Available Wyoming Mountain Goat Hunts --- Search HF Aventures
Anyone who wants to hunt mountain goats in the lower 48 might want to give Wyoming a look. This is especially true for those who haven’t been building goat points in other states. Wyoming does not have a point system for mountain goats, meaning everyone has equal odds in the drawing. However, with the change to the 90/10 split in 2023, license numbers for non-residents were cut in half, making drawing a tag more difficult. The state’s mountain goat population continues to be at or above objective, so a quota increase in some units is possible. Mountain goats expanded into areas of the state that WGFD did not want them to be in. As a result, type A hunts were opened in areas 4 and 5 in 2019 in hopes of eradicating the goat population altogether in these areas. These hunts are succeeding in accomplishing that objective, and goat numbers are now extremely low in these areas. Unit 5 was closed in 2023 as no goats were being seen in the unit, and it will likely not have any licenses available for 2024. Do not put in for one of these hunts unless you just want to go on a hunt and are comfortable with not harvesting or possibly not even seeing a goat. Harvesting a goat on a type A hunt will not count as your once-in-a-lifetime goat as of now, but be sure to check the regulations as WGFD has been known to change regulation with little to no notification. The following descriptions break down each of the mountain goat areas in Wyoming. If you have any questions about these hunts or need help picking an area that is best for you, give us a call.
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The following descriptions break down each of the mountain goat areas in Wyoming. If you have any questions about these hunts or need help picking an area that is best for you, give us a call.
Area 1 sits along the Montana border on the north end of the state. Within it resides the Beartooth goat herd, and its population is stable. Mature billies are available on this hunt, but plan on spending a lot of time in the field to turn one up. There are areas within the unit that are remote and make for a physically demanding hunt along with some areas that can be day hunted. Do not expect to turn up a mature goat in the easier to access areas. While there is some wilderness in the western portion of the area, almost every goat harvested on this hunt is being taken outside of the wilderness, making this a great hunt for a self-guided hunter. This country is loaded with grizzly bears.
Area 2 is still the best hunt in the state for a trophy billy. It is located along the Idaho border and is part of the same goat herd as Idaho’s unit 67. The population is stable with a good older age class available in the population. This unit is also a great choice for a self-guided hunter as there is no wilderness. The terrain is demanding, but if you wait until later in the season, the goats move down into more accessible country. This unit can be day hunted. It has produced record book goats in the past and will again in the future. The downside is that this unit has the worst draw odds in the state for a goat. An outfitter can help if you are looking for a giant goat and don’t have time to scout. There have been reports of a few grizzlies in the area, but this hunt is easily a hunter’s best bet at hunting Wyoming goats with the lowest probability of encountering a grizzly.
Area 3 is located along the Yellowstone National Park line and borders Montana on the northern end of the unit. This giant unit holds the North Absaroka herd, which is the largest goat herd in Wyoming. The herd is mostly spread out throughout the high country of the North Absaroka Wilderness, which butts up against Yellowstone National Park. It is getting harder to find a mature billy on the type 1 hunt, and hiring an outfitter to access the more remote areas in the unit will provide you your best chance at doing so. Roughly half of the goats harvested on the type 1 hunt are coming out of the wilderness. Those that are being taken outside of wilderness areas are coming from the Sunlight Basin area. The type 2 hunt confines hunters to the North Fork of the Shoshone River Drainage in the southwest corner of area 3. The area is almost entirely wilderness. As intended by WGFD, goat populations are extremely low as the state is trying to keep the goat herd from expanding to the south and into area 5. Turning up a mature billy here is going to be difficult and take a lot of searching. Area 3 has a high population of grizzly bears.
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Area 4 is located in the strip of rough country that lies between the Idaho border, Yellowstone National Park, Teton National Park, and Highway 22, which is the northern border of goat unit 2. Most of the goats that are left are going to be found along the Teton National Park boundary. There was a cull goat hunt in Teton National Park in 2020, and they were able to remove 79 goats. They estimate that there were 100 goats living in and around the park before the goat removal took place. Due to all the goats being removed, we don’t recommend anyone apply for this hunt unless you have inside knowledge of a goat alive in area 4 or just want to go on an adventure. There is a lot of wilderness, so as a nonresident, you are going to need an outfitter or a Wyoming resident with you. There were no non-resident licenses issued for unit 4 in 2023, but there will likely be one available for 2024.
Area 5 is a giant unit that covers all of the mountainous terrain from Yellowstone National Park, Teton National Park, and goat unit 3 on the northern end. This is some of the roughest country in all of Wyoming. Horses are going to be a must to reach some of the backcountry that these goats call home. There is a very low density of goats in this area. If you want to try this hunt, you are going to have to do a ton of preseason scouting. This unit has tons of wilderness, so as a non-resident, you are going to need an outfitter or a Wyoming resident to go with you. Wyoming did not issue any licenses for 2023. The decision to issue licenses or not for this unit will be decided in April at the Commission meeting.
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The application deadline for Wyoming Mountain Goat is 11:59 P.M. MST on April 30th, 2024
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| Youth | Regular | Special | Youth | Regular | |
| Bighorn Sheep | $2,335 | $150 | $150 | ||
| Moose | $1,997 | $150 | $150 | ||
| Mtn Goat | $2,177 | $150 | $150 | ||
| Bull Bison | $4,417 | N/A | N/A | ||
| Cow/Calf Bison | $2,767 | N/A | N/A | ||
| Elk | $290 | $707 | $1,283 | $10 | $52 |
| Wolf | $187 | N/A | N/A | ||
Wyoming Mountain Goat Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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