When it comes to applying for hunts in Wyoming, what does a license type mean?
This time of year, everyone’s thoughts are on getting our applications in order. One of the biggest applications, and most of everyone’s first application of the year, is Wyoming elk.
What Exactly Does License Type Mean in Wyoming?
When researching your options for elk in Wyoming or even other species for that matter, we often hear a lot of questions in regards to what a “license type” actually means. In Wyoming's draw system, license type indicates limitations such as the sex of the animal, length of the season, type of weapon, or the portion of the hunt area in which the license is valid. The following table can help you understand the difference in license types.
The differences of Wyoming big game license tag types and fee types
License Tag Type | Type 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
Description | Antlered or any |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 3 |
Description | Antlered or any whitetail deer |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 4 and 5 |
Description | Antlerless |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 6 and 7 |
Description | Antlerless (doe/fawn, cow/calf, or ewe/lamb) |
Fee Type | Reduced price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 8 |
Description | Doe/fawn whitetail deer |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 9 |
Description | Archery only |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type 0 |
Description | Specialty weapon only (excluding archery) |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Type A |
Description | Any Mountain Goat |
Fee Type | Full price fee |
License Tag Type | Description | Fee Type |
|---|---|---|
Type 1 and 2 | Antlered or any | Full price fee |
Type 3 | Antlered or any whitetail deer | Full price fee |
Type 4 and 5 | Antlerless | Full price fee |
Type 6 and 7 | Antlerless (doe/fawn, cow/calf, or ewe/lamb) | Reduced price fee |
Type 8 | Doe/fawn whitetail deer | Full price fee |
Type 9 | Archery only | Full price fee |
Type 0 | Specialty weapon only (excluding archery) | Full price fee |
Type A | Any Mountain Goat | Full price fee |
When it comes to Wyoming, below are the license types and a short description of them.
Type 1 License
In Wyoming, Type 1 licenses are valid for the season and weapon as indicated within the Wyoming regulations—typically a Type 1 is a rifle hunt. 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. Also, full price fees.
A Type 1 license is available for deer, elk, and antelope hunts, as well as bighorn sheep, moose, and mountain goat.
Type 2 License
Most often, a Type 2 license varies by season or boundary. For example, Area 16 has both a Type 1 and Type 2—the first license type starts Oct. 1; the second type starts on Nov. 1. Some vary by what portion of the hunt area is valid to hunt. For example, Area 54 Type 1 is valid south of the Clarks Fork River; Type 2 is valid north of the river. It’s also important to note that some Type 2 tags allow hunters to hunt the entire hunt area with the purchase of the archery license during the archery dates. Also, full price fees.
A Type 2 license is available for deer, elk, and antelope hunts, as well as bighorn sheep and mountain goat.
Type 3 License
Full price antlered or any whitetail deer, antlered or any elk, spike or antlerless elk, and antelope. A hunter can have a Type 3 license, as well as a Type 1, Type 2, or general season license. One can be acquired through the leftover draw or purchased over the counter. Also, some have a special archery season that requires you to purchase an archery license.
Type 4 and 5 License
Type 4 and 5 licenses are full priced cow/calf elk and cow/calf moose licenses, and cow/calf bison licenses. One thing to be aware of is that if you apply for one of these licenses as your first choice and if you draw it, you will lose any preference points you have saved up. Also, full price fees.
Type 6 and 7 License
A Type 6 and Type 7 are reduced-price licenses and will not use your points. In fact, you apply for those on a separate application within the state draw system. The drawing for reduced-price licenses is random with no respect to points.
A Type 6 or Type 7 license is available for deer, and elk, as well as bighorn sheep in some cases.
Type 9 License
Type 9 licenses are archery hunts that are only valid in the hunt area and during the archery dates indicated. Something to be aware of is some areas allow Type 1 license holders to hunt along with Type 9 hunters for the whole hunt—or portions of it—if they buy the archery license and want to hunt. This may add some additional pressure to those areas. So pay attention to this when applying. Also, full price fees.
Type 0 License
Type 0 licenses are for speciality weapons only hunts in Wyoming (excluding archery). For example, currently, there are three Type 0 license hunts in Wyoming for antelope in Area 50, Area 99, and Area 107.
Type A License
A Type A license in Wyoming is valid for any mountain goat. These are issued in hunt areas where Wyoming attempts to keep mountain goat populations low.
General Licenses
Allow hunters to hunt in a general hunt area for deer or elk (different licenses). Purchasing an archery stamp will also allow general season hunters to hunt with a bow and return to hunt during the rifle season if they have not yet filled their license.
For residents, general tags for deer and elk can be purchased over the counter as long as they didn't draw a license in the limited quota draw. Nonresidents must draw a general season deer or elk tag.
What is the difference between a Full Price Antlerless License and a Reduced Price License?
Price is the difference. A full price license is required if the applicant wishes to hunt an antlered animal. However, if the applicant only wishes to hunt an antlerless animal, it may be beneficial to determine if an area offers a reduced price license. Full price licenses include Types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 0, and A. Reduced price licenses are Types 6, 7 and 8. Reduced price licenses are offered to encourage additional harvest in hunt areas where populations are above management objective.
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. 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.
How Many Elk Tags Can I Get?
An applicant shall apply for or receive no more than a total of three (3) elk licenses in any one (1) calendar year.
An applicant may apply for and receive one (1) general or limited quota full price elk license and one (1) limited quota reduced price cow/calf elk license through the initial license drawing. After the initial drawing, a person may apply for and receive up to a total of three (3) elk licenses, of which no more than one (1) shall be a General, Type 0, 1, 2, 3 or 9 license. However, no person shall apply for and receive more than a total of three (3) elk licenses which shall include not more than one (1) General, Type 0, 1, 2, 3 or 9 license in a single hunting season.
In Summary
You will notice that Wyoming license types are called out on our Insider research platform on Filtering, our detailedDraw Odds pages and Unit Profiles.
This article was originally published January 27, 2020 and has been updated with more information.
