Can a hunter take elk in hunt area 103 on a general licence?

Yes. Hunt area 103 is a general-licence hunt area. Wyoming residents purchase a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. Nonresidents must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in general-licence hunt areas across the region. Both licences are valid here.

How much private land is in hunt area 103 and can a hunter cross it?

Private land makes up about 23% of the hunt area, much of it irrigated ground along rivers and creeks. Landowner permission is required to cross all private land, even if public land lies beyond it. A hunter should secure permission before the hunt.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 103?

Type 6 cow or calf hunting runs archery September 1–September 30 and regular rifle October 15–January 31. Type Gen any-elk hunting runs archery September 1–September 30 and regular rifle October 15–October 24. Antlerless-elk hunting runs October 25–November 30. An additional cow or calf hunt valid near irrigated land runs August 15–August 31.

What kind of country does a hunter hike through in hunt area 103?

The hunt area mixes sagebrush flats and broken hills at lower elevations with mountain foothills, ridges and high forested mountains reaching above 10,000 feet. Terrain is steep—more than half the area is moderate to steep slope. Public access exists to much of the elk habitat, and ample ground on BLM and National Forest requires hiking or horses to reach.

How does weather change through the hunting seasons in hunt area 103?

August brings warm days around 77 degrees with cool mornings near 45 degrees and no snow. September is cooler, with highs near 67 degrees, lows near 37 degrees, and still no snow. October cools further to highs around 53 degrees and lows near 29 degrees with about 1.4 inches of monthly snowfall. November turns cold with highs near 39 degrees, lows near 19 degrees, and 9.6 inches of monthly snowfall.

Wyoming Hunt Area 103 (Raymond Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

77%

Elevation

6,100–10,500 ft

Terrain

Steep

Elk region

Hunt area 103 spreads across 265 square miles at elevations from 6,100 to 10,500 feet, with much of the ground lying around 7,200 feet. The lower country is sagebrush flats, low broken hills and plains that transition into mountain foothills, ridges and higher forested terrain. The terrain averages 16.8 degrees of slope—steep by terrain standards, with more than half the area ranking moderate to steep. Sagebrush dominates the plant cover at 68%, with conifers at 24% and smaller shares of aspen, riparian and other cover. Elk inhabit all parts of the hunt area, favoring mountain shrub, aspen, forest and mountain meadows along with sagebrush hillsides in the mountains. The country rises above 10,000 feet in places, and most roads become difficult when snowy, wet or muddy.

Public land makes up about 77% of the hunt area, roughly 203 square miles of BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land. The northern part is primarily Forest Service ground; the south is mostly BLM mixed with private and state ownership. Good public access exists to much of the elk habitat, and Walk-In Areas and Hunter Management Areas are enrolled seasonally—a hunter should check the access map before the season to see what ground is available. Private land is 23% of the area, much of it irrigated ground along rivers and larger creeks. Crossing private land requires landowner permission regardless of whether public ground lies beyond it. Elk shift between public and private throughout the season, making permission to cross private ground important for reaching certain patches of public land.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 103 (Raymond Mountain) 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 valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Regular August 15 – August 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 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 6 — Cow or calf (September–January)

Cow or calf hunting spans from early September through January, beginning during rut onset and the primary rut, when bulls are active and cows respond. September archery runs as temperatures cool from the high 60s into the mid-50s, with no snow. The transition to rifle hunting in mid-October comes as temperatures drop through the 50s and into the high 40s, catching the late rut and early post-rut period when elk are still pursuing each other or recovering from the rut. Weather turns cold and snowy from November onward, with November averaging 9.6 inches of snow monthly and January reaching 18 inches—most roads become difficult to navigate as conditions worsen. Hunting through winter requires reaching elk on foot or horseback across steep terrain, with winter range elk occupying 58% of the hunt area. The licence allows only cows or calves, not bulls.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

Any-elk hunting for general-licence holders runs archery from September 1 to September 30 and rifle from October 15 to October 24. The archery window spans the rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are in harems or seeking cows and vocal, with September temperatures ranging from highs in the upper 60s to lows in the upper 30s. The short rifle window arrives as the rut enters its late and post-rut phases in mid-October, when bulls are less responsive but temperatures are still relatively mild—highs around 53 degrees and lows near 29 degrees. This season is the most time-limited general-licence option, offering only ten days of rifle hunting. The hunt allows any elk, bull or cow.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October–November)

Antlerless-elk hunting runs October 25 through November 30, spanning the post-rut recovery period into the migration transition as elk begin moving onto winter range. October closes with temperatures dropping into the 40s and 30s; November turns cold and snowy, averaging 9.6 inches of snow and days with highs near 39 degrees and lows near 19 degrees. Access roads become difficult as mud and snow accumulate. Winter range and yearlong range elk occupy 58% and 26% of the hunt area respectively, providing reliable places to find animals. The licence allows only cows and calves, not bulls.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid on or within… (August)

Cow or calf hunting valid on or within one-half mile of irrigated land runs August 15 through August 31, an early opportunity that takes advantage of private irrigated ground and the animals that use it. This hunt falls during the late velvet and pre-rut transition, when bulls are still in bachelor groups or beginning to separate and are not yet actively rutting. August brings warm days near 77 degrees with cool mornings around 45 degrees and no snow, making for pleasant early-season hiking. Private irrigated land sits mostly along rivers and creeks, and this hunt's reach extends one-half mile off that irrigated ground, which may allow access to nearby public land depending on the direction. The licence allows only cows or calves, not bulls.

Land and access

BLM43%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest25%

Generally open to public hunting

private land23%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

About 77% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 203 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.

Where elk are mapped

Winter Range58%

used in winter

Summer Range43%

used in summer

Yearlong Range26%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range16%

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

Parturition Areas15%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush68%

Conifer24%

Other cover4%

Riparian2%

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	31°F	11°F	18 in
February	33°F	11°F	15.7 in
March	42°F	18°F	10.4 in
April	49°F	25°F	4 in
May	58°F	33°F	0.4 in
June	68°F	39°F	0 in
July	78°F	46°F	0 in
August	77°F	45°F	0 in
September	67°F	37°F	0 in
October	53°F	29°F	1.4 in
November	39°F	19°F	9.6 in
December	30°F	11°F	17 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take elk in hunt area 103 on a general licence?: Yes. Hunt area 103 is a general-licence hunt area. Wyoming residents purchase a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. Nonresidents must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in general-licence hunt areas across the region. Both licences are valid here.
How much private land is in hunt area 103 and can a hunter cross it?: Private land makes up about 23% of the hunt area, much of it irrigated ground along rivers and creeks. Landowner permission is required to cross all private land, even if public land lies beyond it. A hunter should secure permission before the hunt.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 103?: Type 6 cow or calf hunting runs archery September 1–September 30 and regular rifle October 15–January 31. Type Gen any-elk hunting runs archery September 1–September 30 and regular rifle October 15–October 24. Antlerless-elk hunting runs October 25–November 30. An additional cow or calf hunt valid near irrigated land runs August 15–August 31.
What kind of country does a hunter hike through in hunt area 103?: The hunt area mixes sagebrush flats and broken hills at lower elevations with mountain foothills, ridges and high forested mountains reaching above 10,000 feet. Terrain is steep—more than half the area is moderate to steep slope. Public access exists to much of the elk habitat, and ample ground on BLM and National Forest requires hiking or horses to reach.
How does weather change through the hunting seasons in hunt area 103?: August brings warm days around 77 degrees with cool mornings near 45 degrees and no snow. September is cooler, with highs near 67 degrees, lows near 37 degrees, and still no snow. October cools further to highs around 53 degrees and lows near 29 degrees with about 1.4 inches of monthly snowfall. November turns cold with highs near 39 degrees, lows near 19 degrees, and 9.6 inches of monthly snowfall.

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