Can a hunter draw a region licence to hunt in hunt area 125?

No. Hunt area 125 is a limited-quota draw area and must be drawn specifically for this hunt area alone. A regional elk licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota areas.

How much public land can a nonresident or resident hunter count on in hunt area 125?

Roughly 96 square miles—about 33 percent of the hunt area—is dependably open BLM and State Trust Land. The remaining 67 percent is private ground. Roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all still affect entry to public land, and elk on public ground occur at low densities.

Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw elk in hunt area 125?

No. Wyoming residents do not earn preference points for elk. The resident draw for this hunt area is random. Nonresidents, however, do use preference points; three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw awarded by points, and the remaining quarter to a random draw.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 125?

Archery for any elk and for cow or calf runs September 1–30. Rifle seasons for any elk run October 1–December 31, and for cow or calf October 1–January 31. A separate antlerless-elk season runs January 1–31 by rifle only.

Wyoming Hunt Area 125 (Elk Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

33%

Elevation

6,600–11,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 125 spans 288 square miles across the Snowy Range herd unit, climbing from 6,600 feet in the lower basins to 11,200 feet in the high country. The terrain is predominantly gentle, rolling country—81 percent of the area is graded gentle slope. Sagebrush dominates the landscape at 72 percent of the cover, with grassland and meadow making up another 12 percent and scattered conifer forest, riparian ground, and other habitat filling the remainder. This is a mixed country of broad sagebrush flats dotted with irrigated meadows along creeks, timbered ridges and draws in the higher elevations, and broken rimrock formations. Elk move through lodgepole pine forest, aspen stands, mountain shrubland, and sagebrush-grass country as they shift between the creek bottoms and the higher ground.

Much of the hunt area lies in a checkerboard of private and public ownership where every other section is private land. Large ranches dominate, creating expansive blocks that are either closed to hunting or available only through outfitters. Public land—roughly 96 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land—is huntable, but roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still apply. On public ground, elk typically occur at low densities. Nonresidents and residents alike must draw this limited-quota hunt area specifically; a regional elk licence does not reach it.

Access for most hunters depends on the Elk Mountain Hunter Management Area and the Carbon County Walk-In Area 12. The Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip from the managing organization before hunting; the walk-in area is open to those who arrive during its posted season without prior permission. Both private-land options are renegotiated annually and should not be assumed to remain open. Hunting mature bulls on public ground, or gaining private access to do so, is difficult in this checkerboard country.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 125 (Elk Mountain) 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 1 – December 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular January 1 – January 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 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–December)

Archery season for any elk runs through September, spanning the rut onset into the primary rut when bulls are bugling hard and responsive. Early September weather is mild, with highs near 71 degrees, but deteriorates rapidly through the month as afternoons grow shorter and nights cool toward 40 degrees; early season archery can occur under pleasant conditions, but late September hunts encounter sharper swings and occasional light snow. Public land holds elk at low densities, and private-land access is difficult to secure. Rifle season follows October 1 through December 31, tracking the late rut into post-rut recovery and then the migration transition as elk begin settling into winter range. October highs drop to 56 degrees with lows around 30 and monthly snowfall near 1.8 inches; November is colder still, and by December highs settle near 32 degrees with heavy snowfall averaging 7.9 inches monthly. The same access barriers that limit archery apply to the rifle season. This license covers any legal elk—bulls, cows, and calves.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (January)

January rifle hunting for antlerless elk is a cold, snowy affair played out on winter range where elk are concentrated and predictable in their movements. Highs hover near 33 degrees with lows at 13 and snowfall averaging 6.3 inches per month, making travel difficult but tracking easier. Antlerless seasons on small-acreage private options like the Elk Mountain Hunter Management Area and the Carbon Walk-In Area 12 concentrate the available hunt. This license permits only cows and calves, not bulls.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–January)

The Type 6 cow-or-calf hunt runs archery through September and rifle from October 1 through January 31, following the rut and winter ecology just as the any-elk season does. Archery in September encounters the primary rut as bulls chase cows; rifle hunting from October onward tracks bulls in post-rut and early winter as cows and calves remain accessible. Access through the Elk Mountain Hunter Management Area—which requires a printed permission slip—and the Carbon Walk-In Area 12 remains the primary opportunity, particularly for antlerless hunting on private ground. This license permits only cows and calves, not bulls.

Land and access

private land67%

Private

BLM25%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

About 33% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 96 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 25% 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.

This hunt area has 1 enrolled walk-in area. It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. Both are 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. 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

Winter Range88%

used in winter

Yearlong Range38%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range7%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range7%

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

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

Sagebrush72%

Grass and meadow12%

Conifer7%

Other cover7%

Riparian3%

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	33°F	13°F	6.3 in
February	35°F	14°F	6.8 in
March	44°F	21°F	6 in
April	52°F	27°F	3.9 in
May	63°F	35°F	0.1 in
June	74°F	43°F	0 in
July	82°F	49°F	0 in
August	80°F	48°F	0 in
September	71°F	40°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	30°F	1.8 in
November	42°F	21°F	4.7 in
December	32°F	13°F	7.9 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a region licence to hunt in hunt area 125?: No. Hunt area 125 is a limited-quota draw area and must be drawn specifically for this hunt area alone. A regional elk licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota areas.
How much public land can a nonresident or resident hunter count on in hunt area 125?: Roughly 96 square miles—about 33 percent of the hunt area—is dependably open BLM and State Trust Land. The remaining 67 percent is private ground. Roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all still affect entry to public land, and elk on public ground occur at low densities.
Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw elk in hunt area 125?: No. Wyoming residents do not earn preference points for elk. The resident draw for this hunt area is random. Nonresidents, however, do use preference points; three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw awarded by points, and the remaining quarter to a random draw.
What are the access options for hunters in hunt area 125?: Hunters can use the Carbon County Walk-In Area 12, which is open during its posted season without prior permission, or the Elk Mountain Hunter Management Area, which requires a printed permission slip obtained in advance. Both are renegotiated annually. The remainder of the area is largely private land in large ranches.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 125?: Archery for any elk and for cow or calf runs September 1–30. Rifle seasons for any elk run October 1–December 31, and for cow or calf October 1–January 31. A separate antlerless-elk season runs January 1–31 by rifle 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