Can a hunter use a general elk licence in hunt area 110?

Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region S general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Preference points matter for nonresidents in the draw but do not apply to residents, whose elk draw is random.

Does hunt area 110 contain designated wilderness?

Yes, designated wilderness is present on this ground. A nonresident hunting in that wilderness must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide—a legal requirement that nonresidents must plan for. Residents may hunt designated wilderness without accompaniment.

When do the general elk seasons run in hunt area 110?

The general-licence any-elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 15–31, spanning the transition from the primary rut into the post-rut recovery period. An antlerless-only hunt follows November 1–7. A separate limited hunt for cow or calf on private land runs August 15–January 31.

How much of hunt area 110 is public land that a hunter can generally count on?

Public land—National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land—covers about 73% of the area, roughly 332 square miles. However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply, and private inholdings fragment the public ground. Access is most difficult along the northwestern edge.

What is the country like to hunt in hunt area 110?

The area ranges from sagebrush slopes below 7,000 feet to forested ridges at 10,900 feet, with most terrain moderate in grade. Nearly all public land burned in 2020 and now supports regenerating aspen, standing dead timber and open cover that elk use year-round. Rugged canyons line the North Platte River, and riparian meadows follow the major creeks. Elk shift between high summer range and lower winter range across the seasons.

Wyoming Hunt Area 110 (Upper Platte River) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

73%

Elevation

6,900–10,900 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Elk region

Hunt area 110 stretches from 6,900 feet along the North Platte River to 10,900 feet at Libby Flats, with typical elevation around 8,400 feet. The country is topographically diverse: open sagebrush slopes below, rugged canyons carved by the North Platte and its creeks, and the heavily forested Snowy Range at higher elevations where spruce-fir, lodgepole pine and aspen mix with brushy meadows and open parks. Nearly all public land here burned in the 2020 Mullen Creek fire and now consists of standing dead timber, regenerating aspen thickets and open slopes—cover that elk use throughout the year. Riparian meadows line the major drainages. The terrain averages a 9.6-degree slope, graded moderate, with 64% gentle ground, 30% moderate and 6% steep.

Public land covers about 73% of the area—332 square miles of National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land—but access is not straightforward. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply. Designated wilderness here requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Access is most difficult along the northwestern edge, where large ranches and outfitted land limit where a hunter can go. The Harrison Creek Hunter Management Area offers additional private-land opportunity but requires a printed permission slip before hunting, and enrollment is renegotiated annually. Elk move between the public high country where they summer and lower elevations where they winter, with heavy use of the burn scar across seasons.

Seasons here span the full rut and recovery cycle from archery in September through late autumn, with a limited cow-or-calf hunt running August through January on private land only.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 110 (Upper Platte 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 S, 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 7 · Cow or calf valid on private land
Regular August 15 – January 31
Type Gen — general licence · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – November 7
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 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 valid on private land (August–January)

A cow-or-calf hunt valid on private land only runs from August 15 through January 31, beginning in late summer when temperatures are mild and elk are in the high country, then following them as they drift downslope into autumn and winter. August brings highs near 75 degrees with little snow, cooling to December highs around 31 degrees and January lows at 10 degrees, with November and December averaging nearly 12 and 16 inches of snowfall per month. Private-land access changes through this window as seasons progress—early months may offer different opportunity than late winter—and a hunter must confirm where hunting is open before season. This hunt is restricted to cow or calf only, not any elk.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

Hunting starts with archery September 1–30, when the rut is rising and elk are moving through the transition from summer to fall ranges, then continues with rifle from October 15–31 as the rut winds down and bulls begin to recover. September temperatures average highs of 67 degrees with minimal snow, dropping to October highs around 54 degrees and lows near 27 degrees, with October bringing an average of 3.3 inches of snowfall. Access across the general-licence area is widespread on public land, though the northwestern portion contains large private ranches with limited or outfitted-only hunting. Designated wilderness requires a nonresident to hunt with a licensed guide or a resident guide. This hunt takes any elk on a general licence.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (November)

The antlerless hunt November 1–7 occurs as elk settle onto their winter ranges and transition into the seasonal patterns of the coldest months ahead. November brings highs averaging 40 degrees and lows around 18 degrees, with nearly 12 inches of snowfall typical for the month. Most public land is accessible for this season, though northwestern private ranches remain restricted. Designated wilderness again requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. This hunt is valid for antlerless elk only and takes place as the general season closes.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Cow-or-calf hunting on this special licence runs across two phases: archery from September 1–30, when the rut is on and elk are shifting through mid-elevation ranges, and rifle from October 1–December 31, spanning the rut's end, post-rut recovery and settlement into winter range. September sees highs near 67 degrees with little snow, then temperatures plummet through October, November and December as the season deepens—October averages highs of 54 degrees and 3.3 inches of snow, November brings highs around 40 degrees with nearly 12 inches of snowfall, and December highs average 31 degrees with over 16 inches of snow per month. Public-land access is good throughout, though private ranches in the northwest limit opportunity there. Designated wilderness requires a nonresident to have a licensed guide or resident guide. This hunt is restricted to cow or calf and may be held on either public or private land within the area.

Land and access

National Forest60%

Generally open to public hunting

private land27%

Private

BLM11%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 73% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 332 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.

It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before hunting it. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

This hunt area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where elk are mapped

Summer Range44%

used in summer

Winter Range41%

used in winter

Yearlong Range22%

the only layer that means year-round use

Parturition Areas13%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Crucial Winter Range12%

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

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

Sagebrush66%

Other cover17%

Riparian8%

Grass and meadow4%

Conifer4%

Mid elevations

Grass and meadow43%

Sagebrush36%

Conifer15%

Aspen4%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Grass and meadow54%

Conifer39%

Sagebrush3%

Aspen2%

Riparian1%

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	32°F	10°F	16.7 in
February	34°F	11°F	16 in
March	42°F	17°F	13.6 in
April	50°F	23°F	8.6 in
May	59°F	31°F	0.8 in
June	70°F	38°F	0 in
July	77°F	44°F	0 in
August	75°F	42°F	0 in
September	67°F	36°F	0.3 in
October	54°F	27°F	3.3 in
November	40°F	18°F	11.9 in
December	31°F	10°F	16.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general elk licence in hunt area 110?: Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region S general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Preference points matter for nonresidents in the draw but do not apply to residents, whose elk draw is random.
Does hunt area 110 contain designated wilderness?: Yes, designated wilderness is present on this ground. A nonresident hunting in that wilderness must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide—a legal requirement that nonresidents must plan for. Residents may hunt designated wilderness without accompaniment.
When do the general elk seasons run in hunt area 110?: The general-licence any-elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 15–31, spanning the transition from the primary rut into the post-rut recovery period. An antlerless-only hunt follows November 1–7. A separate limited hunt for cow or calf on private land runs August 15–January 31.
How much of hunt area 110 is public land that a hunter can generally count on?: Public land—National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land—covers about 73% of the area, roughly 332 square miles. However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply, and private inholdings fragment the public ground. Access is most difficult along the northwestern edge.
What is the country like to hunt in hunt area 110?: The area ranges from sagebrush slopes below 7,000 feet to forested ridges at 10,900 feet, with most terrain moderate in grade. Nearly all public land burned in 2020 and now supports regenerating aspen, standing dead timber and open cover that elk use year-round. Rugged canyons line the North Platte River, and riparian meadows follow the major creeks. Elk shift between high summer range and lower winter range across the seasons.

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