Wyoming is still king when it comes to antelope numbers, with an estimated 320,000 animals scattered across the state. While this number looks good and is up from last year, it is only about 50% of what the population was in the mid-1980s when the state estimated 600,000 antelope roamed the Cowboy State. Realistically, we will never see that many antelope again in Wyoming, but the WGFD is hopeful to push the 400,000-mark in the years to come. The WGFD cut over 10,000 antelope licenses in 2023 following that disaster of a winter and have been reluctant to increase quotas in most units across the state until populations improve. However, with three mild winters in a row and fawn recruitment numbers at a twenty-year high, they are beginning to conservatively add licenses in some units for 2026. One of the best things about antelope compared to most other big-game species is that their rebound time is much shorter due to females producing twins and even triplets on a regular basis. Antelope populations are low and food is readily available. The WGFD issued just over 32,000 antelope licenses in 2025, and that number is expected to rise by nearly 3,000 for 2026 if the WGFD Commission passes all the proposed changes for this year. This proposal change will give non-residents an additional 600 antelope licenses to apply for in 2026. If antelope continue to rebound at a rate similar to the last three years, hunters can expect to see antelope license quotas increase again in 2027.
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The 2026 proposals advocate for the introduction of an additional 1,200 type 1 licenses and around 1,800 type 6, 7, and 8 doe/fawn licenses. The addition of doe/fawn licenses is a great sign that antelope are rebounding quickly, and some units are already back to objective. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission is still being cautious in many units, especially in the southwestern part of the state where antelope were hit the hardest in 2023. They have added small numbers of type 1 licenses in a few units but are holding off on opening up doe/fawn hunts until antelope numbers reach set objectives. Most units in the state are doing well, with antelope populations at or near objective and trending upwards. Many of these units are seeing license increases for one license type or another to help manage the rising antelope populations. Draw odds will likely remain tough with the additional licenses, as more applicants are applying every year and contributing to point creep. However, many units have actually become easier to draw since 2024 as applicants willing to hand over the extra money for the special license. On average, a special license can be drawn four years earlier than a regular license, which comes out to about $219 per year to hunt sooner. Hunters will have to decide if it’s worth the extra dough to hunt more often or continue to use the regular-priced license.
In the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Wyoming was consistently producing some of the best and biggest antelope bucks anywhere in the West. Like all good things, this trend had to come to an end at some point. We will likely never again see antelope numbers like they were back in those days, but the quality of trophy bucks may be getting better than most people realize. With fewer licenses issued in the past three years and way fewer hunters in the field, more antelope bucks have had a chance to mature and reach their full potential. As bad as the winter of 2022/2023 was, it has made the WGFD adjust the way they do things. Limiting the number of licenses has shown just how special the Wyoming antelope population is and how great the genetics are when given the chance to reach their peak. The Red Desert is the perfect example of this; with some of the best genetics in the United States, it is once again producing great bucks in multiple units, the likes of which we haven’t seen for nearly thirty years. The best part is that there are trophy-class bucks being spotted and harvested in units that have never really been known for top-end bucks, which just goes to show what a little management can do for the quality of a herd.
Unfortunately, this trend is not likely to continue for long. As antelope recover, more and more licenses will be issued, and with today’s technology, antelope bucks that are targeted seldom get away. For those with antelope points in Wyoming, now is as good a time to use them as we’ve had in a long time. If you have just a few or no points at all, get creative with the special draw, find a friend or make a friend that has lots of points, or pray you draw a random license. Regardless of your situation, the next few years is the time to hunt antelope in Wyoming.
Hunters that are interested in drawing an antelope license in Wyoming need to factor in a variety of things, point creep being perhaps the biggest item on the table. If you are just starting to build points and looking at a unit that takes 5 points to draw, that unit will likely take 2 to 4 additional points by the time you build 5, leaving you on the outside looking in. As bad as point creep is—and it is bad, with more and more hunters applying every year—it is the system in place, so hunters need to work that system. With limited draw odds in their favor. In Wyoming, the special license is the best way to get a license in your pocket more often. There were multiple units in 2025 that could be drawn with a second choice, resulting in the applicant receiving a license and not losing their points. The increased price in the special licenses has been the biggest contributing factor to so many licenses being available in the second draw since 2024. If the additional cost of the special license is more than you are willing to pay, there are still plenty of units that can be drawn without having to build very many points, not to mention that 25% of licenses are issued through a random draw, so if you have the time to hunt, throw your name in the hat and hope lady luck smiles upon you in June. Over 2,000 non-resident antelope licenses went out to hunters in the random draw in 2025.
Maybe the best part about hunting antelope in Wyoming is the beautiful and diverse habitat that these hollow-horned, pronghorn goats call home. Regardless of the unit a hunter draws, they are likely going to spend time in some of the coolest country ever created. Whether it’s in the high mountains and deserts of the west or the broken sage country of the Red Desert or the eastern plains with their endless miles of grasslands, hunters will get to experience what makes Wyoming so unique as the country itself. Regardless of the unit or terrain someone chooses to hunt, they are going to have a great opportunity to harvest an antelope and the potential to tag the buck of a lifetime. A trophy class buck can come out of any unit in the state on any given year—it’s what makes Wyoming antelope hunting like nowhere else on earth. The biggest key is to have a license in your pocket and get after it.
Overall, Wyoming antelope are on a really good upswing right now, and that will likely continue for a while if no wild weather events intervene. Heading into the 2026 season, the biggest concern is drought. The Cowboy State is currently experiencing the lowest snowpack ever recorded. Even with things looking dry this year, the antelope hunting should still be great as long as the spring rains hit and the thunderstorms produce some moisture on occasion throughout the summer months. Anyone who wants to get out and pursue these speed goats has lots of opportunities to get a license or licenses, so don’t use the excuse that you can’t be drawn. Just get creative and work the system. Harvest success rates are still running close to the 90% bracket across the state, and good quality bucks can be found in every unit. Anyone and everyone that has time to hunt this fall in September or October should be applying for Wyoming antelope. If you have the points to draw but are hesitant to apply because you’re unsure of how much time you’ll have, keep in mind that Wyoming does not make applicants buy a hunting license simply to apply. Numbers and recent quality seem to show that Wyoming may be entering a modern “heyday” of antelope hunting. Hopefully we can all draw a license or two in the next few years and get out to pursue one of nature’s coolest creatures, the American pronghorn.
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The application deadline to apply for Wyoming antelope is 11:59 p.m. MDT on June 1, 2026.
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((License fees include $15 non-refundable application fees but do not account for the 2.5% processing fee.) |
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| Youth | Regular | Special | Youth | Regular | |
| Deer | $125 | $389 | $1,215 | $10 | $41 |
| Antelope | $125 | $341 | $1,215 | $10 | $31 |
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