Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt this area?

No. Hunt area 118 is a limited-quota area drawn for this specific area alone. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota hunt areas. A hunter drawn for this area must hold a licence drawn specifically for hunt area 118.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in this area?

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw is random, with no point cutoff for any hunt area in the state. Nonresidents do use preference points—three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded by points, and a quarter are drawn randomly—but residents do not.

How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually get onto?

About 75 percent of the area is public land, but actual access is much more limited. The southern half is divided into a checkerboard of private and public parcels, and public land that does not border a road is generally unreachable without permission. The northern portion has better public-land access. The Chain Lakes Wildlife and Habitat Management Area provides entry to roughly 100 square miles in the northwest corner.

When does the regular season run in this area?

The Type 1 antlered-elk regular season runs October 22–November 12. Type 4 antlerless elk runs October 22–November 30. Type 7 (cow or calf south of the Mineral X Road) runs October 1–November 30. Archery seasons for all three types run September 1–30.

What happens to roads in this hunt area when it rains?

Roads in the alkaline southern and eastern portions become muddy and nearly impassable when wet. Roads in the sandier northern areas often stay drivable through light rain. October snowfall averages about 1 inch; by November it climbs to 2.6 inches, which can affect driving conditions further.

Wyoming Hunt Area 118 (Shamrock Hills) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

75%

Elevation

6,500–8,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 118 covers 1,094 square miles of high desert and rolling foothills between 6,500 and 8,100 feet, graded almost entirely gentle terrain in sagebrush country that rarely breaks into trees. The southern and eastern portions are rocky mesas cut by alkaline flats; the rest is sandy rolling hills that rise toward the foothills to the north. Riparian meadows are few and scattered along the larger creeks. Elk densities run low across the unit but concentrate in the southeast, southwest and northeast corners. The open terrain makes these elk highly mobile—they travel miles quickly when disturbed, and many never encounter a tree in their lives. Roads are sparse, and the southwestern portion has seen intensive natural gas development that leaves a dense network of drilling roads in place.

Getting onto the public ground is the hunt area's main challenge. About 75 percent of the area is public land, mostly BLM and State land, but southern portions are divided into a checkerboard pattern where private ownership alternates with public, and the public parcels that do not border a public road are generally unreachable without permission. Large ranches dominate; significant blocks of the southern half are closed to public hunting or available only to outfitted clients or through trespass fees. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Chain Lakes Wildlife and Habitat Management Area in the northwest corner opens roughly 100 square miles, though the country is too dry to hold many elk. The northern portion of the hunt area has better public-land access and is more reliably open to hunting.

October and November weather is unpredictable here. Early October can be dry and windy with highs in the 70s; by November those highs drop to the low 40s, and snowfall climbs from roughly an inch in October to 2.6 inches in November. Roads in the alkaline southern flats become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, while the sandier northern roads often stay drivable through light precipitation.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 118 (Shamrock 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 · Antlered elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 22 – November 12
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 22 – November 30
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid south of the Mineral X Road (Sweetwater County Road 63 and B.L.M. Road 3206)
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30

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 1 — Antlered elk (September–November)

Archery runs September 1–30 during rut onset and the primary rut, with September offering mild conditions and highs around 72 degrees. The regular season extends October 22–November 12 during post-rut recovery and the migration period, experiencing cooling highs in early October that drop to the low 40s by mid-November, with snowfall rising from roughly an inch in October to 2.6 inches in November. Elk are scattered and mobile throughout, sensitive to disturbance in the open terrain; access follows the pattern of the hunt area overall, with public ground more reliable in the north and the checkerboard south limiting routes to roads and permitted entries. This hunt is for antlered elk only—a hunter must take an elk with antlers to be legal.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

Antlerless hunting opens for archery September 1–30 during rut onset and the primary rut, when September temperatures stay mild with highs near 72 degrees. The regular season runs October 22–November 30, spanning post-rut recovery and migration when highs cool from the high 50s in late October into the low 40s by November, snowfall accumulating around an inch in October and climbing to 2.6 inches in November. Elk remain scattered and quick to move in response to pressure across the open country; hunters face the same access constraints as the antlered hunt, with better ground in the north and restricted entry through the southern checkerboard. Any elk without antlers is legal, giving a hunter flexibility to take either sex once found.

Type 7 — Cow or calf valid south of the… (September–November)

This hunt is limited to the country south of the Mineral X Road (Sweetwater County Road 63 and B.L.M. Road 3206) and covers archery September 1–30 through rut onset and the primary rut, with September highs around 72 degrees, then regular seasons from October 1–November 30 spanning the late rut, early post-rut, post-rut recovery, and migration periods as temperatures decline from the 50s to the low 40s and snowfall rises from roughly an inch in October to 2.6 inches in November. The restriction to the southern portion concentrates hunting pressure in the checkerboard country, where access is most constrained by private holdings and requires careful planning to road networks and public parcels. Legal animals are cows or calves only—no bulls, whether antlered or antlerless, are valid in this season.

Land and access

BLM64%

Generally open to public hunting

private land25%

Private

State Wildlife Areas9%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 75% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 820 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

Yearlong Range24%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush98%

Other cover2%

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	13°F	3.2 in
February	35°F	14°F	3.3 in
March	45°F	22°F	3.3 in
April	54°F	28°F	2.2 in
May	65°F	37°F	0 in
June	77°F	45°F	0 in
July	85°F	52°F	0 in
August	83°F	51°F	0 in
September	72°F	42°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	31°F	1 in
November	42°F	21°F	2.6 in
December	32°F	13°F	3.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt this area?: No. Hunt area 118 is a limited-quota area drawn for this specific area alone. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota hunt areas. A hunter drawn for this area must hold a licence drawn specifically for hunt area 118.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in this area?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw is random, with no point cutoff for any hunt area in the state. Nonresidents do use preference points—three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded by points, and a quarter are drawn randomly—but residents do not.
How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually get onto?: About 75 percent of the area is public land, but actual access is much more limited. The southern half is divided into a checkerboard of private and public parcels, and public land that does not border a road is generally unreachable without permission. The northern portion has better public-land access. The Chain Lakes Wildlife and Habitat Management Area provides entry to roughly 100 square miles in the northwest corner.
When does the regular season run in this area?: The Type 1 antlered-elk regular season runs October 22–November 12. Type 4 antlerless elk runs October 22–November 30. Type 7 (cow or calf south of the Mineral X Road) runs October 1–November 30. Archery seasons for all three types run September 1–30.
What happens to roads in this hunt area when it rains?: Roads in the alkaline southern and eastern portions become muddy and nearly impassable when wet. Roads in the sandier northern areas often stay drivable through light rain. October snowfall averages about 1 inch; by November it climbs to 2.6 inches, which can affect driving conditions further.

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