Application Strategy 2024: Wyoming bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat, and bison

The application deadline for Wyoming moose, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat and bison is April 30, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. MT. 

The applications are available entirely online. Apply online here.

STATE INFORMATION

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 moose, bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat and bison profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

Important dates and information

Amount to remit

Note: Nonresidents are not required to purchase the $150 preference point if they apply for bighorn sheep and moose. Nonresidents can elect to participate in the preference point system. You can buy a preference point from July 1 to Oct 31, 2024 if you choose to.

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 DWA is a United States Forest Service (USFS) designation. 

The bulk of Wyoming’s bighorn sheep are found in the northwest part of the state and many inhabit the high country within DWAs. Areas 2, 3, 4 and 5, which have typically been the areas that have had random licenses for nonresidents, all have large portions of wilderness. If you are planning on applying for one of these or another of the units in the western portion of the state, it’s worth doing some research to plan accordingly.

The bulk of mountain goat Area 3 is within a wilderness area. Area 1 has some wilderness as well, but mountain goats inhabit terrain both inside and outside of the wilderness area. Area 2 is a good choice also for do-it-yourself (DIY) hunters; it contains limited wilderness with mountain goats inhabiting both wilderness and non wilderness.

Generally, wilderness is less of a concern for many of the moose areas, but there are still some that have a good portion of wilderness. Moose also inhabit a wide variety of habitat that ranges from the backcountry river drainages and high country to the rolling sage and high desert terrain through the southwest and south-central portions of the state. Wilderness may or may not be an issue. Some research may be required before picking a hunt area. Areas 5, 24, 25, 26 and 38/41 are often the only areas that offer random licenses that are available to nonresidents and, out of those areas, 5 and 38/41 have some wilderness, but very little overall.

THE WYOMING DRAW SYSTEM

There is no regular and special draw for nonresidents applying for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat or bison. 

Mountain goat and bison licenses are all randomly allocated, which means that there is no point system and every applicant has an equal chance of drawing. The mountain goat license split allocates 90% to residents and 10% to nonresidents. There are very few nonresident mountain goat licenses allocated, but if you are willing to front the cost, the draw is random and it’s worth considering if you are interested in mountain goat hunting. 

The bison license split offers 90% to residents and 10% to nonresidents. Once again, bison licenses are randomly allocated with no point system. As you can see from the fees table, you must front the entire cost of the license and it’s very expensive, but if you are interested in bison hunting and can afford the license you should do some research and apply. 

Moose and bighorn sheep licenses also have a 90% resident, 10% nonresident license split. Moose and bighorn sheep licenses are offered through a modified preference point system for residents and nonresidents. Under this system, 75% of the licenses are offered to the applicants with the most preference points for each hunt and 25% are randomly allocated with no weight given to the number of points you have in the random draw.

The change to a 90/10% license split significantly reduced the number of licenses available to nonresidents. In 2023, there were only a couple antlered moose licenses that were randomly allocated. Those were in Units 25 and 26. The other permits were allocated to high preference point applicants with no one drawing with fewer than 21 points. For bighorn sheep, there was only one license that was randomly allocated to nonresidents, which was in Unit 5. It required nonresidents a minimum of 22 preference points and, in most cases, 23 to 27 points to draw a preference point license. If you have fewer than 20 preference points as a nonresident, it likely does not make sense to purchase preference points any longer in Wyoming for these two species because you are unlikely to even catch up. If you still want to apply for a random chance to draw, moose applicants should consider Units 25 and 26, bighorn sheep applicants should consider Unit 5 and Unit 4. 

The points system

The maximum number of moose and bighorn sheep preference points going into the 2024 draw is 29. Resident applicants are still required to participate in the preference point system and will be awarded a point if they are unsuccessful in the draw. Nonresidents no longer are required to pay the preference point fee if they apply. 

As previously stated, applicants should consider their position with the number of preference points they have. If you have fewer points than what moose and bighorn sheep hunts required in 2023, only apply for a hunt that has a random permit available. Also, depending on the number of points you currently have and your age, it may not make sense to purchase preference points at all. 

2024 Wyoming Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep breakdown

Wyoming offered a total of 168 resident bighorn sheep ram licenses in 2023; nonresidents were allocated 18. Trophy potential is average — mostly 150” to 160” class rams available in most units. Units 12, 17, 19 and 20 have the best potential for a ram that can hit the 165” to 170”+ range.

MANAGING POINTS AND EXPECTATIONS

The points system for Wyoming Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

2024 maximum bonus points for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep: 29

The table above should give hunters an idea on how many applicants there are in the system and, especially for nonresidents, they should pay attention to how many applicants still have a significant number of points. For example, in 2023, Wyoming issued 18 ram bighorn sheep licenses to maximum point nonresident applicants. If we look at the number of people with 15+ points currently, there are 2,861. If we divide that number (2,861) by the number of preference point permits (18 annually), you’ll see that it will take about 159 years to work through those applicants and offer all of them a permit. If Wyoming continues with the point system, it makes no sense to buy preference points for almost all applicants. Applicants are likely much better off to take the $150 annual point fee and invest that into saving for some other type of hunt. The other option is to only apply for Unit 5 and hope you draw the random license, but I would not personally purchase the preference points unless you have already acquired at least 20 points.

2024 Wyoming Moose Breakdown

Nonresidents have the option of applying for a hunt without having to pay for the $150 preference point fee. You still have to front the cost of the license and fees, but if you are unsuccessful in the draw, you will be refunded all of it minus the $15 application fee and the 2.5% processing fee. The Bighorn Mountains that encompass Areas 1, 34 and 42 as well as the Snowy and Sierra Madre mountain ranges, which encompass Areas 38 and 41, produce the largest scoring B&C moose in Wyoming. Areas 16 and 37 can also produce bigger bulls. Trophy potential is mostly average throughout the state, especially when compared to Colorado to the south.

THE POINT SYSTEM FOR SHIRAS MOOSE

Managing points and expectations

2024 maximum bonus points for Shiras moose: 29

The table above should give applicants an idea about how many applicants there are in the system and, especially for nonresidents, they should pay attention to how many applicants still have a significant number of points. For example, in 2023, Wyoming issued 27 antlered moose licenses to maximum point nonresident applicants. If we look at the number of people with 15+ points currently, there are 3,356. If we divide that number (3,356) by the number of preference point permits (27 annually), you’ll see that it will take about 124 years to work through those applicants and offer all of them a permit. If Wyoming continues with the point system, it makes no sense to buy preference points for almost all applicants. Applicants are likely much better off to take the $150 annual point fee and invest that into saving for some other type of hunt. The other option is to only apply for either Units 25 or 26 and hope you draw a random license, but I would not personally purchase the preference points unless you have already acquired at least 20 points.

2024 Wyoming Rocky Mountain goat breakdown

There could be five areas for applicants to apply in 2024. The primary and best options are still going to be Areas 1, 2 and 3. Areas 4 and 5 were opened in 2019 in an effort to totally eradicate all mountain goats within those areas. Unit 5 was closed in 2023 and there have not been mountain goats observed in that area and it’s likely it will be closed again in 2024. I would suggest that applicants NOT apply in Units 4 or 5 unless you have first-hand knowledge on a mountain goat in those areas.   

In Areas 1, 2 and 3, trophy book billies are rare, but the populations in all three areas are stable and increasing. The Wyoming mountain goat draw system has no point system; it’s completely random. Wyoming offers a decent opportunity to apply and possibly draw a mountain goat license.

2024 Wyoming Bison Breakdown

Western Wyoming has a very tough winter going into 2022 and a bulk of the bison herd moved with early storms and snow out of the park. Hunter success was very high and a number of bison didn’t make it through the winter months. As a result, the number of licenses was reduced severely going into 2023 and will likely once again be low in 2024. The Type 4 cow/calf hunt was closed in 2023 and it will likely remain closed until the population rebounds. 

Remember that bison licenses are allocated through a random draw and there is no point system. If you can front the high cost of the bison license, the hunt can be good and offer a great opportunity to harvest a good bull. Hunts in Area 2 almost all occur on the National Elk Refuge and hunters who draw a tag can apply for a license online to hunt the refuge. Applicants can only apply for one hunt period on the refuge and, with weather conditions pushing bison out of the National Park and into the refuge, you should apply for the later hunt dates. Be aware that this hunt is largely weather dependent. Early snow and cold weather will provide a much better opportunity to harvest, but with Mother Nature it’s always a coin toss. Again, if you can afford the cost to apply, you are interested in bison hunting and have the days to put into the hunt, I would suggest you research and apply in Wyoming for bison.