New for 2018

State Information

Image date: 5/6/2018 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

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Image date: 5/10/2017 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

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Image date: 5/1/2018 Source: United States Drought Monitor

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Image date: 5/2/2017 Source: United States Drought Monitor

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The Draw System

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Wyoming's 2018 Mule Deer Breakdown

Mule deer taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A goHUNT Business Member

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How to Uncover Hidden Gem Mule Deer Areas

Mule deer taken with Shoshone Lodge Outfitting — A goHUNT Business Member

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Wyoming's 2018 Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Whitetail deer taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A goHUNT Business Member

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Managing Deer Preference Points and Expectations

Wyoming's 2018 Antelope Breakdown

Antelope taken with Center of the Nation Outfitters — A goHUNT Business Member

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Managing Antelope Preference Points and Expectations

Antelope taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A goHUNT Business Member

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Wyoming's 2018 Deer and Antelope Application Overview

Arguably the best opportunity to experience a successful western big game hunt exists on the rolling prairie and plains of Wyoming. Statewide, Wyoming has larger antelope populations and issues more licenses than other western states combined. In 2017 almost 56,000 licenses were issued and harvest success was 94% statewide. All antelope licenses are allocated through the state draw for both residents and nonresidents. Some areas are managed for better trophy potential while others offer more opportunity. Overall, Wyoming offers an antelope hunt for just about everyone—trophy hunters and opportunistic adventure seekers alike.

The winter of 2016/2017 was particularly harsh throughout much of western Wyoming, resulting in the loss of a significant portion of that year’s mule deer fawn crop in certain areas. Notably, Regions G, H and F had much higher than normal fawn mortality. In the coming years, 2020 to 2023 specifically, that lack of recruitment is bound to negatively impact the number of mature bucks available in those populations for years to come. That’s the bad news. The good news is hunters reported decent hunting last fall and it should continue for the next couple of years. In addition, this winter has been very mild and much of the plains and eastern areas of the state have had good survival for the past several years.

All nonresident deer licenses are allocated through the draw whether they are for a general region or limited quota hunts. Residents have limited quota options or can simply purchase a general region deer license over-the-counter (OTC). Much like antelope, Wyoming offers quality hunts that require years of points to draw and opportunity hunts that can be drawn with very few points. Wyoming is a must apply state for both mule deer and antelope.

Note: The application deadline for deer and antelope is May 31, 2018, by midnight MST. The application is entirely online here.

Why Wyoming for Deer and Antelope

Opportunity

Wyoming has a huge antelope population and the bulk of the hunts are likely to see an increase in license numbers for 2018. Mule deer populations are good and Wyoming offers easy to draw general areas as well as limited quota draw hunts.

Trophy Quality

Wyoming has good antelope trophy potential. Every area has the potential to produce a trophy caliber buck. Some areas are managed for an older age class buck, but, literally, any area could produce an 80” buck. Wyoming is well known for wide deep forked high scoring muleys. The trophy potential may not be what it was historically, but it’s still relatively good in most parts of the state. The genes are there for sure.

Public Land

Wyoming has a significant amount of public land with everything from high alpine basins to rolling badlands and deserts. A nonresident cannot hunt a designated wilderness area without an outfitter or a resident guide, but there is still plenty of public land to hunt.

General Season Deer

Nonresidents still have to draw out for general season deer and some regions will take a few preference points. Others can be drawn with no points or even as a second choice. Residents can simply purchase a general season deer license over the counter.

Meat Hunt

Wyoming has ample opportunity to hunt doe antelope and/or deer. If you are interested in getting the family outdoors and just hoping to fill the freezer, check out the antlerless mule deer and whitetail Draw Odds as well as the doe antelope draw odds that we offer on our standalone Draw Odds page.

Buck Limited Quota Deer License Changes

Nonresident general region license quota changes:

All other general region nonresident quotas remained the same.

Antelope

Buck Antelope License Quota Changes

All other areas license quotas remained the same.

2018 Insider Enhancement — Female Draw Odds

For 2018, GOHUNT offers doe/fawn deer and antelope draw odds for Wyoming and many other states. If your ultimate goal is to fill the freezer, an antlerless permit may be just the ticket. Applicants can apply for reduced price doe/fawn separately from the full priced hunts. Reduced price hunts are allocated randomly with no point system and they will not impact your preference points if you draw them.

To review doe/fawn odds, log into your INSIDER account > hover over the INSIDER icon > select the “Draw Odds” link > select Wyoming and then your residency (either resident or nonresident regular > scroll to select the doe or antlerless species you are interested in near the bottom right portion of the page.

Antlerless Elk (full Price) Draw Odds

Find your resident antlerless elk full price draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless elk full price draw odds here

Antlerless Elk (reduced Price) Draw Odds

Find your resident antlerless elk reduced price draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless elk reduced price draw odds here

Doe Antelope Draw Odds

Find your resident doe antelope draw odds here

Find your nonresident doe antelope draw odds here

View important information and an overview of the Wyoming rules/regulations, the draw system and bonus points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map on our State Profile. You can also view the Wyoming Deer, Elk and Antelope Profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

Additionally, you can find more information on each deer Region Profile.

Important Dates and Information

What does hunt type mean?

Wyoming has a hunt “type” classification for their licenses. The type is a limitation or distinction of what the license is valid for. For deer, Type 1, 2, 9 and 3 are full priced license. Type 1 and 2 are antlered or any deer rifle tags. Type 2 typically varies by season date or limits the portion of the area you can hunt. Type 9 is an archery only hunt. Type 3 is valid for antlered or any whitetail deer. Type 6 and 7 are reduced price doe/fawn licenses. Type 8 are doe/fawn whitetail deer licenses. General deer licenses are type 1 licenses.

Antelope common hunt types are Type 1, 2, 6 and 7. Type 1 and 2 are full price licenses. Once again, Type 2 typically differs in the timing of the hunt or limits the portion of the area that can be hunted. Type 6 and 7 are reduced price doe/fawn licenses. There is also one Type 9 (archery only) and Type 0 (muzzleloader only) hunt.

Wilderness Area Restrictions

Millions of acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands are available for hunting, including some of the most wild and scenic wilderness areas in the West. A registered Wyoming resident or licensed outfitter must accompany nonresident hunters in order to legally hunt in a designated wilderness area. Study the Unit Profiles to locate what areas have designated wilderness, which creates access restrictions for nonresidents. If you are a nonresident and would like to legally hunt in a wilderness area, please contact an outfitter. A complete list of outfitters in Wyoming can be found in our Outfitter Directory. Residents need not worry about the wilderness area restriction since they can legally hunt without restriction.

A Wilderness Study Area is a separate distinction and can be hunted by nonresidents without a guide. A Wilderness Study Area is a BLM designation. The law limiting nonresidents only applies to U.S. Forest Service Designated Wilderness Areas.

Drought/rainfall/snowpack

May 2018 Snow Water Equivalent Percent of Normal

Image date: 5/6/2018 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

May 2017 Snow Water Equivalent Percent of Normal

Image date: 5/10/2017 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

May 2018 - Drought Status

May 2017 - Drought Status

Currently, 86.75% of the state is not affected by drought conditions.

Wyoming experienced a severe snowpack in 2017 with most areas hovering around the 150% to 300% mark during much of the winter. 2018 was a little more along the lines of a normal winter.

The Impact of Wolves and Other Predators

Wolves, grizzlies and other predators certainly continue to negatively impact mule deer populations and, to a lesser extent, antelope. Statewide, the wolf population is estimated at approximately 347. Grizzly populations may be as high as 700. There is some good news on the horizon though. The Wyoming Commision has a proposed season that could include 24 licenses to hunt grizzly bears. In addition, in 2017, Wyoming reopened wolf hunting and 77 wolves were harvested. For 2018, Wyoming is proposing an increase in wolf licenses for the trophy zones. Overall, hunting for wolves should increase and it’s likely that a grizzly bear hunt will occur in the fall of 2018—both of which are good for mule deer.

Wolves and grizzlies should not be an issue when hunting antelope in any part of the state. If hunting deer in Regions A, B, D, E, J, K, M, R, T, W, X or Y, wolves and grizzlies should not be an issue. However, black bears may be possible.

Understanding the Draw

Wyoming has a liberal license quota split for antelope and deer, giving approximately 20% of the licenses to nonresidents and 80% to residents. There is no point system for residents. Resident licenses are randomly allocated for antelope and limited quota deer. General season deer licenses can be purchased OTC by residents beginning July 16.

The Point System

Nonresident full price antelope and deer licenses are allocated through a modified preference point system. One preference point is given for each year a nonresident applicant applies and is unsuccessful in the draw or simply purchases a point only during the point only purchase timeframe.

Nonresident licenses are split between a regular (60%) and special (40%) draw. The regular and special licenses are identical other than a nonresident will pay more money to go into the special draw in exchange for potentially better odds of drawing. However, the special draw does not always have better odds than the regular draw. It’s important to check the odds for both to determine if paying the added cost is worth it.

Nonresident Regular vs Special: Unlocking the System

As noted above, 60% of the licenses for any given hunt are allocated to the regular draw and 40% are allocated to the special draw. Of those, 75% of each are given to the applicants with the most preference points and 25% are randomly drawn with no consideration to the number of points you have. Let’s look at an example.

Region G Nonresident Licenses 2017

Special Draw Breakdown

As you can see above, there is a random portion to each hunt drawing as long as there is a minimum of four nonresident licenses. What this means is that applicants applying even for the first time have some chance to draw. Remember that preference points hold no weight in the random draw; every nonresident applicant is on a level playing field for those licenses.

It’s important to review your preference points and the expected number of licenses for the hunts you are considering. If there are less than four licenses, there will be no random license allocated. If you are applying for a hunt with three or less nonresident licenses and you do not have enough points to be in consideration for the licenses, you are essentially wasting your application.

It's important to check your Draw Odds for the regular draw as well as the special draw. There are circumstances where applying for the special draw will not give you better odds. There are also circumstances where entering the special draw may decrease the number of points you need to draw a certain area by one to three points.

Hunt Choices

Applicants can select up to three hunt choices. Every applicant’s first choice is considered before moving to your second and then your third choice. If you draw your first choice, your preference points will be purged. If you draw your second or third choice you will be given the license as well as retaining and gaining a point for your application.

Full Price and Reduced Price Applications

In the initial drawing, applicants may apply for one full price license and up to two reduced price (female) licenses. The full price and reduced price applications are separate and when you apply online you will see there are different links to apply. There is no point system for reduced price licenses, they are allocated through a random draw.

Leftover Drawing

In 2017, Wyoming began using a drawing to allocate leftover licenses. Last year, the leftover license list became available June 22 and the leftover draw application period opened June 26 to 30. There is no quota split for leftover licenses between residents and nonresidents and all applicants are placed into the same pool. Residents and nonresidents can apply together in a group for leftover licenses. There are no application fees and no point systems.

Group Applications

Up to six applicants can apply together on a group application. Nonresidents and residents cannot apply together. For a group application, preference points are added together and divided by the number of applicants in the group. The group will go into the draw with that exact number out to the fourth decimal place. Example: a group of three with 1, 6, and 10 preference points will go into the draw with 5.6666 points. Wyoming will over-allocate licenses to cover all applicants in a group. For example, if there is a quota of one random license and a group of three applicants is selected, every applicant will still receive a license.

Mule deer taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A GOHUNT Business Member

Current Mule Deer Herd Condition

Deer herd numbers and trophy potential are tied to winter conditions and it’s been well documented that the winter of 2016/2017 was one of the harshest in decades throughout western and northern Wyoming. In those areas, herds took a major hit and it’s been reported that mortality rates for fawns may have been as high as 90%+ and that some herds may have been reduced by 40% overall. Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) officials responded by reducing the number of nonresident licenses in many of those areas, most noticeably in general Regions G, H and F. Fast forward to the recently set 2018 quotas and Wyoming has taken a conservative approach, maintaining the nonresident quotas for those regions set in 2017. Region G will once again have 400 nonresident licenses, Region H will have 600 and Region F will have 750. We often get asked about how good those once renowned general G and H hunts are and if they are worth the number of points it takes to draw. There are still some big buck in those areas—not as many as there were three years ago, but they are still there. In the coming three to five years, there is likely going to be a missing age class due to the fawn mortality in 2016/2017. The good news is that this winter has been very average and survival should be very good. Hopefully, herds in those areas will continue to rebound.

While western Wyoming was experiencing a terrible winter, central and eastern Wyoming have had relatively average winters for several years. License quotas reflect the fact that deer populations east of the continental divide are actually increasing. Three general season regions saw increases: Regions B, C and W. Many of the limited quota hunts also saw increases in licenses, which you can see in the table in the first part of this article. Most notable are the increases in well-known Areas 101 and 102 and, even, 87 and 34.

Overall, Wyoming’s deer herds fared rather well this winter and antler growth should be very good.

The Seasons

Depending on the region, rifle seasons start Sept. 15, 2018, while many of the other seasons run in the middle of October. There are some hunt areas that do start seasons in November and allow hunters to hunt rutting mule deer. Check out Filtering 2.0 to locate those areas. Also worth noting: general or limited quota license hunters can purchase the archery stamp and hunt with their bows during the special archery seasons. The areas and season dates are listed below. If you fail to harvest a deer with your bow, you can return to hunt and harvest with your rifle during the rifle season.

The GOHUNT Hit List Areas for Wyoming Mule Deer

If you have a few minutes, review the draw odds for the hit list areas below. Very quickly you’ll see that these limited quota hunts almost all require 10+ points to draw a preference point license. Region G and H can likely be drawn with three and seven points this year and are still good options, but the reality is that there are not clear-cut options for a big buck in Wyoming. Truthfully, the trophy potential between a 10+ preference point area like 101 and some of the other options that can be drawn with far fewer points is really not that different. A lot of the publicized limited quota hunts don’t produce the number of high scoring mature bucks like they used to. They will still produce a handful of 180”+ bucks every year, but the reality is that most hunters that draw those areas are going home with a mature 4 point buck, but not a giant. Every applicant will have to evaluate their objectives and the number of points they have. For the most part, there currently are not any outstanding trophy hunts. Look over your points and, if you are within the range that it takes to draw one of these, they are still your best bet. If you aren’t worried too much about drawing, but want a chance at a good tag should you get lucky in the random draw, apply for one of these hunts that has a license in the random draw.

Wyoming offers additional several other areas with a trophy potential of 170” to 180”. You can find these areas by using Filtering 2.0 and adjusting the trophy potential slide filter.

Mule deer taken with Shoshone Lodge Outfitting — A GOHUNT Business Member

If you open Wyoming deer within Filtering 2.0 and slide the trophy filter to 160” you’ll see that there are very few areas that drop off. Almost any hunt in the state can produce a good buck and there is a ton of opportunity to turn up a hidden gem. If you find yourself with no points or even a handful, it makes sense to begin to research and explore hunts that can be drawn with far fewer points than those in the table above because, with point creep, you may never catch those.

The most effective way to explore hidden gems is to use Filtering 2.0 within your INSIDER account. Utilize the trophy potential, harvest success, season filter, public land filter and the draw odds filter to find the best option for you. Very quickly you will start to see those opportunities and can then use the Unit Profiles to find the hunts best suited for you.

For example, with the trophy potential set at 160”, draw odds at 100% with one preference point, public land at 35% plus and harvest success at 45% or better, we can see a scattering of areas where we can hunt. One of those is Area 78, which has a limited quota Type 1 hunt running Oct. 1 to 14. Of particular interest is the harvest trend table, which has risen from 45% to 61% to 77% over the past three years. In addition, Area 78 is comprised of national forest, BLM, state and private land with 73% being public and has a buck:doe ratio of 44:100! Another area that jumps out might be Area 47. This area is part of general Region R, which had 31% odds in the regular draw with zero points. The season dates are interesting and run Oct. 15 to 24. On the right year with some winter weather, which the Bighorns are prone to, this could be a good hunt. Harvest success has hovered around the 50% mark for several years and, based on the description, it might be a good hunt for someone who can cover ground, is savvy with a GPS, puts serious time in behind good glass and has the patience to outlast local hunting pressure to harvest a good buck. The opportunities are out there. Use the points you have and the tools available to find them!

To Get Started with Filtering 2.0

For instance, let’s say you are a nonresident hunter, have minimal preference points of two, want to hunt bucks with the trophy potential of 160”+ and want an area with a tag drawing rate of 70% or higher in the regular draw and a harvest success rate of 50% or higher. Sounds like a pipe dream, right? Most people would also agree, until they watch Filtering 2.0 go to work. Using those parameters, you will be able to narrow the search down to 21 results. This is a lot better starting point than looking at all 130 hunt areas. Getting familiar with the INSIDER tools will allow hunters to see the whole picture all at once and reduce the risk of burning points on an area that may not live up to your expectations.

Boone & Crockett Entry Trends for Wyoming Mule Deer

Areas listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Areas in this table are included if any part of the area is found within the county. Data provided below courtesy of Boone and Crockett Club.

* 11 other counties with one entry.

** B&C lists three unknown counties during this set of dates.

* Six other counties with one entry.

Trending Buck:doe Ratio Areas

You have probably noticed that we provide data on buck to doe ratios for each hunt area in Wyoming. Male to female ratios are a critical measuring data tool for wildlife managers and indicate the current status of the herd. A higher buck to doe ratio may indicate that a hunt area could have a higher availability of mature bucks compared to an area with a lower buck to doe ratio. This doesn’t always indicate that the bucks will be the highest scoring bucks, but more bucks equates to more bucks to find and harvest. When selecting a hunting area, or comparing several areas, take this into consideration to help your decision. For a complete understanding of male to female ratios, please refer to a recent article covering this in depth.

The Big Two… Region G, H

The famous Region G and Region H are still producing quality bucks each year. Do you like to pack deep into the backcountry? Maybe on horseback? So do lots of other hunters. This is due to ample public land, great season dates, and giant bucks. Regions G and H have become exponentially more popular over the past several years. There are big reasons these Regions are gaining popularity; like a 190” plus big reasons. In 2014 Region G had an estimated 5,789 hunters of which 606 of them were nonresidents. Some caution should be known, that the popularity of Region G and H could be hurting these areas.

Whitetail deer taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A GOHUNT Business Member

When most think about Wyoming hunting opportunities, whitetail are typically an afterthought, which is somewhat understandable because a lot of the areas they inhabit are private land. That’s the bad news. The good news is that whitetail populations are mostly strong. For example, this year, 300 limited quota any whitetail deer licenses are available for a hunt running Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 in Areas 11, 12, 13 and 14. There is an additional hunt running at the same time and same areas for 300 doe or fawn whitetail. Those hunts are just a couple of the many options to hunt and harvest a whitetail in Wyoming.

With a robust and growing population and private land harboring a good portion of whitetail, the trophy potential is much better than most realize. There are 126 areas that offer whitetail hunts. 41 offer trophy potential of 140”+. Wyoming isn’t Kansas or Iowa, but it does offer a good opportunity to harvest a nice buck. If you want to pursue Wyoming whitetail it will take some homework. Utilize the GOHUNT INSIDER tools to find a good hunt. It’s worth noting that the largest concentration of whitetail on public land occurs in the northeastern portion of the state in the Black Hills.

Current 2018 Whitetail Deer Herd Condition

As mule deer numbers steadily drop, whitetail numbers are doing the exact opposite. Populations have been growing quickly, which is evident by the amount of available doe/fawn tags.

The Seasons

Many of the either sex whitetail seasons begin Nov. 1, 2018, but some do begin in early to mid-October and run to the end of November. Like most states, the November time frame allows hunters the chance to hunt the best days of the rut. Season dates for many whitetail hunts are extremely liberal, offering two months in some cases and even up to three months for others. In most cases, hunters that draw a limited quota or general license can also hunt the special archery season. Check the table above for specific areas. Hunting during the archery season gives hunters the chance to pattern and hunt velvet bucks.

The GOHUNT Hit List Hunting Areas for Wyoming Whitetail Deer

The key to hunting and harvesting a good whitetail buck is being proficient with a good map, GPS and being willing to explore the lines between private and public or finding an outfitter or landowner willing to give you permission to hunt. Some of the better options for do-it-yourself (DIY) public hunters are Areas 2, 4, and 41, but hunters are still likely going to have to hunt the edges of rivers, creeks, and fields. You’ll notice that a lot of the top trophy areas can be drawn as a second choice, which typically in Wyoming is an indication that it’s going to take some effort to find deer on public land to hunt.

There are several other areas where a 140”+ buck is possible, use Filtering 2.0 to explore additional options.

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Whitetail Areas

Wyoming offers so many areas that are easily drawn and still allow a reasonable chance at taking a mature whitetail. Utilize our Filtering 2.0 tools and manipulate the Trophy Potential to display the areas that have a chance at bucks that score 140” or better. Customize your search and click on a specific hunt area to access the Unit Profile in order to gain the greatest resource available to thoroughly learn an area. Pay special attention to how much public land is available. Once again, the key to harvesting a good whitetail buck is research into where the public land is adjacent to whitetail habitat, which is often privately owned property. Another good option is to book a hunt with an outfitter who has access to private land. Visit the Outfitter Directory on the homepage to find listings and contact information for Wyoming guides and outfitters.

Boone & Crockett Entry Trends for Wyoming Whitetail Deer

Areas listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Areas in this table are included if any part of the area is found within the county. Data provided below courtesy of Boone and Crockett Club.

* There have been zero B&C nontypical whitetail entries since 2010. The last nontypical whitetail entry was in 2007.

Wyoming deer works on a preference point system for nonresidents and there is often a decent hunt that you could draw with any number of points. Residents do not have a point system and the draw for those limited quota hunts is completely random. For residents, it’s worth applying for some of the better limited quota hunts and, if you are unsuccessful in the draw, they can always pick up a general season deer license OTC.

2018 maximum preference points for deer: 12

I Have 0 Deer Preference Points. What Can I Expect?

Residents

Residents do not have a point system. Our advice would be to apply for a good hunt or a hunt that has good potential that’s close to home and can be scouted regularly. As a backup choice, the general regions are a guarantee and there are some very good options to hunt within almost every region. It’s often said that the best area is the area that you know. There are real advantages to getting to know the terrain, herd movements and hidden gems within an area that you can hunt every year.

Find your resident mule deer draw odds here

Find your resident whitetail draw odds here

Nonresidents

If you are just beginning to apply as a nonresident in Wyoming you have a few options.

1.) You can adopt a swing for the fences approach and pick one of the better hunts that have random licenses available and apply for it. Remember that most hunts have at least one random license and every applicant that does not draw in the preference point draw goes into the random draw and everyone has an equal chance.2.) Another approach is that you could apply for a great hunt as a first choice and another hunt as a second choice that has had 100% odds of drawing in recent years. As you can see there are several whitetail hunts and some general region hunts that can be drawn as a second choice. This would give you the opportunity to go hunting and still build a point if you did not draw your first choice.3.) There are several hunts—both general season and limited quota—that have good odds with no points. You can explore those within Filtering 2.0 or standalone Draw Odds.4.) If you cannot hunt this year but want a chance to improve your odds of picking up a license in years to come you can skip applying all together and simply buy a preference point from July 2 to Oct. 31.

Find your nonresident regular mule deer draw odds with 0 points here

Find your nonresident special mule deer draw odds with 0 points here

What Can I Do with 3 or 4 Deer Preference Points in the Nonresident Regular Draw?

Wyoming is in a perplexing position in terms of deer hunting and preference points. There are some good hunts, but the reality is that those will take maximum points and, if you currently have three or four points, it may take another decade or more to catch those. Currently, in our opinion, it makes more sense to burn your points and go hunting more often. The other alternative is to build points while hunting second choice hunts and eventually try to draw a better license. Regardless, hunts that take 10 points now may not be worth spending another 10 or more years applying for. Do yourself a favor and spend some time reviewing the odds and researching the areas.

With three or four points, Region H offers a good hunt and is likely the best option within this range. Region H will continue to offer a good hunt for approximately three more years, but may struggle for a couple after that where there is bound to be a lack of mature age class due to the die-off last winter. Region G is just out of reach and it may not be the type of hunt you are looking for by the time you catch it in a few years. There is a multitude of hunts that can be drawn, but you would be sacrificing a few points, which might be worth it depending on what you are looking for. Other options worth considering might be Area 119, 120, 165, 37 or 60. You should also review the list of areas in the graph above that are seeing license increases in 2018. A hunt like Area 34 is seeing a 100 license increase. It may not drop into the three or four point level, but odds will certainly be better and it’s worth considering.

Find your nonresident regular mule deer draw odds with 4 points here

Find your nonresident special mule deer draw odds with 4 points here

What Can I Expect with 6 or 7 Deer Preference Points in the Nonresident Regular Draw?

Region G is still probably the best use of six or seven points. Region G is not what it was just a few years ago, but there are still opportunities for a 180” plus buck for someone willing to hunt hard. We would encourage anyone who draws a Region G license to utilize the opportunity to bowhunt as well. Even if you are not a diehard bowhunter, those days in the field can pay off in a big way when the rifle hunt opens in mid-September in several of the areas. Other options include Areas 125 and 89 or you may consider Areas 34 or 141 in the coming years. Also be sure to check the special draw odds to see if one of those hunts has better odds.

Find your nonresident regular mule deer draw odds with 7 points here

Find your nonresident special mule deer draw odds with 7 points here

What Can I Expect with 10 or 11 Deer Preference Points in the Nonresident Regular Draw?

Applicants with the maximum 12 points could consider Areas 101, 119, 128 and 130. None of these have 100% odds, but they are the best hunts for that number of points. If you have 12 points and are willing to sacrifice a few to go on a hunt, you should consider Areas 87, 90, 102 or 105/106/109. At the 10 and 11 point levels, those same areas are worth a review.

Find your nonresident regular mule deer draw odds with 10 points here

Find your nonresident special mule deer draw odds with 10 points here

Antelope taken with Center of the Nation Outfitters — A GOHUNT Business Member

This fall, 2018 is going to be a very good year to have an antelope license in Wyoming. Take a few minutes and review the license increases for this fall and you’ll see that many areas will see as much as 100 or even 200 more licenses. A good portion of the state’s antelope habitat is in very good condition after several wet winters and good moisture expected into the spring months. No doubt, the winter of 2016/2017 was tough in western Wyoming, but a good portion of the state’s antelope herds are growing and antelope populations quickly rebound. For those of you who are trophy hunters, 2018 should be a great year to use your points.

Wyoming has put far more antelope into the record books than any other state. Every area in the state has the ability to grow B&C bucks, but some areas are managed for an older age class and better bucks. Those areas will require a pile of points to draw, which is great if you have been building points. If you haven’t, not to worry as there is a ton of opportunity to hunt antelope in Wyoming. Below you will find everything you need to pick a hunt based on your situation and hopefully go hunting in the Cowboy State this fall.

Current Antelope Herd Condition

Wyoming routinely jokes that there are more antelope than residents, which used to be true; however, that is no longer the case. Between drought conditions, poor habitat, low fawn survival and localized disease outbreaks, Wyoming’s antelope population is struggling to rebound after the winter of 2010/2011. The good news is that the state is still home to over 400,000 antelope.

The Seasons

Wyoming’s antelope hunts begin in mid-September or early to mid-October. Most hunts end in late October and some even run into November. There is only one archery only (Type 9) hunt, which occurs in Area 79. There is also three handgun or muzzleloader hunt (Type 0) in Areas 50, 99 and 107. All other hunts are all rifle seasons. Like other species in Wyoming, they also allow license holders to hunt during the special archery season that begins on Aug. 15 or Sept. 1, depending on the area. All you have to do is purchase the archery stamp as well. See the table below for archery details.

The GOHUNT Hit List Areas for Wyoming Antelope

Good public land access and a robust antelope population often offers a good hunt, but the odds of drawing these types of hunts have gotten tougher over the years. The areas listed below offer the best chance at a trophy buck, but, once again, the odds of drawing are long.

There are other areas that have 80” potential and public land to hunt. Utilize the Draw Odds, Filtering 2.0, and Unit Profiles to find additional areas.

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Antelope Areas

Antelope occur in most areas of Wyoming and often draw odds are tied to the amount of public land available to hunt. Good access, ample public lands, and antelope often equal tough draw odds. In reviewing the draw odds you’ll see many hunts with good draw odds—some that can be drawn as a second choice. Just because draw odds are good doesn’t mean that there are no antelope in those areas. On the contrary, several of those areas have large populations and good trophy potential, but are limited on the amount of public land and access. Within these types of areas is where the real hidden gems lie. Utilize the standalone Draw Odds to find hunts that can be drawn in your point range. From there, the public land filter is often a good reference to quickly review the amount of public land. Most antelope hunts have high harvest success. When evaluating the best opportunities, access and public land are often the most critical. From there, researching within the Unit Profiles is advised to further tease out the best fit. You can also visit the WGFD hunt planner map, which can further aid you in finding public BLM and state land. Also, consider the walk-in access options. In some areas, there are sizable amounts of acres available through the walk-in access program.

For almost any point level, hunters can find a hunt and most patient hunters will get a chance at a mature buck. Each applicant should evaluate their goals and review the odds to pick a hunt that best suits them. With antelope hunting and most applicants, we would suggest that the law of averages is a better strategy than the waiting game. The more often you have a tag in your pocket and are in the field the higher the likelihood of harvesting a record book buck.

Boone & Crockett Entry Trends for Wyoming Antelope

Areas listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Areas in this table are included if any part of the area is found within the county. Data provided below courtesy of Boone and Crockett Club.

Trending Buck:doe Ratio Areas

Once again, we provide data on buck to doe ratios for each hunt area in Wyoming. Male to female ratios are a critical measuring data tool for wildlife managers and indicate the current status of the herd. A higher buck to doe ratio may indicate that a hunt area could have a higher availability of mature bucks compared to an area with a lower buck to doe ratio. This doesn’t always indicate that the bucks will be the highest scoring bucks, but more bucks equates to more bucks to find and harvest. When selecting a hunt area, or comparing several areas, take this into consideration to help make your decision. For a complete understanding of male to female ratios, please refer to a recent article covering this in depth.

8 other areas with 64:100 ratios.

Antelope taken with Big Horn Outfitters — A GOHUNT Business Member

There are a few options for nonresidents when they apply. You can apply in the regular draw or the special draw. With antelope, going into special draw often will get you better odds because fewer applicants are willing to pay higher prices for an antelope tag. If you are willing to pay the higher price, be sure to review the odds of both. Also, within both the regular and special hunt draws there are licenses that are awarded to the highest preference point holders and some that will be randomly allocated. Once again, even the best hunts in the state often have a few licenses that will be randomly drawn and everyone that didn’t draw a preference point license are all in the running for those and no one has an advantage. The resident antelope license are all randomly allocated through the drawing. No licenses are initially available OTC. Some may be picked up on a first come, first served basis after the leftover draw.

Find your resident antelope draw odds here

2018 maximum preference points for antelope: 12

I Have 0 Antelope Preference Points. What Can I Expect?

Nonresidents have a few different strategies.

1.) Apply for one of the better hunts and hope to draw the random license and begin to build points if unsuccessful in the draw.2.) Purchase a preference point only from July 2 to Oct. 31 and begin to build points for a future hunt.3.) There are several hunts that can be drawn as a second choice. Most of those are in the northeastern part of the state where public lands and access can be tough to find. If you draw one of these hunts as second choice you will get the license to hunt and will still build a preference point. If you go this route, research research research is going to be required to be successful. Utilize the Unit Profiles, maps, GPS with landowner layers as well as your phone to contact the area game wardens and biologists. These types of hunts are tough, but every year hundreds of hunters find success doing it.4.) There are hunts that can be drawn as a first choice. Many of those are similar in that access and public land are tough, but, once again, it’s doable; it will just take work. There are also many other areas that have decent amounts of public land, walk-in access and far better random odds than the top tier areas. Consider these types of hunts as well. All the draw odds are available in one easily referenced spot in the standalone Draw Odds portion of your INSIDER account.

Find your nonresident regular antelope draw odds with 0 points here

Find your nonresident special antelope draw odds with 0 points here

What Can I Do with 3 or 4 Antelope Preference Points?

Within this point range is where most applicants can really start to consider drawing a license and going on a hunt. For a bowhunter, Area 79 offers great trophy potential and surprisingly good harvest success rates. The muzzleloader hunt in Area 99 is an intriguing option with four points. Area 42 might be worth some research; consider the walk-in access opportunities in that area. Others might be Area 46, 51, 52, 56, 76, 77, 81, 82, 87, 88 and many more. Use the trophy, draw odds, public land and harvest filter within Filtering 2.0 to find the best hunt for you. Overall, antelope are plentiful in Wyoming and it’s better to hunt them every few years than wait for a decade when most hunters are going to harvest a buck very similar to one that can be taken from an area that takes far fewer points.

Find your nonresident regular antelope draw odds with 4 points here

Find your nonresident special antelope draw odds with 4 points here

What Can I Expect with 9 or 10 Antelope Preference Points?

At the nine point level, Areas 53, 62, 67, 75, 92 and 112 are all good options. With 10 points, you may be within striking distance of Area 57, 58, 61, 64 or 114. All are worthy of some research. At 11 and 12 points, applicants are most often looking at Area 60. Area 60 may be worth it, but there are some excellent choices if you want to go hunting.

Find your nonresident regular antelope draw odds with 10 points here

Find your nonresident special antelope draw odds with 10 points here

Wyoming’s 2018 Resident Elk Breakdown

Wyoming residents looking for elk information can review the 2018 Wyoming nonresident elk application strategy article that was posted in January. The article goes over how to uncover hidden gems, bull to cow ratios, B&C trends and top areas for trophy bulls. Use Filtering 2.0 and Unit Profiles on INSIDER to find the draw odds for the hunt area you want to apply for. The state offers a great balance of opportunity to harvest any elk, yet still has the potential to harvest a trophy bull out of any area.

Find your resident elk draw odds here