Can a hunter on a general elk licence hunt area 102?

A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw; a nonresident wanting a general licence must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region. The general-licence seasons on hunt area 102 are any-elk archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–24, and antlerless-only rifle October 25–November 30.

How much of hunt area 102 is public land a hunter can actually get onto?

About 69% of the area—roughly 1,024 square miles—is mapped as public BLM, National Forest or State Trust Land. The northwestern mountains where elk actually range are predominantly USFS and BLM with good access on foot or horseback, though reaching them requires leaving roads. The southeastern checkerboard is mostly landlocked, requiring private permission to cross intervening private sections to reach isolated BLM parcels.

What happens to roads in hunt area 102 when the weather turns wet or snowy?

Most roads in the hunt area become difficult or impassable when snowy, wet or muddy. This is worth planning for in October, when snowfall averages 1.1 inches, and especially November through January, when it climbs rapidly to 5.5, 9.3 and 10.7 inches monthly.

Does hunt area 102 have any archery-only seasons?

Two hunt types include archery windows: Type 7 (cow or calf) and Type 6 (cow or calf) run archery September 1–30, followed by rifle seasons. The general-licence Type Gen seasons include archery September 1–30 followed by rifle October 15–24, and rifle-only October 25–November 30 for antlerless only.

Where in hunt area 102 is elk hunting actually worth the effort?

Elk occupy the northwestern half of the hunt area, favoring the mountains and mixed shrub, aspen, forest and meadow country. The southeastern plains and sagebrush flats hold little regular elk use and are far from reliable hunting ground.

Wyoming Hunt Area 102 (West Green River) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

69%

Elevation

6,100–10,300 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 102 spans sagebrush plains and low broken terrain in the south and east, giving way to mountains, ridges and forested country toward the northwest. Elevation ranges from about 6,100 feet on the flats to over 10,300 feet on the high peaks, with typical ground around 6,900 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle—78% of the area grades gentle, 18% moderate, 4% steep—though the northwestern mountains can still steepen considerably. Lower elevations are sagebrush, grass and scattered other cover; mid-elevation country is sagebrush with riparian corridors along creeks; higher elevations hold sagebrush, conifer, aspen and scattered meadows. Elk in this hunt area occupy the mountain country in the northwestern half: they favor the mixed shrub, aspen, forest and meadow habitats, and will also range across sagebrush hillsides and mountain meadows. The southeastern flats and plains hold little regular elk use.

Getting to elk country requires commitment. About 69% of the area is mapped as BLM, National Forest or State Trust Land—roughly 1,024 square miles—with private land making up 25%. The northwestern mountains are predominantly US Forest Service and BLM and offer genuine public access, but reach them requires hiking or horses; roads in this country become difficult when conditions are wet, muddy or snowy. The southeastern half is checkerboard land—alternating sections of private and public ownership—where most BLM parcels are landlocked by private ground. Access to public land there depends on landowner permission to cross intervening private sections. Lincoln County Walk-In Area 6 is enrolled in this hunt area and open during its designated season. The northwestern public lands that actually hold elk remain the better bet for a nonresident planning logistics.

Seasons on hunt area 102 vary in animal, weapon and timing across four licence types. Two seasons allow general elk hunting: the first spans archery in early fall and rifle in mid-October; the second is rifle only, antlerless only, in late October and November. A third season takes cows and calves across archery and regular seasons from September through December. A fourth is archery and regular cow-or-calf hunting from September through January, the longest-running hunt. Nonresidents drawing a Region W general licence hunt the general-licence seasons; other licence types are drawn separately and carry their own odds and point requirements for nonresidents.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 102 (West Green River) is a general-licence hunt area, and how a hunter gets a licence for it depends on where they live.

A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter — unlimited statewide, on sale from mid-July. No draw, no application, no preference points.
A nonresident cannot buy one. They must draw a Region general licence — for this hunt area, elk region W, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region and nowhere else.

Wyoming residents have no preference points for elk — the resident elk draw is random, and no resident point cutoff exists for any hunt area in the state. For nonresidents points matter a great deal: Wyoming awards 75% of each nonresident pool through the preference-point draw, top-down by points, and the remaining 25% at random. Nonresidents also choose between the Regular and Special pools — the same hunts at two price points, competing separately.

Seasons (2026)

Type Gen — general licence · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 24
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular October 25 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – December 7
Type 7 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular December 15 – January 31

The wording of each hunt is the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s and is legally exact — a “cow or calf” hunt is not a elk hunt in general, and a hunt limited to part of the area is not valid across it. Confirm every hunt in the current regulations before applying.

Hunting each season

Type 7 — Cow or calf (September–January)

Type 7 archery spans the September rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are vocal and active but elk have not yet concentrated on winter grounds—archery hunters fishing for bulls in mountain meadows and mixed shrub country can find willing game in the early mornings and evenings, with moderate September temperatures favoring foot-stalk work. The rut dips briefly in late September before climbing again; expect highs near 69 degrees in early month dropping to the mid-50s by month's end, with virtually no snow. Type 7 regular seasons run December 15 through January 31, hunting the tail of the rut and true winter range; elk are concentrated where they overwinter in the northwestern mountains and sagebrush country, but December and January bring severe conditions—highs around 29 degrees, lows well below freezing, and 10.7 inches of monthly snowfall in January making road travel difficult and foot travel slow. Both seasons are cow or calf only, valid across the entire hunt area on public and Walk-In ground.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

General-licence any-elk archery hunts September 1–30, bracketing the rut onset and primary rut when bulls are bugling and cows responsive; early-month temperatures in the upper 60s ease to the mid-50s as September progresses, making physical demands lighter than later seasons and movement easier across gentle and moderate terrain. Elk concentrate in the northwestern mountains in mixed shrub and aspen country where bugling carries and bulls respond. General-licence rifle hunting runs October 15–24, crossing the late rut into early post-rut recovery when bulls are still active but fewer cows are receptive; early-October highs near 55 degrees drop into the low 40s by late month, and snowfall climbing to 1.1 inches can complicate travel and tracking on upper elevations. Both periods hunt any elk—bulls, cows, calves—across the entire hunt area on public and Walk-In ground.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October–November)

Antlerless-rifle hunting from October 25 through November 30 covers post-rut recovery and migration transition, when bulls are quieting and cows dominate visible groups. Early November brings highs around 40 degrees dropping to the low 20s by month's end; snowfall climbs from 1.1 inches in October to 5.5 inches in November, thickening cover and potentially concentrating elk but also making road access and foot travel increasingly difficult. Elk remain scattered across the northwestern mountains and sagebrush hillsides, favoring meadows and shrub country. This season is strictly antlerless—cows and calves only—valid across the entire hunt area on public and Walk-In ground.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Type 6 archery in September 1–30 hunts the rut onset and primary rut with the same favorable early-month temperatures and moderate snow as other September seasons, offering bugling bulls in mountain meadows and mixed shrub country. Type 6 rifle runs October 15 through December 7, a much longer window spanning late rut, post-rut recovery, and into migration transition; early-October temperatures near 55 degrees plummet to freezing by early December, and snowfall escalates from 1.1 inches in October through 9.3 inches by December. This extended season lets hunters adapt to widening snow cover, shifting elk distribution, and deteriorating road conditions, though late-season foot travel in deep snow is strenuous. Both periods are cow or calf only, valid across the entire hunt area on public and Walk-In ground.

Land and access

BLM53%

Generally open to public hunting

private land25%

Private

National Forest12%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership6%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 69% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 1,024 square miles. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply.

State trust land counts toward the open figure above. Wyoming extends hunting on legally accessiblestate trust land to the public unless a parcel is specifically closed — the catch is the access itself, since crossing private ground to reach it still needs the landowner’s permission. Camping, fires and off-road vehicles are not allowed on it.

This hunt area has 1 enrolled walk-in area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Walk-In Area needs no permission slip — a hunter may walk in during the open period, subject to its posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where elk are mapped

Winter Range37%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range25%

the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it

Summer Range15%

used in summer

Parturition Areas11%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Yearlong Range6%

the only layer that means year-round use

Each figure is the share of the hunt area that layer covers. It says where elk are mapped, not where inside the area they are, and not when they move.

Habitat and cover

Lower elevations

Sagebrush83%

Other cover10%

Grass and meadow5%

Riparian1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush92%

Other cover4%

Riparian3%

Grass and meadow2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush71%

Conifer22%

Riparian3%

Grass and meadow2%

Aspen1%

Shares are of each elevation band, not of the whole hunt area — they describe what grows up there, not how much of the area sits at that elevation.

Weather through the season

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Snowfall
January	29°F	5°F	10.7 in
February	32°F	7°F	8.9 in
March	42°F	16°F	5.3 in
April	51°F	23°F	2.6 in
May	61°F	32°F	0.2 in
June	71°F	39°F	0 in
July	81°F	45°F	0 in
August	79°F	43°F	0 in
September	69°F	35°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	26°F	1.1 in
November	40°F	15°F	5.5 in
December	29°F	5°F	9.3 in

Snowfall is the monthly total, not depth lying on the ground.

Common questions

Can a hunter on a general elk licence hunt area 102?: A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw; a nonresident wanting a general licence must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region. The general-licence seasons on hunt area 102 are any-elk archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–24, and antlerless-only rifle October 25–November 30.
How much of hunt area 102 is public land a hunter can actually get onto?: About 69% of the area—roughly 1,024 square miles—is mapped as public BLM, National Forest or State Trust Land. The northwestern mountains where elk actually range are predominantly USFS and BLM with good access on foot or horseback, though reaching them requires leaving roads. The southeastern checkerboard is mostly landlocked, requiring private permission to cross intervening private sections to reach isolated BLM parcels.
What happens to roads in hunt area 102 when the weather turns wet or snowy?: Most roads in the hunt area become difficult or impassable when snowy, wet or muddy. This is worth planning for in October, when snowfall averages 1.1 inches, and especially November through January, when it climbs rapidly to 5.5, 9.3 and 10.7 inches monthly.
Does hunt area 102 have any archery-only seasons?: Two hunt types include archery windows: Type 7 (cow or calf) and Type 6 (cow or calf) run archery September 1–30, followed by rifle seasons. The general-licence Type Gen seasons include archery September 1–30 followed by rifle October 15–24, and rifle-only October 25–November 30 for antlerless only.
Where in hunt area 102 is elk hunting actually worth the effort?: Elk occupy the northwestern half of the hunt area, favoring the mountains and mixed shrub, aspen, forest and meadow country. The southeastern plains and sagebrush flats hold little regular elk use and are far from reliable hunting ground.

Sources

Wyoming Game & Fish — Hunting & Trapping — licence types, general and limited-quota hunts, and season structure
WGFD Hunt Planner — hunt-area boundaries, season dates and the unit descriptions
WGFD — Draw results and odds — how the resident random draw and the nonresident preference-point draw work
WGFD — Regulations — the legal limitations on each hunt, and the statewide licence rules
USGS National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2021) and 3DEP elevation — land cover and terrain by elevation band

Seasons, licence types and boundaries change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.

All Wyoming elk hunt areas