New for 2020

State Information

Image date: 05/05/2020 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

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Image date: 05/09/2019 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

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Image date: 04/28/2020 Source: United States Drought Monitor

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Image date: 05/07/2019 Source: United States Drought Monitor

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Wyoming grizzly bear range in 1990 and 2016. Source: Wyoming Fish and Game Department

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The Draw System

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Wyoming's 2020 Mule Deer Breakdown

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Mule Deer Areas

Wyoming's 2020 Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Managing Deer preference Points and Expectations

Wyoming's 2020 Antelope Breakdown

Managing Antelope Preference Points and Expectations

Wyoming's 2020 Deer and Antelope Application Overview

Note: The application deadline for Wyoming deer and antelope is June 1, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. MST. You can apply online here.

IMPORTANT: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) published season information May 1 and it is available now.

Draw Results Will Post June 18

Wyoming’s draw system still requires you to front the entire cost of license with your application. Those funds will not be refunded to your card until late June if you are unsuccessful in the draw.

Preference Point Reminder

Unsuccessful applicants will not automatically be given a preference point after the draw. You must purchase a point during the point only timeframe which is July 1 to Nov. 2, 2020.

Insider Feature

GOHUNT displays the number of applicants at each point level below the cut-off draw line for each hunt. This gives applicants a much greater understanding of point creep for each hunt and allows them to apply with a much better understanding of their chances. Refer to the detailed Draw Odds pages for hunts you are considering to see the point breakdown.

Antlerless Draw Odds

Resident antlerless

Find your resident Antlerless mule deer draw odds here

Find your resident antlerless whitetail deer draw odds here

Find your resident doe antelope draw odds here

Nonresident antlerless

Find your nonresident Antlerless mule deer draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless whitetail deer 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, preference points, SuperTag and SuperTag Trifecta, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map on our State Profile. You can also view the Wyoming Species Profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

Important Dates and Information

*Applicants must front the entire cost of the licenses they apply for. There is also a 2.5% processing fee to the total amount.

*Archery licence is $72 for nonresidents and $16 for residents for those wanting to bowhunt.

Snowpack and Drought in Wyoming

Wyoming covers a very diverse range of habitats and elevations and has all four distinct seasons. Mother Nature controls the herd cycles and, with one hard winter like Wyoming experienced in the winter of 2016/17, populations can be impacted for at least a decade. Last winter was harsh in some areas of Wyoming and, once again, more than 50% of that year’s fawn crop was lost. This winter has been more mild throughout the western portion of the state. The southeast plain country has seen great moisture with those areas at 130% to 150% of annual precipitation. The northwest corner into the Black Hills has been the driest with as little as half the annual precipitation. The rest of the state is mostly over 100% of annual precipitation. Winter survival and antler/horn growth should be good going into the fall of 2020.

May 2020 Snow Water Equivalent Percent of Normal

Image date: 05/05/2020 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

May 2019 snow Water Equivalent Percent of Normal

Image date: 05/09/2019 Source: NRCS National Water and Climate Center

2020 Drought Status

Image date: 04/28/2020 Source: United States Drought Monitor

2019 drought Status

Image date: 05/07/2019 Source: United States Drought Monitor

Designated Wilderness Areas (dwa)

A nonresident cannot legally hunt a DWA on their own; they must be accompanied by a licensed Wyoming outfitter or licensed Wyoming resident. A DMA is a United States Forest Service (USFS) designation.

A Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is a BLM designation and a nonresident can hunt those areas without a guide.

Before applying, be aware that there are large tracts of USFS DWAs in many mule deer hunt areas. Every year, we receive email questions after the draw from applicants who have drawn licenses that are composed of all DWA or large portions of DWA and they are trying to figure out how to hunt. Please do some research and apply accordingly.

Grizzly Country

Since 2000, the grizzly population has continued to grow and expand well beyond the Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone. The most recent estimate of the population was approximately 700 grizzly bears.

Hunting in grizzly country can be intimidating and is a real cause for concern. If hunting in occupied grizzly bear areas is something you do not want to do, please do some research and apply for areas where that is not an issue. See the map below for estimated grizzly bear range.

Wyoming grizzly bear range in 1990 and 2016. Source: Wyoming Fish and Game Department

Understanding the Draw

Nonresidents are allocated approximately 20% of the total deer and antelope licenses. Wyoming has a random draw for residents with no point system. The nonresident deer and antelope draw works on a modified preference point system with 75% of the permits for each hunt given to applicants with the most points and 25% being randomly allocated. The randomly allocated permits are drawn with no weight given to the number of points applicants have. Any applicants who aren’t successful in the preference point draw are rolled into the random pool and will have a chance to draw from the random licenses available. There must be a minimum of four nonresident permits available for one to be allocated in the random draw.

What Is the Difference in "Ful" Price” and "Reduce" Price” Licenses?

If the applicant wants to hunt buck deer or buck antelope they should apply in the full price draw. Reduced price licenses are valid for doe or fawn deer or antelope. The full price and reduced price draws are separate draws and you can apply for both. The full price draw works on a modified preference point system for nonresidents. The reduced price draw is random with no point system.

Note: If you draw your first choice in the full priced draw, you will lose your preference points even if that is a full priced antlerless tag.

What Are Types?

Wyoming categorizes their hunting licenses by type.

What Is the Special and Regular Draw?

The special draw and the regular draw are separate pools of licenses for nonresident applicants. The difference between the special and regular licenses is that the cost of the special license is $288 more for deer and antelope than the regular license. The potential benefit to the special draw is better odds of drawing a license because fewer applicants are typically willing to pay the extra cost. This is not always the case. Review the Draw Odds to see if the added cost is worth it.

The regular draw is allocated 60% of the nonresident permits; the other 40% going to the special draw. Within those pools, 75% of the licenses are allocated to the applicants with the most preference points. The other 25% are randomly allocated with no weight given to the number of points you have. Even if this is your first year of applying, you have some chance for most hunts.

Hunt Choices

Wyoming allows applicants to apply for up to three hunt choices. They consider every applicant's first choice before moving to any applicant’s second choice. You will only lose your preference points if you draw your first choice. If you draw a second or third choice, you will retain your points and will draw the license. If you draw a license as a second and third choice, you can then also purchase a point in the summer point-only timeframe for that year.

Group Applications

Wyoming will allow up to six people to apply on a party application for deer and antelope. Residents and nonresidents may not apply together in a party application. Party applications have their preference points averaged out to the fourth decimal point. For example, a party application of three hunters with five, three and two preference points will go into the draw with 3.3333 points (5+3+2=10/3=3.3333). The party is treated as a single application and, if it’s drawn, all members of the party will receive a license. Wyoming will allocate permits over the hunt quota to cover a party application, so there is no decrease in odds for group applications.

Leftover Licenses

WGFD conducts a second draw for leftover deer and antelope licenses that remain after the initial drawing. There is no cost to apply and no point system. Your preference points will not be impacted by applying and drawing in the second leftover draw.

The application period for leftover deer and antelope drawing is typically the last week of June.

Results of the leftover drawing will be available by July 9 and licenses remaining after that will go on sale on a first come, first served basis a few days later.

Similar to several western states, almost the entirety of western Wyoming is still trying to recover from a heavy winter in 2016/17 and, perhaps, even this past year. Buck to doe ratios are still decent, but the traditionally productive general regions G and H are below population objective. The reports from hunters who spent considerable time in those areas this past year indicate that the number of mature bucks is much lower than it was prior to the 2016/17 winter. Bucks are available, but largely those bucks are two- and three-year-olds. Provided that the winterkill this year is minor — and by most reports it was — there should be better hunting this year and, by 2021, there should be more four- and five-year-old bucks in those populations.

Almost the entire state is seeing similar trends to the western ranges and populations are generally down. Below, we break down the state by regions and touch on some of the finer points of how each area is doing.

Laramie Region

15: Poor fawn production, half the estimated population (10,200) to objective (20,000),

30: 100 buck to doe ratio. Reducing Type 6 doe/fawn licenses by 100.

59/60/64: Poor fawn production but survivability is good. Good opportunity for a younger age class of buck. No change in permits. 39:100 buck to doe ratio.

74, 75, 76, 77: Objective set at 10,000; population estimate is 6,700. Buck:doe ratio is 38:100. Stable population. Proposal to lengthen season by four days. Eliminating the 161 and dissolving it into 70 and 79.

70: Objective is 7,500 with current estimate of 6,500. Buck:doe ratio of 32:100. Stable to growing population.

78, 79, 80, 81, 83: Objective of 16,000; estimate of 11,900. Buck:doe ratio of 43:100. Good fawn production and stable to growing herd. Meeting secondary management objectives of harvest success, hunter satisfaction. and almost 24”.

Green River Region

82, 84, 100: Herd is at objective; buck:doe ratio is 29:100. Reduction in hunt by two days and slight reduction in permits in Area 84 Type 1 from 75 to 50.

131: Winter range; limited number of resident deer.

101, 102: Population declining for a number or years due to habitat and predation. Buck to doe ratio is 36:100. Fawn survival and production is low. Reduced licenses in 101 Type 1, cutting it in half from 50 to 25. Reducing 102 Type 2 from 250 to 200.

132, 133, 168: Population is well below objective. Poor recruitment. Reducing Region K from 500 to 300 nonresident tags. Reducing hunt days by three.

134, 135, 143-145: Population is below average. Recent data suggests 34:100 buck to doe ratio. Shortening season by three days in 134 and 135. Unit 143, 144, 145 general season hunts will have point restrictions eliminated and you can now harvest any antlered mule deer or whitetail deer. Estimate population of 30,000; objective of 40,000

Jackson Region

Region G: 400 nonresident license quota for 2020. Fawn ratio 59:100 and buck to doe ratio of 34:100. High over winter survival on the northern winter ranges. 41:100 buck to doe ratio in the northern portion of those winter ranges. Mule deer in 134, 135, 143-145 the population is below average. Recent data suggests 34:100 buck to doe ratio. Shortening season by three days in 134 and 135. Unit 143, 144, 145 general season hunts will have point restrictions eliminated and you can harvest any antlered mule deer or whitetail deer. Estimate population of 30,000; objective of 40,000

Region H: 600 nonresident license quota for 2020. Deer numbers remain low and below objective in Area 130, 131, 138-142, 146, 150-156. Good fawn survival in normal range at 67:100 fawn ratio. Buck to doe ratio is approximately 38:100. 3 point or better antler restriction will be eliminated from all hunt areas except Area 131.

Pinedale Region

130, 138-142, 146, 150-156: Deer numbers remain below objective of 32,000. Buck to doe ratio of 38:100. Removing the 3 point or better antler restriction from all the hunt areas in this region.

Lander Region

87: Population is 47% below objective. Relatively good fawn production with fawn:doe ratio at 72:100. Buck to doe ratio is 50:100. Quota is being reduced by 50 licenses from 150 to 100.

90: Population is 54% below population objective. Very low fawn production at only 43:100 fawn to doe ratio. Buck to doe ratio of 32:100.

92, 94, 160: Population is 38% below objective and dropping. Low fawn production at 54:100 fawn to doe ratio. Buck to doe ratio is 24:100. Antler restriction is being put into place for 92, 94, and 160 general season to 3 points or better. Hunters would only be able to harvest bucks 3 points or better. Season length is also being reduced by two days. Region L will have a 50 permit reduction in nonresident licenses from 300 to 250.

96, 97: Population is 20% below objective. Decent fawn production at 66:100 fawn to doe ratio. Low buck to doe ratio at 19:100. Area 96, 97 general seasons are moving to 3 point or better antler restrictions. Region Q nonresident quota is being decreased by 15 permits from 150 to 125.

98: Unit is meeting both hunter satisfaction and landowner satisfaction objectives. General season hunt is moving to a 3 point or better antler restriction.

128: Population is 31% below objective and struggled with low fawn production with a fawn to doe ratio of 48:100. Buck to doe ratio is 20:100. Region L nonresident tags are being cut from 300 to 250.

157, 171: Landowner and hunter satisfaction is below objective. Permits are being cut in 157 across the board. Increased whitetail hunting permits in Area 171.

36, 84: Slight reduction of permits in Area 36 from 425 to 400 and 75 to 50 in Area 84.

Cody Region

24, 25, 27, 28, 50-53: Below management objectives for population. Buck to doe ratio of 33:100 and decent fawn to doe ratios of 60:100. Area 51 Type 6 and 7 are being combined and there will be 150 total tags.

41, 46, 47: Below management objective for population. Fawn to doe ratio is poor at 54:100. Buck to doe ratio is 25:100. Area 41 and 47 general are dropping the antler restriction. Area 41 and 47 will see an increase in Type 8 doe whitetail tags.

121, 122, 123: Population is before management objectives. Fawn to doe ratios are good with 68:100 and buck to doe ratios are 30:100. Area 121 and 122 will move from any deer to any deer valid on private land or antlered deer only off of private land.

124, 165: Population is below management objective. Fawn to doe ratio is 56:100 and the buck to doe ratio is low for Wyoming at 25:100. Area 124 Type 7 is being eliminated. In the same unit, the Type 3 any whitetail deer tags are being increased from 75 to 150. No changes in 165.

35-37, 39, 40, 164: Populations are below management objective. Fawn to doe ratio is 54:100. Buck to doe ratio is 33:100. Area 37 Type 6 and 39 Type 8 is being eliminated. Area 37 Type 1 will have tag reductions from 225 to 125. Area 40 will see an increase in doe whitetail tags while the doe tags off national forest will be reduced. Area 164 will be increased in any whitetail deer and the season will be lengthened by a month.

125, 127: Populations are below management objectives. Fawn product is very low at 44:100. Buck to doe ratio is 33:100. Area125 Type 6 doe hunt will be eliminated.

116, 120: Population is meeting objective; fawn to doe ratio is 56:100 and buck to doe ratio is 30:100. Doe tags will be reduced in Area 116. The archery season in Area 117 Type 1 will be reduced by 14 days.

105, 106, 109: Population is below objective. Fawn to doe ratio is 57:100. Buck to doe ratio is 57:100.

110-115: Below population objective; fawn to doe ratio is 63:100. Buck to doe ratio is 25:100. No nonresident quota changes in Regions F, M, R and X.

Sheridan Region

Below population objectives region wide. Very little change to mule deer hunting opportunities. Changes to whitetail include tag increases in a few areas: 23/26 and 24. Area 25 will have antler restrictions of 3 points or better. Area 33 Type 6 doe hunt will be eliminated. Region Y will have 1,800 nonresident tags, which is no change. Region A nonresident quota will be reduced by 500 permits from 4,500 to 4,000. Area 10 Type 1 will see a 25 permit increase from 125 to 150. It will also be valid for any buck mule deer or any whitetail. The season will be increased as well.

Casper Region

Area 34 Type 1 will see a slight decrease from 350 to 300 tags. Area 89 Type 1 will also see a decrease in permits from 200 to 175.

Limited Quota and General Season Hunting

Wyoming offers both general season hunting and limited quota hunts. Residents can simply purchase the general season deer hunting license over-the-counter (OTC) and hunt any general season/area in the state. Nonresidents must draw general region licenses. There is no OTC general season deer hunting for nonresidents. Regions contain several hunt area and if you draw a given region you can then hunt the areas/hunt that are open within that region. For example, Region K is composed of Area 133, 134, 168 and 132. If you draw Region K, you can hunt those areas during the general seasons.

Wyoming also offers limited quota hunts, which are also allocated through the draw. For example, Area 120 has a limited quota Type 1 Nov. 1 to 15 hunt. Last year, it required four preference points for a nonresident regular license.

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

The GOHUNT Hit List Areas for Wyoming Mule Deer

Wyoming offers several other additional 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.

To Get Started with Filtering 2.0

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.

When most think about hunting Wyoming for deer, the species they are dreaming about is probably not a whitetail. Wyoming offers good opportunities for whitetail hunting; the bad news is that most inhabit private land. Whitetail deer populations are strong though and, in most areas of the state, the license numbers continue to increase.

With a robust and growing population and private land harboring a good portion of whitetail, the trophy potential is much better than you might think. 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 real research. 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.

What Can I Expect?

Whitetail only draw odds are much better than they are for mule deer. In the regular pool with zero points, 100% draw odds, 140”+ potential, and 50% + harvest success there are 14 areas to choose from. With one point there are eight more options available. If you dig in deeper and lower the harvest success some, there are many more options. Once again, finding open and accessible land to hunt should be the first hurdle you clear if you are considering trying to hunt whitetail deer in Wyoming.

There are several other areas where a 140 to 150”+ buck is possible. Use Filtering 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 researching 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.

The maximum number of nonresident preference points for deer is 14 going into the 2020 draw.

Residents

If you love western big game hunting, you might consider relocating to Wyoming. They have some of the best opportunities for residents of any state in the nation. If you use the Filtering 2.0 options you can quickly see that a resident has better than 50% odds for 11 limited quota hunts including 119 Type 2, 120 Type 1, 36 and 37 Type 1 as well as a handful of others in the south-central portion of the state.

In addition, if you do not draw your limited quota hunt, you still have the opportunity to hunt any general season unit in the state, including Regions G and H.

The best hunts do have low draw odds — in the 3% range — but there are a lot of really good hunts with odds from 20% to 50%. Like we said, the general season backup option is hard to beat. Review the odds, use the filters and unit profile to pick the best choice for you.

Find your resident mule deer draw odds here

Find your resident whitetail draw odds here

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

The first decision you’ll need to make is deciding if you want to apply and, if you do, deciding if you want to apply in the regular or special draw. Remember the odds are typically a bit better in the special draw, but the cost of the license is significantly more. Also, remember that you have to front the entire cost of the license you apply for. If you only want preference points, simply wait until the summer months and buy your point.

If you decide you want to apply, you have a few methods you can consider regardless of whether you apply in the special or regular. One, you can review the odds and apply for the best trophy hunt in the state that still has a random license available in the draw. For example, the random odds in the regular draw are 4.1% for Region G and 14% for Region H. The odds of drawing the top-tier licenses are slim, but, if you do draw, the opportunity for a good hunt is excellent.

Another option is to use the Filters to sort by odds, harvest success and trophy potential to find the best combination that meets your objectives. For example, there are four limited quota hunts in the special draw that have 25%+ draw odds with zero points, 170”+ trophy potential and 50%+ harvest success. Those areas are 37, 157, 161 and 80. Public land and access is probably going to need to be a major topic of research for those; however, it goes to show that there are options.

Finally, if you just want to go hunting, do not overlook the general season hunts. 13 of the general season region hunts had 100% odds with no points in the special draw. Those include Regions A, B, C, D, F, J, L, M, Q, R, T, X and Y. Even more interesting is that, of those, A, B, C, D, F L, M, R, T, X and Y all had 100% odds as a second choice. That means you could potentially draw one of those as a second choice, get a license to go hunting and, then, still buy a point in the summer for this year.

There are many more options to explore in addition to these. Spend some time in your INSIDER account and find the best options for you.

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?

In the regular draw, Region H was drawn with three to four points. Region K was another general region that could have been drawn with two to three points. The only general region license that could not have been drawn with four points was Region G.

Moving into the limited quota options, Area 64, 78, 118 and 120 are worth consideration. Once again, these types of hunts will require some research into the land ownership and access for most DIY hunters.

For those hunters willing to pay the higher price to go into the special draw, they have a couple more options. Area 10, 81, 116 and 165 are worth some research. Area 10 has had good harvest success and has a lot of public land to hunt. Area 81 has a good buck:doe ratio and ample public land to hunt as well. Area 165 is also almost entirely public land.

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 5 or 9 deer Preference Points in the Nonresident Regular Draw?

Region G required seven to eight points this past draw and it’s likely to require eight to nine points going into 2020. Hunting is not what it once was in Region G; however, the buck to doe ratios are looking better. It may require a couple more light winters for those units to rebound, but within the next couple of years, there should be good numbers of four- to year-old bucks in the population. Every other general region had 100% odds in the regular draw with four points. Region H may be a decent option in 2020 in the regular draw with four to five points.

Moving to the limited quota regular draw hunts, Area 10 (seven points), 81 (six points), 116 (seven points), 117 (seven points) and 119 Type 2 (eight points) are your best options within this point range.

The special draw opens up a few more options. Region G was available in the special draw with six to seven points. Other good options within this point range are Area 34 (nine points), 117 (six points), 119 Type 2 (six points), 125 (nine points) and 141 (seven points). Area 34 will see a license cut of 50 so that may creep to 10 or 11 points. The others are all worth some research.

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 14 deer Preference Points in the Nonresident Regular Draw?

If you have maximum points, which is 14, you may be holding out for one of the hunts listed in our GOHUNT hit list above; however, it might be worth looking at the odds before you decide to apply. For example, the regular draw odds with maximum points were Area 101 (18%), 102 (70%), 128 (8.8%) and 130 (6.7%). If you are waiting for those hunts, be sure you look at the detailed draw odds pages to see how many other applications you are competing with and how many permits were allocated. You are likely going to wait over a decade to draw an Area 128 or 130 license.

If you decide you want to use your points and go hunting, within the regular draw you might consider Area 84, 87, 89, 90, 119 Type. In the special draw, the same hunts are also available, but you may be able to draw them with a point or two less. If you are at the bottom end of this point range and you don’t want to wait, it might be worth going into the special draw.

A couple of hunts that were available in the special draw that did not have licenses in the regular draw are November hunts in 109 and 105/106. You might take a look at these options if you are looking for a late season rut hunt.

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

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

There is no better place on earth to hunt antelope than the rolling plains of Wyoming. From east to west and north to south, Wyoming has antelope in almost every portion of the state. Statewide harvest success was approximately 90% and more than 45,000 total antelope were taken by hunters in 2019. If you are looking for an opportunity to hunt antelope, you should be applying, or at a minimum purchasing preference points, in Wyoming.

Antelope licenses in Wyoming are allocated through the draw system. The resident draw is completely random with no point system. The nonresident draw works on a modified preference point system with 75% of the licenses going to the applicants with the most points; the other 25% is randomly allocated. There is a set number of licenses valid for each specific hunt area. All hunt areas have full-price “any” antelope licenses (Type 0, 1, 2 or 9). Most hunt areas also provide reduced priced limited quota “doe/fawn” licenses (Type 6, 7 or 8). Remember that the full price and reduced price draws are separate draws. In a lot of cases, it’s feasible that you could draw both buck and doe/fawn licenses in the same hunt areas and have a few tags in your pocket.

Trophy quality is generally good throughout the state. There are areas that usually produce book bucks (central and southwest corner), but the reality is that any hunt area in the state is capable of mid 70” to even 80” bucks. In most cases, the amount of points required to draw any given area is closely tied to the amount of public land available to hunt. More public land equals more points required to draw. Little public land and tough access equals easy-to-draw licenses.

One of the most common questions we get about Wyoming antelope hunting is, “Can I draw a license as a second choice and still have a good hunt?” The answer is yes, although those opportunities are getting harder to find. If you are willing to do some real research into land access — or willing to go guided — there are good hunts available in the regular draw. In the special draw, there are indeed more options that have decent access and amounts of public land to hunt that can be drawn as a second choice.

Current Antelope Herd Condition

Wyoming’s antelope population is still strong, although there has been some localized decline in areas of the state. Below, we will break down the regions and hunt areas with indications of whether the herds/licenses are up or down or unchanged from 2019. There may also be changes to the number of reduced price doe/fawn licenses in 2020. See the updated regulations online now.

*Area 111 does not have a population objective. Rather, it has a hunter and landowner satisfaction objective. Both are being met.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 42, 46, 47, 48, 30, 31, 32 and 111.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 57, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 100, 101, 107, and 112.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 52, 56, 61, 63, 64, 69, 106, and 84.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 79, 82, 110, and 115.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 2, 5, 6, 8, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 69, 70, and 71.

No license changes for Type 1 or Type 2 in Areas 1, 2, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 102, 109, and 113.

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.

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; however, once again, the odds of drawing are long.

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

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Antelope Areas

Antelope occur in most areas of Wyoming and draw odds are often 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 acreage available through the walk-in access program.

One thing to consider heavily is that the special draw for antelope does often open more options than it does for other species. If you are looking for a hunt to draw as a second choice, the options within the special draw are indeed more plentiful.

The maximum number of nonresident preference points for antelope is 14 going into the 2020 draw.

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

Once again, if you are a resident of Wyoming and love to hunt, you have so many good opportunities. With a little research using INSIDER’s Filtering, you’ll see that there are 66 hunts that have 50% plus draw odds out of the 102 total hunt areas. Some further exploration, setting the trophy potential at 75”+ and the harvest success to 75%+, will show that there are still 21 hunt areas remaining.

Of those that remained, Areas 32, 47 Type 2, 48, 62 Type 2, 63 Type 2, 73, 76, 77 and 108 are all good hunts worth some research.

There are also 45 hunts that had 100% draw odds and 30 of those also had 100% draw odds as a second choice in the draw. If you live in Wyoming and want to hunt antelope every year, it’s absolutely possible, it just requires a little research.

The trophy hunts within the GOHUNT hit list still have really good odds for residents. The worst odds are for Area 61 at 7.5%. Most trophy hunts are within the 20% to 35% range and Area 68 even has odds as high as 47%.

Find your resident antelope draw odds here

Nonresidents

Once again, nonresidents will need to decide what their objectives are for a Wyoming antelope hunt. As previously stated, harvest rates are often in the 90%+ range and average days hunted was just over three in 2019. Harvesting a buck is not all that difficult; however, harvesting a trophy buck can be. It’s not that they do not exist. Rather, harvesting a trophy buck is most often related to the hunter’s ability to look over hundreds of bucks and know what they are looking at.

If your goal is a true 80”+ buck, booking with a guide or hunting the top-tier areas where they manage for bigger bucks is your best bet. If your goal is a good DIY hunt where access is good and harvest success is high, it may require a handful of points. If your goal is to simply hunt antelope, there are areas that have 100% odds with no points and can even be drawn as a second choice. Again, public land and access can be an issue in those types of areas.

The next step is to decide whether you are willing to pay the special draw license price. If you are, there are more options because there are typically fewer applicants willing to pay that price to hunt antelope.

There are 14 hunts that have 100% odds with no points in the regular draw. Of those, six could have been drawn as a second choice. In the special draw, there were 45 hunts that had 100% odds with no points. Of those, 33 could have been drawn as a second choice.

Long story short: Explore your objectives and the draw odds and apply accordingly!

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?

In the three to four point range is where we would encourage applicants to really dig in and explore the options. The top-tier hunts at this point will not be within range for a decade or more and the reality is that drawing one of them gives you no assurance that you will harvest a 80” buck.

In the regular draw, bowhunters might be interested in Area 79 Type 9, which is the sole archery only license/hunt in the state and harvest success is often in the 70%+ range. The muzzleloader hunt Type 0 in Area 50 is also worth some research. Other hunts worth consideration are Area 29, 31, 42, 45, 46, 56, 63 Type 2, 71, 77 and 97/117.

The special draw opens up a few more interesting hunts: Area 99 Type 0 muzzleloader, and 27, 32, 47, 48, 52, 55, 65, 69, 72, 73, 75, 76, 81, 87, 88, 89, 98 and 99. There are a few really good options to hunt tucked away in those hunt areas.

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 5 or 9 antelope Preference Points?

If you made it to this point range, you should strongly consider using them and getting back into the draw system once again. In the regular draw, the most intriguing hunts available are 48, 52, 57, 59, 62, 63, 65, 68, 69, 74, 75, 76, 89, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 101, 106, 108 and 112. Once again, there are some great hunts within those areas. We would suggest that you examine the land ownership layers of those areas to see which have the largest parcels of accessible public land.

The special draw opens up a few more options: 53, 57, 62, 66, 67, 68, 80, 92, 95, 96, 101, 106 and 112.

Find your nonresident regular antelope draw odds with 9 points here

Find your nonresident special antelope draw odds with 9 points here

What Can I Expect with 10 to 14 antelope Preference Points?

With 14 points you are probably committed to the top hunt areas. Area 60 had 43% odds in the regular draw with maximum points last year. Licenses will be reduced from 75 to 50 this year and, as such, the odds are going to suffer a bit with that. Area 58 had 67% odds with 12 points. Area 61 and 114 had 100% odds with 12 points. Area 62 and 64 had 100% odds with 11 points. Area 57 and the other hunt in 114 are also worth a look with 11 to 12 points. With 10 points, the best hunts were in Area 63 and 64.

The special draw offered applicants with maximum points 100% odds on every hunt, including Area 60 and 61. Be aware though that there are license cuts in Area 60. The other good hunt available within this range in Area 114. If you are committed to either Area 60 or 61, it’s worth applying in the special draw. If you would consider another hunt area, you can probably save some money by applying in the regular draw. Of course, it depends on how many points you have, but it’s worth comparing the regular and special draw odds for the number of points and hunts you are considering.

Find your nonresident regular antelope draw odds with 12 points here

Find your nonresident special antelope draw odds with 12 points here