Can a hunter use a general or region elk licence in hunt area 123?

No. Hunt area 123 is a limited-quota hunt area and requires a specific license drawn for that area alone. A general or region licence is valid only in the open, general-licence areas of its region and does not cover this ground.

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

No. The resident elk draw is purely random with no preference points; Wyoming residents do not bank or use points for elk at all. Nonresidents do enter a preference-point draw, but residents enter the random pool without regard to points.

How much of hunt area 123 can a hunter generally access on public land?

About 39% of the area—roughly 247 square miles—is public ground a hunter can generally count on, spread across National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land. Most of this public land is concentrated on the southern boundary, and roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply.

Where are most of the elk in hunt area 123 found?

Most elk are found on private land. Public land is fragmented and does not provide a reliable path to elk; hunters without permission on private ground or access to enrolled walk-in areas face a difficult public-land hunt.

When do the archery and rifle elk seasons run in hunt area 123?

Archery for any elk runs September 1–14. Rifle seasons for any elk run September 15–October 20, antlerless elk September 15–November 30, and cow or calf September 15–November 30. A separate cow-or-calf licence valid on private land runs September 1–January 31.

Wyoming Hunt Area 123 (Black Thunder) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

39%

Elevation

4,200–5,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 123 is rolling prairie country in the Rochelle Hills, ranging from 4,200 to 5,200 feet with mostly gentle slopes. The landscape alternates between sagebrush and grass meadows interspersed with rocky ridges and hills, where ponderosa pine grows on higher ground. Elk use all these cover types across the area, but the hunt here is heavily constrained by land access: about 39% of the 627 square miles is public ground a hunter can generally depend on, split between National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, while 61% is private. The public land is fragmented and scattered, with much of it concentrated on the southern boundary and accessible only by specific roads and trailheads subject to seasonal closure. This fragmentation means that while the country itself is huntable on foot, getting onto reliable public ground and then finding elk takes real work.

The accessibility challenge shapes the entire hunt. Most elk in the area are found on private land, and the public acreage that does exist is not strategically positioned to intercept them during the season. Hunters who have not secured prior permission on private ground or enrolled walk-in areas will spend considerable time glassing and hiking public ridges and slopes with no guarantee of contact. Spring snowmelt and fall storms can further limit access to higher country, and weather varies sharply across the season: early September brings warm days in the low 70s and cool nights in the 40s with little snow, but by November highs have dropped to the mid-40s with more than 2 inches of snow typical, and January hunts face single-digit lows and near 2.5 inches of monthly snowfall. A nonresident considering this area must draw a specific license for hunt area 123 itself—a region license does not cover it—while a resident enters a random draw with no preference points involved.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 123 (Black Thunder) 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 14Regular September 15 – October 20
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 14Regular September 15 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Regular September 15 – November 30
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land
Regular September 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 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Hunting during archery in early September means pursuing elk just as the rut begins to build, when bulls are finishing shedding velvet and becoming vocal and aggressive. Daytime temperatures run warm—typically reaching the low 70s—with crisp mornings in the 40s and virtually no snow, favoring early-morning glassing and all-day sits where water and shade concentrate animals. Public-land access remains open on those few reliable trailheads and roads, though gaining legal entry to the bulk of the herd on private ground requires advance permission. This licence allows any elk—bull or cow. Rifle hunting from mid-September through late October spans the rut's most intense phase into its tailing off, when bulls are chasing and fighting and gradually lose voice and vigor as breeding winds down. Temperatures drop steadily from the high 50s in mid-October to the high 40s by month's end, and October snowfall averages less than an inch, keeping higher ridges mostly open. Hunters must rely on the same public access and private-land arrangement as archery, with the added challenge that public elk tend to move deeper into private ground as pressure builds. Any elk may be taken.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

The archery window through early September coincides with rut onset, when bulls are highly responsive to calls and bugles, though hunting pockets of elk on fragmented public ground remains difficult without private access. Warm temperatures and dry conditions hold through this period, with September highs typically in the low 70s and minimal snow. Rifle hunting runs from mid-September through November, spanning the peak rut into its collapse and into the migration transition when elk begin shifting winter range and moving across the landscape. Weather deteriorates steadily: October averages less than an inch of snow and highs around 58 degrees, November brings frequent snow totaling 2.2 inches and highs only in the mid-40s, and by late November deep snow may compress the hunt to lower country and private land where most elk shelter. This licence is restricted to antlerless elk—cows and calves only—and the same public-land constraints apply throughout.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

Hunting cow or calf from mid-September through November spans the rut from its peak through its finish into the migration transition, when elk movements become erratic and animals spread across the landscape in search of winter ground. September offers warm days in the low 70s with minimal snow and good visibility for glassing; October cools and dries slightly with less than an inch of snow; November tightens pressure with over 2 inches of snow, temperatures dropping to the mid-40s, and weather pushing more animals off public ridges toward private land below. Public access remains limited and fragmented, requiring either discovered trailheads on the southern boundary or prior arrangement with private landowners. Hunters may take cows and calves only—no bulls.

Type 8 — Cow or calf valid on private land (September–January)

This licence is valid only on private land and runs September through January, allowing hunters to focus entirely on elk that have retreated to private ground as public-land pressure builds and weather worsens. Early season (September through October) still offers warm temperatures and limited snow, but as November arrives, frequent snow averaging 2.2 inches drives elk to shelter; December and January hunts take place in harsh conditions with highs only around 35 degrees, lows dropping well below freezing, and roughly 2.4 inches of monthly snow. Success depends entirely on access arrangements with private landholders and does not involve public land. Hunters may take cows and calves only.

Land and access

private land61%

Private

National Forest17%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM15%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

About 39% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 247 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.

the Wyoming Game & Fish Department publishes 30% public land for this hunt area. That counts public ownership; the figure above counts ground a hunter can depend on getting onto. They answer different questions, so both are shown rather than blended.

Where elk are mapped

Yearlong Range21%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range3%

used in winter

Parturition Areas2%

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

Sagebrush48%

Grass and meadow46%

Other cover4%

Conifer2%

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	35°F	12°F	2.4 in
February	37°F	14°F	2.9 in
March	48°F	22°F	2.2 in
April	55°F	29°F	1.8 in
May	65°F	39°F	0 in
June	77°F	48°F	0 in
July	86°F	55°F	0 in
August	85°F	53°F	0 in
September	74°F	44°F	0 in
October	58°F	32°F	0.8 in
November	45°F	21°F	2.2 in
December	35°F	13°F	3.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general or region elk licence in hunt area 123?: No. Hunt area 123 is a limited-quota hunt area and requires a specific license drawn for that area alone. A general or region licence is valid only in the open, general-licence areas of its region and does not cover this ground.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for an elk hunt in this area?: No. The resident elk draw is purely random with no preference points; Wyoming residents do not bank or use points for elk at all. Nonresidents do enter a preference-point draw, but residents enter the random pool without regard to points.
How much of hunt area 123 can a hunter generally access on public land?: About 39% of the area—roughly 247 square miles—is public ground a hunter can generally count on, spread across National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land. Most of this public land is concentrated on the southern boundary, and roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply.
Where are most of the elk in hunt area 123 found?: Most elk are found on private land. Public land is fragmented and does not provide a reliable path to elk; hunters without permission on private ground or access to enrolled walk-in areas face a difficult public-land hunt.
When do the archery and rifle elk seasons run in hunt area 123?: Archery for any elk runs September 1–14. Rifle seasons for any elk run September 15–October 20, antlerless elk September 15–November 30, and cow or calf September 15–November 30. A separate cow-or-calf licence valid on private land runs September 1–January 31.

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