Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in 117?

No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk hunting—the resident elk draw is random, with no point system at all. Nonresidents, however, compete in a preference-point draw where three quarters of the licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw, so points matter significantly for nonresidents.

How much of 117 is actually accessible to a hunter?

About 26 percent of the area—roughly 195 square miles—is dependably open public land on National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM. The remaining 74 percent is private ground, and trespass fees are standard for hunting there.

What walk-in access is available in 117?

Three walk-in areas are available: Weston County Walk In Area 7, Crook County Walk In Area 5 and Weston County Walk In Area 10. No permission or application is needed—a hunter may walk in during the posted open period. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before the season.

Which seasons allow hunting bull elk in 117?

The Type 1 Any Elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–November 30, allowing bulls. The Type 3 and Type 6 hunts restrict the animal to spike or antlerless elk. The Type 8 hunt (August 1–January 31) is cow or calf on private land only.

Wyoming Hunt Area 117 (South Black Hills) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

26%

Elevation

3,500–6,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 117 covers rolling topography in the Black Hills between 3,500 and 6,600 feet, with typical ground around 5,000 feet. The terrain is gentle overall, grading mostly to moderate slope. At lower elevations, grassland and meadow dominate the cover, mixed with sagebrush and scattered conifers. Higher up, conifers thicken, but openings remain common. Most elk occur in Ponderosa pine and aspen country interspersed with natural clearings and agricultural lands. During early and late season, large groups of mostly cow and calf elk move into and around agricultural zones and the uplands that border them.

The majority of elk on this hunt area live on private land and are only occasionally found on public ground. This pattern shapes the entire hunt: elk shift between private and public parcels throughout the season, and access to productive private ground usually requires a trespass fee. About 26 percent of the area—roughly 195 square miles—is dependably open public land on the National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM. The Bearlodge Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest occupies a small section south of Sundance and requires a travel management map to determine which roads are open to vehicles and where dispersed camping and limited off-road retrieval are permitted. Walk-in areas are available through Weston County Walk In Area 7, Crook County Walk In Area 5 and Weston County Walk In Area 10, though enrollment in these is renegotiated annually. Additional public access lies along the Wyoming-South Dakota stateline near U.S. Highways 16 and 85, though seasonal closures and private inholdings still constrain movement even there.

The seasons here span archery and rifle hunting from September through January, plus a private-land-only cow hunt that runs August through January. Early seasons coincide with the tail of summer and the beginning of the rut, when elk are dispersed and responsive to calling. October and November bring cooler weather and the main migration period, though snow remains light until December. Late-season hunts from December onward occur in winter conditions, when snow accumulation increases substantially and elk concentrate on range they use year-round.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 117 (South Black Hills) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. A region licence does not reach it — a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, so there is no fallback for this hunt.

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 1 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular December 1 – January 31
Type 3 · Spike or antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – January 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – January 31
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land
Regular August 1 – 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 8 — Cow or calf valid on private land (August–January)

The Type 8 hunt for cow or calf on private land runs August 1 through January 31 and offers the longest season on this area. August and early September hold warm days and cool mornings, with elk scattered through aspen and pine country and often spending time in adjacent agricultural areas where they feed. As the season carries through fall and into winter, temperatures drop steadily—November brings frequent snow and December and January become consistently cold with substantial monthly snowfall—and elk concentrate on year-round range. This hunt is restricted to private land, so access depends entirely on obtaining permission or paying trespass fees.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–November)

The Type 1 Any Elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–November 30, allowing hunters to pursue bulls. The archery opener comes during the early rut when bulls are vocal and responsive, though elk are still dispersed through the higher country and scattered openings. By rifle season in mid-October, bulls are past their peak but still active in the post-rut phase; October stays cool and mild, easing foot travel, while November turns decidedly colder with increasing snow that can reach nearly 4 inches per month. Access splits between limited public ground and private land requiring fees. Drawing odds for this hunt are somewhat difficult.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (December–January)

The Type 1 Antlerless Elk hunt for December 1–January 31 comes as winter settles across the hunt area. By this window, herds have moved onto their winter range and consolidated into larger groups, which can aid glassing from a distance but also means competition from other hunters. Temperatures hover around freezing or below through both months, with December averaging 6.6 inches of snow and January roughly 7.3 inches, making conditions heavy and travel difficult. Most productive ground remains private land, and hunters must account for both the cost of access and the physical demands of deep snow.

Type 3 — Spike or antlerless elk (September–January)

Hunting for spike or antlerless elk spans archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–January 31, giving Type 3 hunters the longest rifle season of any limited-quota hunt here. The archery phase opens during the early rut when bulls are vocal, though this hunt restricts the animal, making it suited to hunters without bull aspirations who want to hunt during prime rut conditions. Rifle season carries through the post-rut period in October and the migration transition of November, when cooler temperatures and increasing snow push elk movement. By December, conditions turn harsh with substantial snowfall and well-below-freezing temperatures that persist through January. Accessing elk depends on private-land trespass fees or the limited public ground available along the stateline and National Forest.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–January)

The Type 6 hunt for cow or calf runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–January 31 on the same long schedule as Type 3. Archery hunters encounter bulls in the early rut, though the hunt restricts the harvest to antlerless animals; those hunting the rifle seasons move into October's post-rut period and November's migration transition, when cows and calves shift between private parcels and public land in response to pressure and weather. As December and January settle in, snow accumulation becomes substantial and consistent, confining most hunting to familiar ground or areas accessible by vehicle. Access is largely private land with associated trespass fees, supplemented by small amounts of public ground near the stateline.

Land and access

private land74%

Private

National Forest10%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM7%

Generally open to public hunting

About 26% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 195 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 3 enrolled walk-in areas. 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

Yearlong Range94%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range8%

used in winter

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

Grass and meadow62%

Conifer15%

Sagebrush14%

Other cover9%

Mid elevations

Grass and meadow51%

Conifer24%

Sagebrush14%

Other cover11%

Higher elevations

Conifer58%

Grass and meadow21%

Other cover11%

Sagebrush11%

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	34°F	12°F	7.3 in
February	36°F	13°F	6.7 in
March	46°F	22°F	4.3 in
April	54°F	29°F	4.1 in
May	63°F	39°F	0 in
June	74°F	48°F	0 in
July	83°F	55°F	0 in
August	82°F	53°F	0 in
September	72°F	44°F	0 in
October	56°F	32°F	1.4 in
November	43°F	21°F	3.9 in
December	34°F	13°F	6.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general region licence to hunt 117?: No. Hunt area 117 is limited-quota and must be drawn individually—a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region. A hunter who draws for this area receives a licence specific to 117.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in 117?: No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk hunting—the resident elk draw is random, with no point system at all. Nonresidents, however, compete in a preference-point draw where three quarters of the licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw, so points matter significantly for nonresidents.
How much of 117 is actually accessible to a hunter?: About 26 percent of the area—roughly 195 square miles—is dependably open public land on National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM. The remaining 74 percent is private ground, and trespass fees are standard for hunting there.
What walk-in access is available in 117?: Three walk-in areas are available: Weston County Walk In Area 7, Crook County Walk In Area 5 and Weston County Walk In Area 10. No permission or application is needed—a hunter may walk in during the posted open period. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before the season.
Which seasons allow hunting bull elk in 117?: The Type 1 Any Elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–November 30, allowing bulls. The Type 3 and Type 6 hunts restrict the animal to spike or antlerless elk. The Type 8 hunt (August 1–January 31) is cow or calf on private land only.

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