Wyoming offers elk hunters one of the most diverse and rewarding hunting experiences in the West. The state provides wide-ranging seasons, different weapon options, multi-season opportunities, varied physical hunt types, and both trophy and opportunity units, making it a destination every serious elk hunter should consider. Elk numbers in Wyoming are currently at historic highs, and non-resident license allocations increased again in 2025. Hunters still have a realistic expectation of encountering and harvesting 350”+ class bulls in multiple regions of the state. While Wyoming may not consistently produce the extreme top-end giants seen in a few select western states, it delivers one of the best combinations of trophy potential, huntability, and tag accessibility for the point investment required.
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Twenty years ago, Wyoming started a modified preference point system for non-residents. This system is great if you got into it early. Unfortunately, the elk point creep isn’t much better than Wyoming’s sheep and moose point creep. In 2024, just 71 max point holders burned their points and drew out. With 571 nonresidents still sitting on max points going into the 2026 draw, and over 4,000 between0 between 16–20 points, you’re in for a long wait to catch an upper point unit. If you don’t have max points and you only want to hunt the most sought-after areas, make sure you are applying in an area that has random licenses.
Wyoming offers some of the better DIY hunting for elk in the West. With millions of acres of public land available, a hunter can simply choose a limited quota unit or a general region to pursue elk in. The downside for non-resident, self-guided hunters is the designated wilderness areas throughout the state, where a non-resident cannot hunt without an outfitter or Wyoming resident with a resident guide license. Many of these units produce some of the better bulls in the state. If you have a resident friend who is willing to hunt with you and has access to horses or mules, these units can make for a hunt of a lifetime.
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Archery hunters have a good chance of hunting the archery season if they purchase the $72 archery license and apply for the available type 9 archery-only hunts or draw a type 1 or 2 license. If unsuccessful hunting the latter, you can return during the rifle season. Not all type 1 rifle units give you archery options, so check the regulations before applying. Wyoming is a state that allows hunters to use a crossbow during the archery season. If you’re not a bowhunter but want to experience the elk rut and extend your season, you might consider trying a crossbow hunt.
The units surrounding Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming are still consistently producing the state’s biggest bulls. These units are 51, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 61, 62, and 64. From late October through November, these areas can be great rifle hunts if early snowfall can push the bigger bulls. However, even in mild fall weather, these bulls tend to migrate as daylight hours shorten. There will always be some great bulls in these units due to the proximity of Yellowstone National Park and the difficulty of accessing and hunting these areas. Keep in mind that most of these units have wolves and grizzly bears. These units also have a lot of wilderness areas, which can limit self-guided, non-resident hunts. If you have 14 or more points and are planning on going guided (or have a friend with horses who is a Wyoming resident), you should probably be taking a hard look at these areas. These hunts will provide true backcountry hunting adventure and possibly a bull of a lifetime.
There are a good number of units scattered throughout southern and central Wyoming that are great DIY hunts if backcountry wilderness is not what you are looking for. Units 16, 22, 30, 31, 32, 100, 111, and 124 are extremely popular due to the amount of public land they offer. These units have managed for high bull-to-cow ratios, with very conservative numbers of bull licenses issued. This, in turn, produces better bulls. As always, due to the public access and number of good bulls, these licenses tend to max or near-max point holders in 2024. For hunters willing to work at navigating public access around private land, or who are willing to hunt private land by hiring an outfitter, there are some good hunts that can typically draw between 7–10 points. Units like 7, 19, 23, 34, 108, 118, and 120 have some great bulls, but they also have a significant amount of private land that can make a hunt challenging and sometimes very frustrating.
Some of the units within the Bighorn Mountains—35, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 45—have a great mix of opportunity, access, low wolf and grizzly populations, and quality for a self-guided hunter who is not sitting on max points. The downside to these units is that hunters will need to choose between archery and rifle hunting, as most do not allow both (unlike other units throughout the state). The Bighorn region has remained very consistent with the quality and overall number of bulls it produces on a yearly basis. Hunters that draw here can expect to have a chance at a mature bull if they hunt hard and have a little luck on their side. Rifle season in the Bighorns can be a bit crowded at times due to high allocation of licenses in some units, but those units also have lots of elk for hunters to pursue. Hunting pressure is usually a little lighter in the more remote wilderness areas. Units 35, 41, and 45 all have some wilderness areas. All the Bighorn Mountain units are at or above objective, so animals are available if you are willing to get after it.
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The best opportunity to hunt elk in Wyoming is still in the general season units. With the general areas splitting into three regions in 2024, it opened the door for WGFD to offer a few extra non-resident licenses. Applicants must now apply for one of the three general regions and cannot hunt all 504 general areas in the state. The regions are divided into Eastern, Southern, and Western and can be applied for in the regular or special draw from January 2nd through February 2nd. You must apply for the general season elk license during the same timeframe you apply for other limited-quota licenses. The 2025 draw results showed that an applicant needed more than 5 points to guarantee a general tag in the regular draw in the Western and Southern regions while the Eastern region required 3 points. Expect point totals to be slightly higher to draw the same tag in 2026 as point creep continues to plague the system. The random draw odds for last year were 28–100% in the special draw and 7–40% in the regular draw, depending on the region applied for.
General season elk licenses are a great option for hunters wanting to hunt more often without having to accumulate a bunch of points. These general licenses are slowly getting harder to draw, but hunters willing to jump into the special draw more often and will have significantly higher chances of drawing a random license. Regardless of when or how you draw a general license, you will need to do your homework and research areas you plan on hunting to be successful. Finding bulls in the 250–300” class range is a realistic expectation, but patient and persistent hunters may find bigger bulls if good conditions and luck come their way. Many units within all three regions have high success rates, oftentimes hitting over 30% year after year. Applicants applying for a general elk license will have to choose one of the three regions to hunt in, and they will only be able to hunt general units within that region if successful. Archery season is oftentimes the best chance to take a mature bull on a general hunt. If you draw a general license and want to hunt the archery season, you just need to purchase the additional $72 archery license. If you are not a bowhunter, Wyoming allows crossbows to be used in archery season if you purchase the archery license. Wilderness general units can produce some great bulls, but keep in mind that you’ll need an outfitter or a Wyoming resident with a resident guide license for you to legally hunt them. Some general units have a late September or early October rifle opener, which offers general license holders a fun and exciting rifle hunt with bugling bulls.
Refer to the general elk region tables for all general bull elk units that were available in 2025. Licenses in units 6, 36, 67, 68, 126, and 129 were only valid in a portion of the season or had a restriction on spike harvest during a portion of the season. Some general areas offer additional seasons for antlerless elk. All general units represented in the map may also be hunted unit-wide for any elk during the archery season, with the exception of units 6 & 36. Additionally, unit 127 does not have an archery-only season, and unit 78 cannot be hunted during the general regular season but does have a general archery season. Be sure to check the 2026 regulations when they are released to confirm no changes were made to a unit you will be hunting this fall.
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The application deadline for non-resident elk is 11:59 p.m. MST on February 2, 2026.
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| Youth | Regular | Special | Youth | Regular | |
| Elk | $290 | $707 | $1,965 | $10 | $52 |
Wyoming Elk Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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