New for 2022

State Information

The Wyoming Draw System

Read more about the regular and special draw here

Learn more about Wyoming license types here

Wyoming grizzly bear range in 1990 and 2018. Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department

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Wyoming's 2022 Elk Breakdown

The Points System

Find your draw odds

Wyoming's 2022 Elk Application Overview

The application deadline for Wyoming elk for nonresidents is Jan. 31, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. MST. The application is entirely online. Apply online here. Resident elk limited quota applications are due by May 31, 2022.

IMPORTANT: Once again, in 2022, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) will not publish tentative season information for elk. Elk hunters should use prior season information for the best estimate of dates and tag numbers. Final season information will be published after the commission meeting held in late April, which still gives hunters time to make modifications or withdraw applications.

Nonresident applicants have until May 9 to modify or withdraw their applications. Tentatively, draw results will be posted on May 19. Wyoming’s draw system still requires you to front the entire cost of licenses with your application by Jan. 31. Those funds will not be refunded to your card until late May if you are unsuccessful in the draw.

Preference point reminder: Unsuccessful applicants will not automatically be given a preference point if unsuccessful in the draw. You must purchase a point during the point only time frame, which is July 1 to Oct. 31, 2022.

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.

Check out a great point creep article here.

Your GOHUNT INSIDER account also has the NEW point tracker feature. This allows you to enter the number of points you have for each state and species and, as you research through Filtering and Draw Odds, your point total will automatically be highlighted.

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 Elk Profile to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

Important Dates and Information

* The costs above do not include a 2.5% processing fee on the total transaction amount. For example, if you applied for special full price elk, you will pay an additional $32.45 in fees.

** Nonresident youth who apply in the special draw will pay the full special license cost.

Note: Preference points must be bought during the summer/fall point only time frame. Cost is $52 for adults and $10 for youth.

Every state is different and whether you are re-applying or applying in Wyoming for the first time, we have everything you need to know in the article below. Wyoming’s draw system and application process is somewhat complicated; however, understanding a few key components of their system will help you navigate it with ease.

Point System

The nonresident elk draw works on a modified preference point system where 75% of the licenses are allocated to applicants with the most preference points and the other 25% are randomly allocated. The Wyoming preference point system is a true preference point system, meaning that the licenses for any given hunt are allocated to the applicants with the most points who apply. After the preference point licenses are allocated, all unsuccessful applicants have a chance in the random draw. There is no weight given to the number of points you have in the random draw. For example, an applicant with 10 points and an applicant with one point have the same odds in the random draw.

There is no point system for residents. The draw is completely random for resident applicants.

Regular vs. Special Draw

Wyoming utilizes two separate draws for nonresidents: the regular draw and special draw. Nonresidents can apply in either the regular draw or the special draw, but they cannot apply in both. The special draw license is $576 more than the regular draw license. The potential benefit of applying for hunts in the special draw is that the odds of drawing may be better due to the fact that, often, fewer people are willing to pay the higher price. However, this is not always the case, especially for a lot of the more highly sought after licenses. Review the Draw Odds to see if the odds are actually better in the special draw and worth the added cost. In some cases it is. For example, a general season elk license in the special draw had odds of approximately 35% with two points while the odds in the regular draw were 47% with three points.

Elk License Splits

Wyoming’s elk licenses are split between residents and nonresidents; 84% are allocated to residents and 16% allocated to nonresidents. Of the nonresident licenses, 60% of those are allocated to the regular draw and 40% are allocated to the special draw. One additional split offers 75% of licenses to the highest preference point applicants and the other 25% are randomly allocated.

Let's look at an example. The Area 100 Type 1 hunt offered 264 licenses in total. 84% of 264 is 221, which is the resident quota. Thus, 43 licenses are available to nonresidents. 60% of 43 is 25, which is the number of licenses allocated to the regular Ddaw. Out of those 25, 19 go to high preference point applicants, which are 75% of that cut. The other 25% (six licenses) are offered in the regular random draw. The special draw pool of licenses is then18 with 14 going to the preference point pool and four being randomly allocated.

Note: There must be at least four licenses for any given hunt to offer one in the random draw. When reviewing the odds, if you have less than maximum points for the hunt you are considering, make sure there are odds displayed all the way to the zero point level, which means there was, and likely will be, at least one random license available.

Group Applications

Wyoming will allow up to six people to apply on a party application for elk. 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. 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 licenses over the hunt quota to cover a party application, so there is no decrease in odds for a group application.

Hunt Choices

Applicants have three choices when they apply: first, second and third. Every applicant's first choice is considered before moving to any applicant's second or third choice. In essence, to draw a hunt as a second or third choice, there must be licenses remaining after every applicant's first choice has been considered. Your preference points will only be purged if you draw your first choice. You can check the second choice draw odds within your INSIDER account by manipulating “select your draw choice.”

Full Price and Reduced Price Licenses

The full price and reduced price hunts are separate draws. The full price draw works on the preference point system. The reduced price draw is completely random. Reduced price licenses are Types 6, 7 and 8, which are all antlerless (cow/calf) licenses. Full price licenses are Type 1, 2, 9, 4, 5 and 0. Preference points will not be impacted if you apply for and draw a reduced price license. Applicants can apply for both the full price and reduced price draw.

Hunt Types

Type 1 License

A Type 1 is a rifle license valid for the season and weapon as indicated within the Wyoming regulations. In addition, most Type 1 licenses will also allow hunters to purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) archery stamp and bowhunt during the entire month or a portion of September.

Type 2 License

Most often, a Type 2 license will vary by season or boundary. For example, some areas may have both a Type 1 and a Type 2 license where the only difference is the start and ending season dates. Other units may have a Type 1 and Type 2 license where the difference is that they are valid for different portions of the area. A Type 2 is also a rifle hunt. Hunters may be able to purchase an OTC archery stamp and hunt all or a portion of the archery season. See regulations for details.

Type 9 License

Archery only hunts that are valid in the hunt area and during the archery dates indicated.

General Licenses

The general season license allows hunters to rifle hunt in any or all general hunt areas. Successful applicants can also buy an OTC archery stamp that will allow them to hunt with a bow and arrow in general season areas during all or a portion of September. See rules and regulations for details.

Type 4 and 5

These are full priced cow/calf licenses. One thing to be aware of is that if you apply for one of these licenses as your first choice and draw it, you will lose any preference points you have accrued.

Type 6 and 7

Type 6 and Type 7 are reduced price licenses and will not utilize preference points. You can apply for those on a separate application within the state draw system. The drawing for reduced price licenses is random with no point system.

Leftover Draw

Any remaining licenses after the resident and nonresident draws will be available in a leftover draw. Residents and nonresidents can apply. There is no application fee and no point system. You must front the cost of the license when you apply. Unsuccessful applicants will be refunded back to the card used to apply. The leftover draw time frame is June 20 to 24 and results should be available July 7.

Archery Season Dates

Note: 2022 season dates are not set in stone yet so that is why the table shows 2021 season dates.

Usfs Designated Wilderness Areas (dwa)

Every year, we talk to nonresident applicants who have unknowingly drawn a license in an area that is largely or completely within a DWA. Before you apply, it’s extremely important to consider that a nonresident cannot legally hunt within a DWA on their own; they must be accompanied by a licensed Wyoming outfitter or licensed Wyoming resident. A DWA 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 hunt areas. Use the GOHUNT map platform to upload hunt areas, land ownership and wilderness layers to review areas with DWAs. Hunting within many of DWAs can be very good, but if you plan to apply and draw a hunt for one of these areas, you should have an agreement with a guide/outfitter or a plan to hunt with a Wyoming resident at your side. 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 population estimate was approximately 700 grizzly bears.

Wyoming grizzly bear range in 1990 and 2018. Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department 

Hunting in grizzly country can be intimidating and is a 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.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine for Wyoming elk applicants. The bad news is that there is a high demand for elk licenses and the odds of drawing are stiff, especially for the best hunts. Like other states that have a preference point system, point creep is a real problem. The best hunts are largely unavailable and applicants won’t catch up unless you started building points a decade or more ago. For example, I hunted a great unit a few years ago that I drew from the preference point pool with seven points. That same hunt will now require 12 to 13 points to draw in 2022 in the regular draw. Wyoming issued less than 70 licenses to maximum point holders in 2021 and there are still 1,040 maximum point holders and another 1,149 with 15 points going into the 2022 draw.

As previously noted, GOHUNT Draw Odds provide the breakdown of the number of applicants at each point level below the number that it took to guarantee a license in previous years. This feature allows you to evaluate the number of applicants who could potentially be going into this draw at your point level and you can better gauge your chances of drawing a preference point license. Reviewing those detailed draw odds pages for the hunts you are considering is critical.

There is a silver lining for those who do draw — the hunting is very good! Elk populations continue to be strong throughout the state and trophy potential is good. Wyoming is not a hub for trophy bulls that score north of 370”, but, generally speaking, most units have bulls that will hit the 300” mark and there is always a decent number of 330” to 350” bulls that are killed every year.

Another positive: Wyoming offers 25% of their licenses through the random portion of their draw. Within that random draw, every applicant (regardless of the number of points they have) has equal odds of drawing. There are also still some hunts that can be drawn with fewer points, including the general season license, which is a very good hunt for the number of points it currently requires.

One other benefit to lucky applicants is that most of the hunts offer long seasons for archery and rifle seasons. Most of the Type 1 and some Type 2 hunts allow you to bowhunt during the heart of the rut and return to hunt with a rifle in October if you were unsuccessful with your bow. If you are strictly a bowhunter, they also have several Type 9 archery only hunts that are typically easier to draw. In addition, full priced Type 4 and 5 cow elk hunts are good antlerless options and many of those can be available as a second choice. Finally, don’t forget the reduced price hunts Type 6 and 7, which are valid for cow or calf elk. The reduced price draw is completely separate and the draw is random. Your preference points will not be impacted if you draw a reduced price license. Those hunts give hunters the chance to pursue cow elk and put meat in the freezer. Many hunters use the cow/calf licenses to explore and get to know an area prior to drawing a bull license.

Overall, Wyoming is still the best mix of opportunity and quality and a GOHUNT favorite to hunt elk. We highly recommend applying in the draw and, at a minimum, applicants should buy preference points during the summer point only purchase timeframe.

Limited Quota Hunts

Going into this application, the greatest number of preference points that an applicant can have for full priced elk is 16. The best hunts are going to require maximum points to guarantee a license and, in most of those, even maximum points will not guarantee one. If there are a healthy number of mature bulls in a hunt unit with good access and vast amounts of public land, those licenses will be very limited and extremely tough to draw.

There is one other factor worth considering as a nonresident if your goal is to hunt a big bull: limited access. Private land limits access in several areas, as do DWAs. Those types of areas often provide refuge and allow more bulls to reach an older age class. For nonresident hunters, most of those hunts have better draw odds. Less access and lower amounts of public land equates to better draw odds for obvious reasons. If an applicant's objective is to hunt bigger bulls, they might consider a guided/outfitted hunt on private land or within a DWA. I don’t want to diminish the fact that other areas (even general season units) offer good hunting for nice six point bulls, but, realistically, the biggest bulls are going to come from areas that have limited access or areas that are very hard to draw. It is imperative that you consider your objectives and expectations when you do your research and apply.

In the table below, we break out the best trophy units with the associated number of points/odds to draw those hunts. Note: the hunts in the table below were not available in the regular or special random draw, so if you do not have enough points to be in the running for one of those licenses and you apply for one of these you are wasting your application.

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Wyoming Elk Areas

There are many hunts available with fewer than maximum points; however, you will need to be willing to dig into details and research to find them.

Hidden gems are most often associated with one or more factors, including lower trophy potential, limited public land, archery only Type 9 hunts or non-traditional elk habitat. The tables below offer the best hunts for applicants at a variety of mid-tier point levels.

Additional information is available in the INSIDER Unit Profile and in the map portion of your account. INSIDERS should cross reference the odds and units they are interested in with the unit profiles and mapping platform to find the best fit for their specific situations. Use all the tools available: trophy potential, season, public land percentage and harvest success to explore the possibilities.

General Season Hunt

We have already discussed the issue of point creep for the high demand limited quota hunts. With that, the general season elk license is one of the best opportunities for applicants that do not have many points. Hunters who draw the general elk license can hunt any or all of the 51 general season units. The populations are generally really good and for a license that currently only requires three to four points, the trophy potential is quite good.

As more hunters begin to understand how poor the odds of drawing the high quality hunts are, the general season hunt point creep could jump even higher.

In the table below, we break down the top general season units based on trophy potential, harvest success, branch antlered bull success, public land and whether or not the area is within occupied grizzly habitat.

Areas 60, 59, 56, 70 and 106 all offer excellent guided hunt options. Areas 12, 13, 15, 21, 89, 91, 102, and 103 are all good DIY areas with no grizzly bears and ample amounts of public land with smaller amounts or no DWAs. For the DIY hunters who are willing to risk a grizzly bear encounter for the possibility of a bigger bull, check out Areas 67, 85, 86, 87, 73 and 83.

Wyoming works on a preference point system. You obtain a preference point when you buy one from July 1 to Oct. 31, 2022. An elk point will cost a nonresident $52. The maximum number of points for elk is 16 going into 2022. Keep in mind that the youth preference point fee for elk is only $10. This is a great state to start building points for a young hunter.

Comparing the 2021 point totals with the totals going into the 2022 draw, there was a 17% increase, increasing from 124,033 total to 148,962. There has been a 30% increase in the number of preference points from 2020 to 2022.

Residents: The Wyoming residents' draw process is 100% random for deer, elk and antelope. There are no preference points for residents.

Conclusion

Elk hunting in Wyoming is excellent and in our opinion a must apply state. Applicants should consider their objective, the number of points they have and review odds for both the special and regular draws. For applicants currently within the three- to five-point range, the general season elk license is still one of the best hunts in the West. If you have been building points for a longer period of time, it’s worth looking into areas that have good trophy potential, but still have relatively good odds due to limiting factors like DWAs or private land/access issues. Applicants in this situation should consider going on a guided hunt rather than chasing the best hunts for another decade or more. There are also some units that can still be hunted DIY without a guide; however, you will need to be savvy in your research and, later, with our Map app in the field. Applicants with 13 to 16 points need to really dig into the odds and consider point creep. There is a real possibility that even with maximum points you could be chasing the best hunts for years to come. There are some very good hunts within this range, including 38-9, 45-9, 1-1, 7-1, 16-1, 24-1, 62-1, 63-2, 108-1, 118-1 and 120-1. Of course, there are others as well and all the information you need to put a quality Wyoming elk license in your pocket for 2022 is in your GOHUNT INSIDER account!