a very solid snowpack, as the mountains around Jackson have already set some records for early-season snowfall. I know it is still very early to gauge at this point, but the state is currently sitting at about 110%-120% of normal snowpack with more snow in the short-range weather forecast.

As we correctly predicted last year at this time, the 2021 elk hunting season was a tick lackluster in regard to elk harvest results. The 2021 hunting season saw a bull elk harvest of 10,385 bulls taken by hunters out of a total of 24,333 elk harvested statewide. This was a six-year low for bulls but only a two-year drop in total elk harvested, leading me to believe that the late-season hunters last fall did very well while the earlier-season bull elk hunters did, in fact, struggle a bit. This in turn caused there to be more bulls left on the mountain for hunters to chase this past fall. I think we could see an all-time record for bulls harvested when the 2022 harvest reports are finally tabulated and released early next year.

The fact remains, however, the 10,385 bulls harvested in Wyoming is still a very solid figure considering the 20-year average is 9,700 bull elk bagged. During the 2003 hunting season a total of 8,656 bulls were tagged in Wyoming, while today we consistently see well over 10,000 bulls taken by the hands of hunters in the Cowboy State. I would call a 27% increase in bull elk success over the past 20 years a testament to solid and consistent elk management.

As for the upcoming 2023 elk season, it’s anyone’s guess at this point, but I might say we should see another fantastic year depending on our winter and spring and of course, summer moisture. It does seem like these drought years run in courses of threes, and if this trend holds true, we should be out of our drought cycle and onto a string of very solid moisture years finally. So far, December has been very cold and snowy.  

Why Hunt Elk in Wyoming?

The overall elk herd estimate in Wyoming continues to hover around a 20-year high at over 120,000 animals and is steadily expanding, according to the latest state estimates. To give a little perspective, in 1987 the Wyoming elk herd hovered right around 65,000 animals, the latest estimate of nearly 120,000 elk represents a growth rate of nearly 85% over the past 35 years! Impressive.

Elk are definitely a bright spot for Wyoming wildlife management. The question now remains, how is the trophy quality of the bulls in the Wyoming elk herd? Aside from the past three consecutive drought years, the data show that over the long haul, the state of Wyoming is not only growing its elk herd, but also growing the quality of the bulls as well. With the onset of more limited-quota areas, more elk, better habitat and improved management, Wyoming has secured its place as one of the best blends of opportunity and quality of any state in the West, in my opinion.
From a records book standpoint, Wyoming elk hunters are putting nearly twice as many bull elk into the Boone and Crockett records book as they did in the 1990s. Big bull powerhouse states like Arizona, Utah and Montana still manage to enter twice as many elk into the books as Wyoming, but not many elk states can offer up the volume of elk tags and elk country that Wyoming can. With nearly 100 limited bull elk hunts to choose from, in addition to a somewhat easy to draw general elk tag option, Wyoming has a very good system in place for the elk hunter who wants to get out and hunt for a nice bull on public land. Elk opportunity continues to be king in the Cowboy State.

Wyoming does, however, tend to struggle when it comes to the mega-bulls versus some other states. Contrary to the beliefs of some, bulls in the 400-class are extremely rare in Wyoming. The hunt areas in Park County can produce bulls in the 340-380 class each fall, but many of those hunts are hard to draw and tend to be very physically demanding. However, when it comes to records, book bulls, Wyoming does produce more than its fair share of qualifying specimens, topping the great state of Colorado and sliding right in underneath the historic monster bull factory of Utah. Fact of the matter is, the state of Wyoming is the fourth best place on the entire continent to kill a records-book bull elk.

Most of the best elk states in the West have only a handful of counties that produce most of the biggest bulls in their state and the state of Wyoming is no exception to this fact. The two counties bordering Yellowstone National Park (Park and Teton) alone account for more than half of Wyoming’s largest bulls. These two counties encompass the entire northwest corner of the state. Add to that the bordering counties of Johnson, Fremont and Sublette and you have the five counties in Wyoming that consistently produce the largest bulls in the state, by far. These five counties account for over 75% of the records book bulls from the state of Wyoming. In fact, Park County, Wyoming is now the third best county on the continent to find a big bull elk, only trailing the likes of the famed counties of Coconino County, Arizona and White Pine County, Nevada.

With the elk herd in Wyoming hovering near an all-time high and trophy quality continuing to remain solid, Wyoming is without a doubt a “must apply” state when it comes to elk applications and elk preference points. Wyoming is one of the most stable elk states in the entire West. The Game and Fish Department in Wyoming has a very solid, consistent and time-tested management strategy for elk. This strategy continues to produce plenty of good elk hunting opportunities for hunters, resident and non-resident alike. Even with Wyoming’s wolf and grizzly bear issues, the state still manages to produce a very high-quality hunting experience for some very nice bulls, many of which are on public land.

Wyoming has a very robust and somewhat complicated preference point system for the non-resident applicant. There is no preference point system for resident hunters for elk, deer and antelope in Wyoming. For the non-resident applicant however, the Wyoming preference point system offers a split opportunity to draw a tag with both a preference point draw chance and a random draw chance if unsuccessful in the preference point draw. See the sidebar for clarification on how the non-resident draw actually works in Wyoming.

In 2022 the total non-resident preference point pool for elk continued to rise dramatically for the sixth straight year in a row, to now over a whopping total of 167,900 applicants. This is a far cry from the “good old days” of 2017 when there were only 67,000 non-resident applicants with elk points in Wyoming. This huge influx of applicants is most likely a result of other big game state systems becoming jammed up with applicants which causes them to become more and more stingy with their tags, which in turn causes drastic drops in draw odds, causing more and more applicants to come flooding into the more robust and more “just” Wyoming draw system. This is one of the drawbacks to running one of the most equitable and fair draw systems in the entire West. This is my opinion but can be backed up with facts. No other state even comes close to giving out the percentage of non-resident elk tags that Wyoming does. Point creep could become a serious issue in the years to come if most of these applicants end up continuing to hang on, “deeper” into the system, hoping to vie for better tags versus going after the much easier to draw general elk tag.

Historically, about half of the lower point holders are continuously flushed out the bottom of the system after only about two or three preference points in the general elk draw. Of the remaining higher point holders, roughly 900 applicants should go into the 2023 draw with maximum preference points of 17. About 300 of these high-point holders are drawing each and every year, so the ceiling for WY elk points should top out about 20 points if this current trend holds. In addition, with roughly 800 bull elk tags from the best (blue- and green-chip) elk areas going to non-resident applicants each year, these ultra-high-point holders should actually move completely through the Wyoming draw system over the next three or four years. As a point of comfort to some, only about 10% of the Wyoming elk applicants currently have more than eight preference points inside the Wyoming system.

The sweet spot where point holders seem to drastically drop off is currently around five points. Another thing to keep in mind, when looking at the preference points chart, is the fact that nearly 75% of the max-points holders are applying for the preference points-only option, leaving less than 25% of those max-point holders to compete with for an actual elk tag in the draw. If we remove the ultra-high demand areas such as Areas 22, 30, 31, 100 and 124, where nearly 70% of the max-point holders generally apply, the draw odds are not as bad as they may appear on the surface.

Wyoming does allow non-resident hunters to purchase preference points for $52 up until the 1st of November on the Game and Fish Department website (wgfd.wyo.gov). Only one point or tag per year can be purchased per sportsman. I would highly suggest you explore this option even if you are not quite ready to actually apply for a tag.

The point here is clear—if you want to hunt elk in the West, Wyoming continues to be your best bet when it comes to both opportunity and quality.

Applying for Elk in Wyoming
Once an applicant decides it is time to actually apply for an elk hunt in Wyoming, the first question to be answered is to apply for a general elk tag or go for a more coveted limited-quota elk tag? As it currently stands, a general elk tag will take four preference points to draw, making this an option that can be had every four or five years if so desired.

The general elk tag in Wyoming is a great option for the hunter who is willing to hire a guide and venture deep into the wilderness areas in search of adventure and a decent chance at a nice bull, with an outside chance at a 320+ type bull. The general hunts also offer good opportunity for the hardcore backcountry bowhunter who wants to experience a backpack or horseback hunt for a nice bull elk in some rugged and remote country. With low elk densities and plenty of grizzly bears in most of the better general areas, the general tag is a good option for those with some sort of an edge on the general hunting public, i.e., horses, experience or tenacity. If you don’t find yourself in this category, or you are after something beyond the ordinary when it comes to a big bull, then a limited-quota hunt will most likely be the best route for you. These hunts offer a much better elk hunting experience with less hunting pressure and better bulls on average when it comes to quality.

The general elk tag in Wyoming gives an elk hunter a very wide spectrum of area options to choose from. With plenty of public land to hunt elk on, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department also does a very good job of garnering public access to private property with a very robust and effective Walk-In Area (WIA) and Hunter Management Area (HMA) programs. Even the general elk hunts in Wyoming can average more than a 20% success rate on branch-antlered bull elk—much higher than most comparative states such as Colorado, Idaho and Montana. The top 10 general elk areas in Wyoming have an average hunter success rate on bull elk of over 32%, an impressive statistic that I would put up against any general elk hunting state in the country.

A good limited-quota elk tag in Wyoming can usually be had for about 10 to 12 preference points. A really high-quality hunt will cost you more along the lines of 15 or 16 points. To put it all in perspective, the average bull elk tag in Wyoming takes about six preference points to draw. The average Blue-Chip area will take you 14 points to draw, and the average Green-Chip elk area is in the eight- to nine-point range. This should give you a better idea of a target to aim for when it comes to wait times inside the Wyoming draw system for a good elk tag.

Wyoming has a very good mixture of seasons, including some very prime rifle hunts during the tail end of the rut and a very favorable, not to mention a lengthy, bow season in most areas which stretches through the entire month of September. A majority of the limited-quota elk hunts in Wyoming open around the 1st to the 10th of October, leaving a little bit of hardcore elk rut action on the table for the rifle hunter who wants to have a chance at a big, bugling bull.

One drawback to applying for an elk hunt in Wyoming is the cost. Wyoming has basically three options for non-resident elk applicants. First, just apply for a preference point only—about a $52 option. This can be done easily online any time after July 2nd up until the 1st of November at a total non-refundable cost of $52. The other two options are to apply for either the “regular” or the “special” elk drawing. There is no difference in the tag once drawn. The only differences are the odds and the PRICE. The regular elk tag will cost $759 to apply for with a preference point included and the application fee of $15. The more expensive and slightly easier to draw in most cases, special elk tag will add an additional special fee of $576 to the regular elk tag cost for a total special elk tag cost of a whopping $1,335.

There is talk around the campfires in Cheyenne about increasing the cost of these tags, particularly the “special” elk tag, as the difference in draw odds have completely collapsed. The consensus is to either double or even triple the cost of the “special” elk license to well over $2,000 or possibly even $3,000!

A few additional drawbacks to the Wyoming license and draw system are, the draw process can be difficult to figure out at times, and non-resident hunters cannot hunt in designated wilderness areas without the use of a registered guide or outfitter. Wyoming has no muzzleloader elk seasons and very few archery-specific elk tags available (18 total bow only hunts), leaving hardcore bowhunters to swim in the regular draw along with the rifle hunting masses. Cow elk tags and seasons in Wyoming continue to be very abundant, which can make hunting a big bull that much tougher when the elk herds are being banged on for months on end in some of the best elk hunt areas. These are just a few minor things to keep in mind when applying for an elk tag in Wyoming.

The Wyoming draw system makes nearly 12,500 limited-quota elk tags available to hunters each and every fall, of which nearly 2,500 will end up in the hands of non-resident hunters. Not many other states, if any, can say they offer up nearly 6,000 total non-resident bull elk tags (limited-quota and general) to non-resident hunters through a draw process. Wyoming currently allocates 16% of the total elk tags to non-resident hunters each fall, which is very generous considering many competing states only allocate 10% or less to non-resident hunters. When it comes to non-resident tag allocations, the state of Wyoming makes other states just look bad in comparison. With all this said, the fact remains, Wyoming is probably the best place to apply for an elk tag in the West. Always keep in mind that education and research are the keys to understanding and maximizing the process of taking a good bull elk in the Cowboy State.

Blue Chip Units

With a total of 92 limited-quota bull elk hunt choices to choose from, Wyoming gives a prospective applicant a wide array of possibilities to choose from, including a very robust general tag choice that offers some solid elk hunting, particularly on a guided, wilderness, backcountry hunt.

The blue-chip bull elk hunt lineup for this year has remained at a total of 17 any-weapon hunts along with two additional archery-only hunts. I have high confidence that any of these 17 hunt areas and 19 total hunts can in fact produce a 350-class bull or better on a good year for a hunter who hunts hard and is able to dig deep and get the job done.

We predict the following blue-chip elk areas are the very best bull elk hunts Wyoming has to offer for the 2023 hunting season. Let’s take a bit closer and more detailed look at these 17 “best of the best” Wyoming elk hunts.

Area 16 (Shirley Mountains)
The Shirley Mountains have become the running definition of elk hunting consistency in the state of Wyoming. This hunt continues to be a very, very consistent producer of 300- to 330-class bulls. The Game and Fish Department of Wyoming offers two different hunts for bulls in this hunt area—a Type-1 hunt during October and a Type-2, late-season hunt during the entire month of November. The later hunt has a bit better success rate (85%), but the earlier October hunt (74%) tends to produce the larger bulls on average, mostly due to the fringe rut hunt dates and broken bulls found in the late season. The Type-1 rifle hunters and bowhunters here can expect to have a good chance at a nice 300- to 330-class bull, while the late season, Type-2 elk hunters may expect to have a good chance at a 280-320-class bull. The access here can be somewhat problematic, but if you can find a place to hunt, mostly with an outfitter, your chances of killing a good bull are very, very high. The fact there are three HMAs in this unit to look into for public access is a bit more encouraging. This area will now require 15 or 16 preference points. The Shirley Mountain Unit may be one of the best places in Wyoming for an elk hunter to kill a nice six-point bull with relatively little physical effort in a normal year. This unit is capable of producing bulls in the 350-inch range on a good year.

Area 22, 111 (Ferris)
The Ferris elk area in Wyoming has become somewhat of an all-star when it comes to elk hunting in the Cowboy State. With an elk herd way over objective, a bull-to-cow ratio that is nearly unheard of (60:100) and very few tags (60) available, this elk hunt could be one of the best in the state when it comes to hunter satisfaction. With an October 8th opener, this elk hunt can produce a very high-quality elk hunting experience for a good bull in the 320-and-up class. This area is very small, and the elk are somewhat concentrated. However, starting in 2020 this elk tag is also valid for hunt Area 111 during the late season. This is good news, as the elk tend to wander between the two hunt units during drought years as well as during the late winter season. With almost 90% public land in the unit and a 72% hunter success rate, this hunt is very high on the list for both opportunity and hunt quality. On a good year like we had in 2014, the bulls in here can exceed 350, but a drought year like we experienced in 2020 can easily drop that down to the 320-class. A non-resident applicant will need maximum preference points (17) to even think about hunting here. This elk hunt would be a bowhunter’s dream come true, if you can manage to draw the tag.

Area 30 (Aspen Mountain)
Of the Flaming Gorge trifecta as I call it—Aspen Mountain (30), Little Mountain (31) and Pine Mountain (32), this elk area, Aspen Mountain (30), is certainly the most consistent producer. With a long, four-week season, the entire month of October, this area can be second to none when it comes to potential bull elk quality with very limited hunting pressure. By all reasonable estimates, the past five years have seen the average bull quality here drop slightly from 340s to about 320s. But with the increased moisture conditions experienced last summer, I think a 350-class bull here is again a very strong possibility. Good access and extremely high hunter success rates, at nearly 80% over the past three years, have this elk area as one of the top units for a guy who wants to hunt elk in mildly-rugged country with very limited hunting pressure. The elk habitat here is very concentrated, and it is a glasser’s paradise, with stable elk numbers and a now expanding bull-to-cow ratio (43:100). With only eight non-resident tags available, the wait for a tag here might just be too much for most applicants, however. This elk hunt is yet another max-point (17) application unit.

Area 31 (Little Mountain)
The Little Mountain elk hunt area is the second outstanding hunt of the Flaming Gorge Trifecta. This hunt is the little brother of the Aspen Mountain hunt and nearly identical in every aspect measurable. With a few more tags available for this hunt (75) , the draw odds here are actually tougher than the Aspen hunt. Max point holders here only had a 17% chance of drawing this tag last year. The hunter success is nearly as good as Aspen, with 75% of the hunters taking branch-antlered bulls over the past three years and counting. This area has the highest public land percentage of the three at over 90% and contains some varied elk habitat throughout the unit. A good bull here is in the 330 to 350 class, and on the right year, some very large bulls can be found in this area. The elk herd in this entire region is right at objective with a very solid (43:100) and growing bull-to-cow ratio.

Area 32 (Pine Mountain)   (Little Mountain)
The final of the trifecta, Pine Mountain, has again been placed on the Blue-Chip hunt area list. This area saw some fairly dramatic reductions in herd and antler quality due to the three-year drought Wyoming persevered through. With much needed moisture and a mild winter, the elk herd here seems to be on track yet again. Although hunter success is a bit less than the other two at 68%, there can be some very good bulls to be had here. This elk hunt area is the only one of the three that can be drawn with max points 100% in the “special” draw. This area also boasts the most public land of the three with over 95% of the hunt area in public hands. Welcome back to the list, Pine Mountain!

Area 54 (Bald Ridge) (Dead Indian)
On a good year, the Bald Ridge elk hunt can be about as good as it gets for big Wyoming bulls. Make no mistake, however, just like Area 53, this is not an easy elk hunt; buyer beware! With three total hunts available—North, South and archery-only—this unit has about anything a guy could ask for when it comes to mountain elk hunting. The South unit, with an incredibly long season of two months in October and November and a limited tag quota of only 50 tags, is a very high-quality elk hunt.
The elk numbers and bull-to-cow ratio here have waned in recent years but there seems to be the possibility of an error in the counting process when the latest survey was conducted. This area is one of only a few in Wyoming with the potential for a 380-class bull on the right year. Be prepared to cuddle up with a grizzly bear each night here, however. The bear concentrations in this region are some of the highest anywhere in the Lower 48.
Access can be a bit tricky, but with some hard hiking or horses, the situation is more than manageable. A boatload of points will be needed to hunt again next fall. The North hunt, Type-2, is not nearly as good as the South hunt. With rougher country and fewer elk to the north, the southern end of the unit is certainly the more desirable of the two. About 15 points should be necessary to hunt the South hunt, while the North hunt could only require six or seven points, which could be a very solid deal, in my opinion.

Area 56 (Wapiti Ridge)
The Wapiti Ridge area is one of Wyoming’s last remaining late-season migration-type hunts. With a late-November and into December season, weather is of the essence here; the colder the better for this hunt. A low-pressure weather pattern will bring the big park and high-country resident wilderness bulls down to the lower windswept slopes and ridges where a hunter can get to them a bit more easily.
The success rate here has dropped over the past few years to settle in around the 45% mark on average. A terrible hunter success rate of 22% was recorded here last fall (2021) due to the unseasonably warm weather we experienced in November and December. I believe this to be a one-off fluke and do expect this hunt to produce very good results in the future. The potential for a giant bull has this area clinging to the Blue-Chip list however. With only 10 tags available, a non-resident will need a lot of points to hunt here, as there are only two non-resident tags available in the draw for this hunt. If you are willing to hire a guide with good stock and a solid knowledge of the area, a 350+ bull is certainly possible on this hunt.

Area 58 (Sage Creek)
Area 58, or Carter Mountain as the locals call it, at one time was the best elk hunt in the entire state. A falloff in elk numbers, bull quality and access has made this area a bit of a tougher sell to applicants recently. However, a now-increasing elk herd, beyond objective levels and an expanding bull-to-cow ratio (48:100) may have this area back on the right track. As further proof of a comeback, the hunter success rates in this area have begun to steadily climb back to above 80% on branch-antlered bulls.
As it sits right now, this area is probably one of the best places I know of to consistently kill a 350-inch bull with some effort. With a skimpy tag quota of only 35 tags available and a very long two-month season during the entire months of October and November, this area is a very solid hunt with very little hunting pressure. This area is inside the grizzly bear zone and some caution should be had here. If you are looking for a good bull and have 16 or more points to burn, this area should definitely be on your application radar.

This is the second of the few remaining late-season elk hunts left in the state of Wyoming. In the right hands, this can be a hunt for a real monster bull. The state opens this hunt on the 1st of November for two weeks. This gives one of the 10 lucky elk hunters the chance at a big wilderness bull that is finally vulnerable to the weather conditions and has come out of the nasty backcountry that the upper reaches of this area contain. There is an early-season general hunt in this area, but the big bulls don’t usually get hunted very hard during that hunt.
The bull-to-cow ratio here is very high at almost 50:100, and the herd is over objective by about 30%. Keep in mind, many of the biggest bulls killed on this elk hunt migrate out of the neighboring hunt area (Area 61) on the back side of the ridge, which is very remote and also very limited when it comes to hunting pressure.
Some snow and a cold snap in November can push the big bulls out of the wilderness; this area can produce a 360-class and better bull given the right conditions. The success rates on this hunt have been getting better and better each year and now average over 75%, with the 2018 pre-drought season producing a fantastic result where 91% of the hunters here filled a bull tag. I believe this hunt continues to be one of the state’s up-and-coming big bull producers.

Area 61 (North Greybull River)
With two separate hunts to choose from, the North Greybull River unit continues to be one of the most consistent listings on the Blue-Chip list over the past two decades. With very high success rates, sometimes as high as 90%+, this area is a go-to for resident hunters who want a decent chance to kill a 350+ bull. The country can be rough, tough, straight up and full of grizzly bears, but the odds of seeing a big bull here are very good. The Type-1 early tag is a wilderness-only tag, so a non-resident will need a registered and licensed guide, hence the easier draw odds that usually require about 13 points. A little-known fact, however, is that a hunter who draws the wilderness-only tag (Type-1) can hunt the non-wilderness end of the unit during the archery-only season. This gives a bowhunter a fantastic chance at a big bull during the September bow season with about 13 preference points. The later, Type-2 hunt (October 7th – November 15th) is actually the Blue-Chip hunt and is good for the entire unit and should require about 15 or 16 points to draw in 2023.
The elk herd here is 30% over objective and the bull-to-cow ratio is increasing rapidly and now stands at over 48:100. I think it is safe to say that good things will continue to be in store for those who hunt elk here in the near future. A solid 330- to 350-class bull is definitely a good possibility here.

Area 100 (Steamboat)
This hunt is the best elk hunt in the state once every aspect and nuance are considered. The Steamboat elk hunt is the only elk hunt in Wyoming that scores a perfect 100 out of 100 on every single category we measure for an elk hunt. I actually had the chance to hunt this unit a few years ago, and I can honestly say the reputation this elk hunt carries is, in fact, true. The Area 100 elk hunt is the easiest elk hunt in Wyoming for a six-point desert bull. This hunt has incredible hunter success rates, well above 90% on most years and 92% on average over the past three years. The elk numbers here are exploding to nearly twice the objective levels, with a bull-to-cow ratio that is also extremely high, with 52 bulls per 100 cows. To hunt here, however, a non-resident applicant will need a bundle of preference points, well more than max at this point, to be guaranteed a tag. Fortunately, the state has doubled the tag quota here as of 2019 and again increased that by 50% in 2021, which has taken some of the pressure off the draw odds for this hunt. This hunt still remains one of the highest demand elk hunts in the entire state, however.
The country here is very easy to hunt and requires quite a bit of glassing in the open sagebrush and sand dune terrain. This elk area is massive, larger than Yellowstone National Park, and the elk here can be very pocketed, and it often takes some scouting to find them. Historically, this hunt was the perfect place to kill a 300-inch bull with minimal physical effort, but as of late, the bulls here continue to get larger. A 340- to 350-class bull is certainly a possibility in Area 100 if you know where to find them and put in the time. This elk area offers an “off-the-hook,” “over-the-top” bowhunting experience during the September archery season.

Area 111 (Seminoe)
 There have been some changes on this hunt, starting back in 2020. The state now allows the tag holders here to also hunt in Area 22 with this tag during a later season hunt for bulls that runs from November 15th to December 15th. I think this is a play to try and kill some of the bigger bulls that migrate out of the private holdings later in the season and tend to travel back and forth between the units based on weather and moisture conditions. This could be a very intriguing hunt for those who do not find a big bull during the earlier season with their Area 22 or 111 elk tag.
With a recently and slightly increased quota to 70 tags, the demand for this hunt has diminished slightly over the past few years. A hunter can now draw this tag with 15 preference points. However, the success rates here have become a bit erratic over the past few years, with only 58% of the hunters here killing a bull during the 2019 hunting season, hence the changes. The success rate overall still remains very solid at over 72%, and with the addition of the new late-season hunt here, the hunter success seems to be again clocking in at around 80%.
The bulls here seem to top out at about the 340-inch mark on a normal year, but on a good year, there could be a few giants running around in the junipers here. With good access to the 50% public land this unit holds and plenty of elk and a very high bull-to-cow ratio (63:100), along with limited tags available, a bowhunt here would be a very solid experience.

Area 113 (Rochelle Hills)
Not as much is known about this area. The state used to only give out bull tags every three years here, but it looks like they may have increased that frequency to every other year recently. If this frequency continues on that track, there should be a bull elk hunt available in this area for the 2023 hunting season. Wyoming has recently increased the amount of bull elk tags available here to 75 in recent years, and I expect that to possibly even increase again for the 2023 hunting season. The access can be a bit tough, but the success rates are extremely high here (up to 95%), while the bull quality should continue to be good. While I don’t think this is a great place for a monster bull, this hunt is in all likelihood, a good place for an easy shot at a 320-class bull or better. Keep in mind, the area is 65% public land, so you may want to do some research before hanging your 15 or 16 points out on a limb for this hunt. The bowhunt in this area should be about as good as it gets in Wyoming, with a massive bull-to-cow ratio that is over 50 bulls per 100 cows and an elk herd that is nearly 10% over the objective for this elk hunt area.

Area 124 (Powder Rim)
 This hunt is one of my favorite elk hunts that Wyoming has to offer. There just isn’t much not to like on this hunt, particularly with a three-year drought finally in the rearview mirror. Right across the border from some of Colorado’s best elk units, this open sage country contains a very solid elk hunt for those who can cover country and glass. With a massive area to hunt and a very pocketed elk herd, this hunt can be tough, but the success rates are extremely high, some of the best in the state, in fact, often reaching well over 80%. Most of the hunters who hunt here get a shot at a branch-antlered bull during the very liberal six-week hunting season, which lasts from the middle of October all the way through the month of November. The early bow season during the month of September seems to be the best time to hunt here, followed by the late season in late November when more elk get pushed across the border into Wyoming following the last two elk hunting seasons in Colorado.
You might want to keep in mind, at this point, the state is showing a very low bull-to-cow ratio here (13:100) and a slight falloff in elk numbers, mostly due to drought conditions. I think many of the elk have moved across the border and into other higher elevations in neighboring Colorado due to the drought. But now that the moisture has returned to Wyoming, so will the elk.

Until the last three drought years, every year over the past five years prior, a hunter has managed to kill a 370+ bull out of this desert and sage unit, but I would say that is much more the exception than the rule here. Most of the bulls here are in the 290-350 class. Loads of points will be necessary to put you in this area with a tag in hand (17+), but the wait could be well worth it in the end. I would venture to say, a bowhunt here is probably better than nearly any elk hunt in the West!

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Elk Table - Recently updated December 20, 2022

2023 Wyoming Elk Table

Overview
Why Hunt Antelope in Wyoming?
Wyoming Antelope Analysis
Carbon Region (Areas 53, 55, 56, 61, 62 and 108)
Sweetwater Region (Areas 57, 58, 59, 60, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 96)
Central Fremont Region (Areas 64, 65, 66, 67, 74 and 75)
Natrona Region (Areas 69, 71, 72, 73, and 75)
Northern Bighorn Region (Areas 80, 83, 114, and 115)

Overview

The antelope hunting prospects for 2023 may have just gone from bad to worse. Coming off a very rough string of droughts that have decimated nearly one third of Wyoming’s antelope herd, the devastating winter conditions may be in the process of taking out another quarter or even third of what was left.

The 2022 hunting season was a mixed bag of results. Due to the drought conditions of the past two years, Wyoming’s antelope herds were drastically reduced, nearly statewide. Most areas saw reductions in numbers of around 20-35% with some areas in the northeast corner of the state down nearly 50% from normal herd objective numbers. Add to that the fact that the hunter success on antelope bucks as a whole was the lowest ever recorded in the 25 years that I have been keeping track. Wyoming hunters struggled to barely kill 20,000 antelope bucks in the Cowboy State, a far cry from the nearly 32,000 bucks taken during the 2009 and 2010 hunting seasons.

However, while the overall antelope numbers were down nearly statewide, the overall quality of the bucks killed in the premium areas was very solid this past fall. As we have written before, just because antelope numbers are down does not mean buck quality will be also, and the 2022 hunting season was a testament to that.

I personally was able to take a records book buck this past fall, and know of more than twenty others taken in Wyoming in 2022. Last winter was very, very mild and did the bucks well. Because antelope grow their horns during the winter months, a mild winter always seems to bode well for horn growth, while a tough winter like this one makes it much harder for a buck to produce something extraordinary. That said, this could be the perfect storm for a rough antelope hunt come this fall. With drastic herd reductions due to drought and winter kill, and a tough winter to survive, I am less than optimistic this year when it comes to big buck potential.
I fully expect the state to further reduce tag quotas nearly statewide again this year. Those premium hunts will be tougher than ever to draw; that’s if they are even worth having in the first place.

The tag cuts have been nearly statewide and have resulted in cuts that range from 10% to 30% depending on the area and region. The hardest hit regions continue to be those in the center of the state in Natrona and Fremont counties and the northeast corner in Campbell County. The net result is nearly 9,000 buck antelope tags being cut from the state hunt quota over the past three years. I fully expect, given the lackluster hunt results and expected winter kill, the state will be cutting even more buck tags from the statewide quota for the fourth year in a row. Given this current situation, this year I would personally be very reluctant to burn more than 10 preference points on an antelope tag.

For the 2022 season Wyoming allocated about 29,500 buck pronghorn tags for the big game draw which was a significant decrease in tag quota versus the five-year high set in 2018 of nearly 38,000 pronghorn tags. I fully expect the buck antelope tag quota to be further reduced again for this year. We could see fewer than 25,000 buck antelope tags in Wyoming for the first time in modern history.
Because of the chip rating downgrades this year, the average Blue-Chip antelope unit in Wyoming took about thirteen points to draw in 2022, while the average Green-Chip unit took eight points to draw. However, these averages are drastically higher in point total than only a few years ago, mostly due to the downgrades in trophy quality which downgraded a lot of Blue-Chip units to Green and historically Green areas down to Yellow. Historically, on average, five or six preference points for Wyoming pronghorn would put an applicant into a very good antelope hunt, but with the massive number of downgrades over the past few years this number has settled in around ten points for a good antelope hunt to draw as of right now.

On a more normal year, the sweet spot for antelope preference points seems to be right around the six preference point mark. With seven points an applicant can usually find their way into a very solid antelope hunt in key big buck country such as Carbon, Fremont or Natrona counties. These antelope hunt areas usually offer up a very good hunt with plenty of public land to hunt and loads of antelope bucks to sort through. On a year like this, if you want to hunt for a true monster buck I would look into the core top big buck producing areas in Sweetwater and Carbon counties. Given what we know at this point, I really believe the best antelope hunting in Wyoming will be centered around the best historic areas in the state. Pure and simple, if there is going to be a big buck in Wyoming this year, it’s going to be in the core big buck producing region of the south central part of the state.

Why Hunt Antelope in Wyoming?
Even as dark as the current landscape might be regarding antelope hunting, make no mistake about it, Wyoming is and continues to be big antelope country. With nearly as many antelope as residents, Wyoming is not only a go-to for the bulk of the West’s pronghorn, the Cowboy State also persists as the prime destination for big, records book class bucks.
When it comes to pronghorn antelope, there is little argument where you should be applying or buying points and that is Wyoming. The State of Wyoming has put more big antelope into the records book than any other state by a massive margin. To put things in perspective, Wyoming has put more than 1,500 bucks into the Boone & Crockett records book, while the likes of Arizona has only entered about 400. More than one third of all the pronghorn bucks in the records book have come from the state of Wyoming alone. Surprisingly, Wyoming also competes very well for the biggest of the big when it comes to pronghorn bucks. Of the total number of bucks in the Boone and Crockett records book that score 90” and above, Wyoming accounts for nearly one quarter of those entries as well. Only the likes of Arizona can top this statistic with a few more than 30% in total.
If we look at the top pronghorn counties nationwide, the Cowboy State again comes up big, with four out of the top five counties in the entire country. The counties of Carbon, Sweetwater, Fremont and Natrona have produced nearly one quarter of all the records book antelope ever recorded in known history for this continent! These four Wyoming counties alone account for nearly 73% of Wyoming’s massive haul of records book antelope.

With well over 20,000 buck antelope tags available, a very liberal five-week season and more than one third of all the records book entries, Wyoming cannot be denied when looking to enter your name into the records book next to a monster pronghorn. One of the drawbacks when it comes to Wyoming pronghorn hunting is the fact that it has so many antelope that on a good year, finding a big buck is not as easy as it looks on paper. The bulk of the big bucks seem to come from very specific regions of the state and are very, very diluted in a sea of small to mediocre class bucks. This said, you will probably need to hunt in Wyoming three or four times to finally connect on that buck of your dreams, making it ever so important to spend your preference points wisely.

The concentration of monster bucks in Wyoming isn’t nearly as high as it is in states such as Arizona, Texas or California. To find a true monster buck here, you will have to be in a good unit on a good year, covering plenty of country, glassing hundreds of bucks and know what you are looking at when it comes to field judging a big buck. When it comes to the perfect trade-off between opportunity and quality, on a good year, an antelope hunt in Wyoming is probably about as good as it gets.

If you are in search of a very large buck antelope, this year might be too much of a risk with your preference points. If you have been banking more than ten preference points, in my opinion, you may consider riding out this situation and wait patiently for better days to come. The good news is that antelope populations tend to bounce back fast and once we do get the right conditions, this situation could remedy itself in only a few short years.

Wyoming Antelope Analysis
With a three-year string of heavy drought, now followed up by what seems to be a catastrophic winter, the antelope in Wyoming seem to be suffering a brutal one-two punch the likes of which has not been seen in recent history. With already very low hunter success rates and a continued tag quota reduction trend, things certainly do not seem to be looking good for Wyoming pronghorn hunters this next fall.

That said, we still have the months of March and April yet to unfold, but as of this writing the long-term weather forecast looks to be calling for more of the same. On the bright side, we can now honestly say the drought trend seems to be broken. There is little doubt at this point that our lakes and rivers will be full to the brim this summer and even the farthest reaches of the Cowboy State should be very, very green to start the summer months.
Antelope do bounce back very rapidly under good conditions, and that is certainly the hope for the next few years. If we can manage to get a good string of four or five years of fairly “normal” or “favorable” weather conditions going, we could see a rapid rebound for our antelope herds statewide. At this point however, there seems to be little to no areas of relief that the weather impacts have spared in the entire state.

The antelope Blue-Chip areas for this year are very, very slim and mostly concentrated around the historic big buck producing areas in the southern portion of the state. I have decided to only leave ten areas in the entire state as Blue-Chip for this year. These are the best antelope areas in the entire state historically, and if there is a big antelope in Wyoming anywhere it would be in one of these ten areas.

Wyoming again has 124 total buck antelope hunts to choose from, some better than others. For the best researchers among us, it is still possible to draw a buck antelope tag in Wyoming as a second choice, but those options are getting ever more rare and will probably all but disappear for this year if the state continues down the road of antelope tag quota reductions, which I fully expect to happen.

We simply do not have the room to print the entire master antelope chart for every single hunt area, but our digital research tool, Eastmans’ TagHub (taghub.eastmans.com) does contain the expanded master chart with all 124 antelope hunts along with plenty of additional herd and harvest information to pour through in your search for the right area for you personally.

If you want to try and choose a good second choice antelope unit and maintain your preference points, this will be a good place to start to find such an option. Also, make sure you subscribe to our FREE online newsletter for up-to-date winter range conditions and antelope area picks. Now, let’s get into the specifics with regard to some of Wyoming’s best antelope regions.

Carbon Region (Areas 53, 55, 56, 61, 62 and 108)
This group of units makes up the historic big buck core of Wyoming antelope hunts and contains the majority of the ten Blue-Chip antelope hunts for this year. These six units alone comprise the wheelhouse of the famed antelope mecca of Carbon County. More big bucks have been killed in these six antelope hunt areas than any other six units in the entire country over the past 10 years. The winter in this region has been very rough so far this year. Last year saw some very big bucks taken in these areas and there could still be a few nuggets to be found out here even on a bad year like this one. Areas 53, 61 and 62 are probably the least risky of the bunch. Area 62 is probably one of the most consistent records book producing areas in the State of Wyoming and maybe even the entire country. These hunts will generally take about ten to 14 points to draw. The outlying Areas 46, 47 and 48 can also produce good results with less preference points (6 or 7 points) for a hunter that is willing to work hard or hire an outfitter.

Sweetwater Region (Areas 57, 58, 59, 60, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 96)
This region has seen the full brunt of this winter so far. Due to the elevation of this region the drought here was somewhat mild and the antelope were slowly beginning to rebound here over the past few years. Time will tell if somehow the antelope manage to survive here en masse; there could be a few bright spots in this region come fall. Because of the harsh winter conditions here, I chose to downgrade nearly all of these areas to Green or Yellow; it’s better to be safe than sorry. The best of the bunch here this year will probably be Areas 60, 92 and 96 if I had to guess at this point. Due to their geographic proximity to Utah, these areas are in very high demand historically and max or near to max points will be needed to hunt here.

Central Fremont Region (Areas 64, 65, 66, 67, 74 and 75)
Yet another heavy, winter kill region, these areas have been downgraded for this year and have seen pretty drastic tag quota reductions over the past few years as well. Historically speaking, this core cluster of six antelope areas produced some very solid results over the past ten years. Fremont County is probably the least high profile of the big four Wyoming antelope counties and has slipped to the number three spot recently, mostly due to the increase in giant antelope killed in the Sweetwater units over the past few years. This region still continues to produce however, even after some fairly serious drought conditions seen over the past decade. Fremont County, with its massive public land tracts, consisting of vast, high desert terrain sits in the weather shadow of the Wind River Mountain range, making it relatively insulated from Wyoming’s historically brutal winters, up until this year. The tag quotas here have been decreased from historic highs in this region, and I fully expect further reductions for the 2023 hunting season. The feral horse problem has become a true concern for the habitat in this area as well. At this point in time Area 64 is the only remaining Blue-Chip unit in this region. The points required to hunt here are somewhat reasonable, only taking about six or seven preference points to draw a tag.

Natrona Region (Areas 69, 71, 72, 73, and 75)
As the fourth best county in the entire country, the Natrona region represents some very good deals when it comes to the trade-off between big antelope and easy draw odds. Areas 71 and 72 are the best deals in the region taking only five preference points to draw. This region has vast public land tracts and potential for big bucks on the right year. These units are very susceptible to drought conditions making a good spring and summer very critical to quality horn growth. The winter here has been beyond normal for both snowfall and low temperatures, and yet again this region should produce some very mixed results this fall for those who draw here.

Northern Bighorn Region (Areas 80, 83, 114, and 115)
This region contains most of the outlier historic monster buck producers. The winter weather has been the most mild in this region this year, if that says anything to help your research in any way. On a good year these four antelope hunts can be magnificent and don’t hit the radar on some research lists. The Area 114 hunt is probably one of the best antelope hunts in the entire country, in my opinion. These areas all have plenty of public land to hunt, very limited tag quotas, low hunting pressure, lengthy season dates and consistent big buck potential. Due to the low tag quotas these areas sometimes do not hit the radar like the big counties do for records book entries, but believe me, the antelope hunting here can feel like heaven on earth for those that want to feel like they are hunting alone with the potential for a monster buck. On a good year these four areas will enter more than five records book antelope bucks into the books, not bad considering the relatively small tag quotas here. On a normal year, a good 77” to 80” buck with the occasional 83” type buck should be very doable. Nearly all of these units have produced bucks pushing the 90” mark in the past. Twelve points or more will be required to hunt the best two areas; 80 and 114. Area 115 could be a potential sleeper alternative that would require only five or six preference points to draw a tag. Keep in mind however, that hunt Area 83 has drastically diminished in quality due to over hunting and drastic drought conditions.

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Pronghorn Tables - Recently updated March 8, 2023

2023 WY ANTELOPE Table 1

2023 WY ANTELOPE Table 2

Outlook & Overview
Why Hunt Moose in Wyoming?
Wyoming Moose Analysis

Outlook & Overview

IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting in 2023, Wyoming’s new 90/10 rule has cut the non-resident quotas in half for sheep, moose, goat and bison ONLY. The draw odds reflected in these sections will be roughly half of what is represented in this data going forward.

The moose hunting in Wyoming seems to have continued its very slow and steady stabilization. With some core areas actually seeing herd increases, along with a slow and steady increase in hunter success rates, things could be looking up for moose hunters in the Cowboy State. Even though the State has seen an extremely alarming nose dive in moose populations over the past 25 years, in many cases the actual quality of the bulls taken in Wyoming has remained very solid, even increasing in some areas.

Over the past three decades, Wyoming has been forced to reduce the overall moose hunting quota by nearly 70% and close eight moose hunt areas altogether in a desperate effort to find a new balance as the moose herd drastically spiraled down after wolf reintroduction. What once was a nearly 1,200 tag moose quota has now become an anemic offering of only 305 bull moose tags.

Needless to say, this has had a drastic consequence on the Wyoming preference point system. A system that was once thought to never see the light of 12 preference points is now climbing to 25 points and counting for many hunt areas. And with the new 90/10 tag allocation taking effect, going forward the odds of drawing a moose tag in Wyoming will nearly be non-existent for any non-resident hunter with less than 25 preference points.
Significant declines in quality moose habitat along with a disease outbreak have both been partially to blame for the decline in Wyoming’s moose herds. But any resident will tell you, this one included, that super-predators, wolves and grizzly bears, have been the most significant factor in the moose management disaster that has become our reality over the last nearly 30 years. With a continued four-year drought, the moose habitat in Wyoming has continued to suffer. However, with our wolf season continuing to reduce the wolf population at an accelerated rate thanks to a doubling of the wolf quotas a few years ago, we are hopeful this will continue to lend a helping hand to moose calf recruitment in key critical moose areas around Yellowstone National Park.

For 2023 there will be a slightly reduced count of 22 good to excellent moose hunts identified in the state of Wyoming for the fall hunt. Regions such as the Big Horn Mountains and the Sierra Madre continue to produce some outstanding bulls as well as a steadily growing moose population.

Why Hunt Moose in Wyoming?

Even with the drastic moose declines the Cowboy State has seen over the past three decades there still remains some very good moose hunting in Wyoming if you can manage to draw a tag and Wyoming continues to produce some very large Shiras’ bull moose.

With more than 400 records book Shiras’ moose recorded, more than any other state, Wyoming continues to be the undisputed king of big bull moose. If a truly massive Shiras’ bull moose is on your list then you should seriously consider the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Idaho in your application process.

Wyoming uses a hybrid preference point structure with both a random pool and preference point pool for applicants to draw from. A random draw moose tag is possible in those areas with enough moose tags in the quota to allow such a draw. However, there will be no such areas for the 2023 application season if my math is correct.

The resident preference point system seems to have stabilized, mostly due to the large number of tags available (about 250 and headed to 330) each year, creating a situation where the breaking point for resident applicants to find their way into a good moose tag has settled in at about 16 points and dropping slightly, thanks to 90/10. But if you want to hunt the very best moose areas Wyoming has to offer, you are going to need 18 points or more as a resident and 24 points or more as a non-resident.

Due to the cycle of tag reductions seen over the past 15 years the non-resident pool is experiencing some very significant point creep. In 2015 alone, non-resident moose applicants saw the breaking point for them to get into a good tag increase by four points. I predict the new 90/10 allocation should increase the point creep for non-resident applicants by about 15-20 points! That’s a world record in a single year! Congratulations Wyoming.

Like most states, moose hunting in Wyoming can be very expensive for a non-resident applicant considering you have to front the entire cost of the tag ($1,997) just to apply. For this reason, unless you have 24 or more preference points I highly suggest non-resident applicants simply buy the a preference point for $150 each year until Wyoming converts to a bonus point system in 2027. The random draw pool odds will be wiped out and possibly even eliminated by this recent change.

Wyoming Moose Analysis

The best moose hunting in Wyoming continues to occur in and around four core areas or regions: the Gros Ventre near Jackson Hole, the South Wind Rivers around Pinedale and Lander, the Big Horn Mountains just west of Sheridan and of course the famed Medicine Bow on the Colorado border near Laramie.

At this point in time, my sources, stats and people on the ground have all confirmed that the best moose hunting in the state continues to be on the southeastern border near Colorado. These would be Wyoming moose areas 38 and 41. These moose were transplanted when I was a kid in the 70s from the Moosehead Ranch near Moran, Wyoming in the heart of Teton Park. The transplant was completed just across the Wyoming border in northern Colorado. The moose have since slowly expanded to the north and back into their native state of Wyoming. This relatively new Wyoming moose herd has taken hold and the genetics of these moose is as good as it gets – world record class.

Another bright spot when it comes to Wyoming moose is the Bighorn Mountains, which are comprised of Areas 1, 34 and 42, or the “Big Horn Trifecta,” as I call it. These three areas have become a very good and consistent bet for a big Wyoming bull moose. Area 1 is probably the best moose hunt of the three here followed by Area 42 which can be a real solid bet for a very large bull but can be a tough hunt where horses may be necessary. Both areas have success rates near 100% while Area 1 boasts nearly half of the bulls taken to be over 45” in spread. Area 42 has produced bulls well over 50” in the past but these are certainly more the exceptions than the rule. Both Areas 1 and 34 have an average bull spread of more than 40” over the past three years.

The Gros Ventre area, just to the east of Jackson Hole, sits in the middle of the historic breadbasket of big bull moose country, Teton County. Although the moose have struggled with predators and habitat deterioration here, the big bulls seem to be fighting through the adversity. The big moose core of this region basically is made up of one single hunt that stands out from the rest. Areas 17 and 28 are a combined hunt with a near perfect success rate (93%) and some very big bulls including a monster sporting a rack of nearly 60.” The average bull here was just a tick shy of 43” and nearly six years old. There is a fair amount of designated wilderness area in this unit so an outfitted hunt may be a good insurance policy for a non-resident hunter who draws this tag.

The final bright spot for Wyoming moose is the Piney region on the west slope of the Wind River Mountains south of Pinedale, Wyoming. This cluster of areas, 2, 3, 4, 24 and 25 still manage to produce some good moose, and lots of them. With plenty of 40” bulls and good success rates in the 90% and above range, this moose region is a great place to hunt for a good moose if you lack the maximum points required to hunt in the Big Horns or the Medicine Bow. Most of these areas are a mixture of lower sage country, aspen pockets and rough rugged high country, depending on the unit.

A very important thing to keep in mind when conducting your moose research in Wyoming is the fact that there are some very good moose hunts in the green chip moose listings. Areas like 5 and 26 can be very good moose hunts for solid Shiras’ bulls in the 36” to 45” class. The hunting here is a bit tougher, but the possibilities for a big bull still exist with success rates that are very strong on average. Areas 9 and 11 are real up and coming moose units for Wyoming, keep an eye on these two units in the future.

The Gros Ventre area, just to the east of Jackson Hole sits in the middle of the historic breadbasket of big bull moose country, Teton County. Although the moose have struggled with predators and habitat deterioration here, the big bulls seem to be fighting through the adversity. The big moose core of this region basically is made up of one single hunt that stands out from the rest. Areas 17 and 28 are a combined hunt with a near perfect success rate (93%) and some very big bulls including a monster sporting a rack of nearly 60.” The average bull here was just a tick shy of 43” and more than five years old. There is a fair amount of designated wilderness area in this unit so an outfitted hunt may be a good insurance policy for a non-resident hunter who draws this tag.

The final bright spot for Wyoming moose is the Piney region on the west slope of the Wind River Mountains South of Pinedale, Wyoming. This cluster of areas, 2, 3, 4, 24 and 25 still manage to produce some good moose, and lots of them. With plenty of 40” bulls and good success rates in the 90% and above range, this moose region is a great place to hunt for a good moose if you lack the maximum points required to hunt in the Bighorns or the Medicine Bow. Most of these areas are a mixture of lower sage country, aspen pockets and rough rugged high country, depending on the unit.

A very important thing to keep in mind when conducting your moose research in Wyoming is the fact that there are some very good moose hunts in the green chip moose listings. Areas like 5 and 26 can be very good moose hunts for solid Shiras’ bulls in the 36” to 45” class. The hunting here is a bit tougher, but the possibilities for a big bull still do exist with success rates that are very strong on average.

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BLUE CHIP ANALYSIS: For those of you with plenty of Wyoming sheep points or high hopes for the future, good luck. The eight Wyoming “blue-chip” sheep areas will cost, on average, about 65 preference points to draw this year, thanks to the new 90/10 non-resident tag allocation.   

We normally write up a full analysis of the blue chip sheep units here with details about each hunt area. However, due to the change in allocation, even the max points holders will see nearly impossible draw odds in all areas until the state makes the conversion to a bonus points system. See the sheep table for the full ranking of each individual sheep area available in the Wyoming draw this year.

Bighorn Sheep Table - Updated January 13, 2023

Why Hunt Goats in Wyoming?
Wyoming Rocky Mountain Goat Analysis
Area 1
Area 2
Area 3 (Type 1)
Area 3 (Type 2)
Areas 4 & 5 (Type A)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting in 2023, Wyoming’s new 90/10 rule has cut the non-resident quotas in half for sheep, moose, goat and bison ONLY. The draw odds reflected in these sections will be roughly half of what is represented in this data going forward.

Wyoming is not really known as a top shelf mountain goat state. However, the Cowboy State does offer some very solid opportunities for some good billies, even with a very limited but expanding goat herd. The bulk of the Rocky Mountain goat population in Wyoming continues to be slightly over objective. With goats now expanded into the inner reaches of Teton National Park, where they are not welcome, the State continues to employ some very drastic methods to reduce or even eliminate these new expansion herds in Areas 4 and 5.. Over the past few years, the State of Wyoming and the Federal Government have even resorted to aerial gunning of the goats inside the far reaches of Teton National Park. This said, at this point in time I am not 100% sure there will continue to be goat hunts in Areas 4 and 5. at least at the levels we have seen in the past. The nearly over-the-counter nature along with access issues make success on these hunts very difficult and applicants should beware of the financial pitfalls of drawing a tag for these hunt options.

With only six total options available and no preference point system in place, an applicant need not spend too much time bogged down in research here. The long and short of it, there are really only four high-quality goat hunt options in three legitimate goat hunt areas in Wyoming. These remain the “non-cull” hunts in Areas 1, 2 and 3.

The goat hunts in Areas 1, 2 and 3 can be a very good experience with some great opportunities for respectable billies, if you take your time and hunt hard, and most importantly, know what you are looking at.

Although Wyoming is still not a mountain goat powerhouse like British Columbia or Alaska, in my opinion the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has done a very solid job at managing the very limited goat population that the State does have. The goat habitat in Wyoming is somewhat limited and the overall size of the billies in the State has historically been less stellar than most other states, however this trend seems to be reversing as Wyoming has continued to produce more record book billies over the past few years. The overall frequency of big billies killed in the Wyoming high country does seem to be accelerating as of recent years as the goat herds begin to mature, to the point that I would now put Wyoming nearly in the same category as Colorado and Idaho when it comes to overall trophy quality. There are only five states/provinces that have produced more B&C billies over the past ten years than Wyoming.

The costs to apply in Wyoming are steep, while the odds of drawing a tag are even steeper, in the range of 4% or less. And now with the new 90/10 tag split going into effect the odds of drawing a goat tag in Wyoming have instantly dropped by half for non-resident hunters, going from an average of 2.4% to barely 1% on a good day. Nevertheless, Wyoming is still a very good place to hunt for a Lower 48 billy if you can manage to draw a tag.

As the goat harvest graph shows, over the past ten years the goat population and goat harvest has increased dramatically during the first fifteen years of the century (2001-2016). However, the graph now indicates that Wyoming’s goat population has found a balance as the goat harvest in Wyoming seems to have leveled off in the range of 40-50 goats each year for the past three years now.

Bottom line | The goat herds in Wyoming have stabilized and the state is looking to keep these herd numbers at current levels from here on out. It looks like a total harvest of about 50 goats per year is right at objective levels.

Why Hunt Goats in Wyoming?
With the herd numbers stabilizing, Wyoming continues to produce more and more large billies each and every year. The Cowboy State is now the 10th best state to find a record book goat. Add to that, nearly 60% of the record book goats taken in the State have been in the last ten years. In the past, Wyoming goat hunters struggled to put a single goat into the record book, about one every decade or so. Now a record book goat hits the ground in Wyoming just about every year and sometimes there are two, a significant improvement by nearly any measure.

Just like most states, a goat tag in Wyoming is extremely hard to come by and very expensive to apply for. With no preference points system in place for goats, all applicants will have to front the entire sum of the tag ($157-R/$2,177-NR), and hope for lightning to strike and deliver you one of the 56 limited Wyoming goat tags available.

Wyoming Rocky Mountain Goat Analysis
The Rocky Mountain goat herd in Wyoming essentially consists of two separate and distinct genetic pools. The Northern Beartooth herd, which resides in hunt Areas 1 and 3, and the Western Snake River herd which call Areas 2 and 4 home. As a rule of thumb, the Snake River herd has a slight feed advantage and therefore grows bigger goats. As evidence to this fact, half of all the B&C records book goats taken in Wyoming have come from Area 2. Historically speaking nearly all of the largest goats in the state have come out of Area 2. If you really want a shot at a big goat, with no wilderness to worry about, Area 2 should be your choice.

Goat Area 1 is probably the most scenic and accessible of the goat hunts available in Wyoming. This area is very rugged but has a few major roads and highways cutting through the hunt unit which allow hunters to essentially hunt from the top down in many cases. This is a huge advantage when goat hunting. This area is a great place to chase a billy with a bow in hand.

Area 3 is a bit of a wild card, with lots of goats in some very steep and remote country. This is probably the toughest of the three hunts, but Area 3 also offers the best draw odds, particularly on the later hunt during October. Let’s take a little closer look at each area individually based on the pros and cons.

Area 1
Snug against the Montana border and just north of Cody, this area is the classic, steep, rocky and rugged goat habitat that most goat hunters would expect out of a Rocky Mountain goat hunt. Area 1 is a very good choice for bowhunters and guys who want to hunt in some of the most picturesque country on the entire continent. With a quota of eight tags, this area offers draw odds of less than 1% (0.5-0.8%). Area 1 is the easiest goat hunt of the three available units and the odds of killing a billy here are better than most, about 68% and climbing, over the past three years.

Area 2
Area 2 has produced the largest goats in the state on average over the past ten years. Nearly half (50%) of the total Wyoming goat entries in the Boone & Crockett records book, and six out of the top seven Wyoming goats have come out of Area 2. The Snake River range is not nearly as rough as the other two areas, but the country is deep and very roadless, causing a hunter to expend more energy just getting up to the goats than a hunter in Area 1 generally does. The hunter success in Area 2 is somewhat solid, with nearly 90% of the hunters killing goats and of those, nearly 75% were billies. The draw odds here are pretty rough however, and tend to hang right around that 0.3% mark.

Area 3 (Type 1)
Area 3 is basically the north fork of the Shoshone River drainage and Crandall and Sunlight Creeks. The goats here are of good size and this area generally produces decent numbers of billies, roughly 50%.The goats can be a little bit pocketed in some very deep country with some groups of goats not seeing much hunter pressure at all. A hunter with a ton of grit and good lungs could have the hunt of a lifetime here. A lot of the goats in this area tend to hang out in the wilderness, so a non-resident, DIY hunter might want to steer clear of this selection. The hunting season on this hunt spans the entire unit and runs the entire months of September and October. An increased tag quota in this unit from 16 to 28 has helped the draw odds jump to a modest 2%.

Area 3 (Type 2)
This hunt used to have a later season, after the 19th of September, but the state seems to have changed this season to coincide with the Type 1 season for some reason as of late. The billy success on this hunt is somewhat marginal at only 43% over the past three years. The draw odds here are a tick more attractive at about 6%.

Areas 4 & 5 (Type A)
With extremely high quotas, these two hunts seem to be “cull” type hunts and are not recommended for trophy goat hunting without some very diligent research and solid information before applying. With very expensive up-front application costs, a massive Wilderness area and a National Park to contend with, non-resident applicants should be very cautious with these two options. Success here is very low at less than 20% on average for billies. At this point, I am not convinced these hunts will even be options for hunters in the future.

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Mtn Goat Table -  Updated January 13, 2023

2023_WY_RMGoat_Jan13

Outlook & Overview

IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting in 2023, Wyoming’s new 90/10 rule has cut the non-resident quotas in half for sheep, moose, goat and bison ONLY. The draw odds reflected in these sections will be roughly half of what is represented in this data going forward.

With the volume of bison now under control, the State’s new challenge seems to be getting the bull-to-cow ratio more in check. After nearly a decade of high harvest and hard hunting pressure, the state of Wyoming seems to finally have the Teton bison herd in check with a somewhat reasonable, yet sustainable, on-target population size.

With only three total hunts to choose from, one of which will likely have no tags available again this year, the options for Wyoming bison hunts are very simple. The hunt area will again be Area 2 and the choice will simply be any/bull (Type 1) or cow/calf (Type 4).

Even though the options are very simple, Wyoming still seems to be a very solid spot for a big bull bison if you really desire one. While not as prolific as it was five or ten years ago, Wyoming is still producing a few really big bulls each and every year but they are getting harder and harder to come by. The really big bulls are very old and very wise with high escapement during the season. With the massive Grand Teton National Park bordering the hunt area, many of the older bulls seldom drift from the safety of the park borders.

This situation makes for a large safe haven to protect most of the bulls from being over-hunted and allowing them to grow to a full maturity age of ten years and older.

Second only to the state of South Dakota, Wyoming has a total of 123 record book bison entries all-time, nearly half of which have come in the past 10 years alone. Today, Wyoming is one of the few but ever-growing list of places in the Lower 48 where a hunter can hunt fair chase bison. The others are the states of Montana, South Dakota, Utah and Arizona.

An applicant for Wyoming bison must front the entire cost of the tag, which is a total cost of $419 for a bull and $265 for a cow tag for residents and a whopping $4,417 for a bull and $2,767 for a cow for non-resident applicants. In my humble opinion, given the other options now available for a bison hunt, the new 90/10 rule and the cost of entry for a non-resident, this hunt is way too high and probably not worth the cost given the draw odds and success track record.

The bison options in Wyoming will be very simple for the 2023 hunting season. With only one area (Area 2) to hunt there are only two hunting options, a cow/calf, Type 4 tag and of course the highly sought-after Type 1 tag, any/bull bison tag. The Wyoming bison season is very lengthy, August 15 to January 31, nearly five months long, but the tag quota for the bull hunt remains very limited, with 125 any/bull and only 25 cow/calf tags up for grabs again in 2022. The 2023 tag quotas are not available yet, but I do not expect much change versus last season. I do not expect there to be a bison hunt available in Area 3 which is the best hunt area by far again this year.

Because Wyoming has hunted the bulls in the Jackson herd so hard in the past five years, many of the oldest age class bulls have been taken out of the herd. The exception to this would be if the Teton Park buffalo leave the park due to heavy snow and extreme weather and move onto the adjacent Bridger Teton National Forest land or the National Elk Refuge. Although, recently many very good bulls have been taken on the opening of the season during the rut as the bison begin to move and drift around their home range.

Historic hunter success on the bison hunt in Wyoming has steadily fallen over the past five years, with about half of the hunters now filling their bison tags over the past three years. The Game and Fish Department has not updated the hunter success data for the 2022 season yet, so we do not have concrete results to go by for this past season. I do think the hunter success on this hunt has somewhat stabilized and should be roughly the same or similar to the past few years.

The draw deadline for both residents and non-residents is March 31st, and both can apply any time after March 1st up to the 31st. An option to hunt the National Elk Refuge is available in a separate drawing for successful Wyoming bison tag applicants and is highly recommended.

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