Can a hunter take antlerless elk in hunt area 127 on a general licence?

Yes. Hunt area 127 offers two general-licence seasons: a regular season for any elk from August through October, and a regular season for antlerless elk only from November through January. Both seasons are available on a general licence.

What preference points do nonresidents need for hunt area 127?

Preference points are not a requirement—they are a tool that improves a nonresident's odds in the draw pool. In the nonresident draw for Region general licences, three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw (where higher points rank applicants top-down), and a quarter go to a random draw open to everyone. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points and no point cutoff for any hunt area; their elk draw is random.

How much of hunt area 127 is public land that a hunter can access?

About 2% of the hunt area—roughly 62 square miles—consists of State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land. The remainder is private. Even on public ground, hunters must contend with roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures, so access requires careful planning and scouting.

Can a hunter hunt hunt area 127 on a Region general licence?

A Region general licence is valid in the general-licence areas of Region W, which includes hunt area 127. Nonresidents draw a Region general licence to hunt any or all of those areas; residents buy a general licence over the counter and can hunt any general area in Wyoming.

When does the rut activity occur during the August–October season in hunt area 127?

The season spans the late summer, pre-rut, rut onset, primary rut, and early post-rut phases. Late summer and pre-rut occupy August, rut onset begins in early September, the primary rut peaks through September, and post-rut recovery extends into October. Elk behavior and movement change significantly across these phases, affecting hunting strategy and success.

Wyoming Hunt Area 127 (Crowheart Butte) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

Elevation

4,600–12,800 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 127 is rolling sagebrush country ranging from 4,600 to 12,800 feet, with typical ground around 6,000 feet. Slope averages 7.7 degrees, and 72% of the area is gentle ground. At lower elevations, sagebrush dominates, mixed with significant areas of other cover, grass, and riparian ground. Moving up, sagebrush becomes even denser, with minimal grass and riparian. At higher elevations, sagebrush still prevails, but conifer begins to appear alongside grass and meadow. This mix of sagebrush and scattered timber across varied elevation makes hunt area 127 a foot-country proposition for much of the season, with weather playing a major role in where elk congregate and how accessible the terrain remains.

Getting onto public ground here is the limiting factor. State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land make up about 62 square miles of dependably open country, but that is only 2% of the hunt area's 3,084 square miles. The remainder is private land, and even the public holdings are subject to roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures. Hunters working hunt area 127 need to plan access carefully and expect to spend time locating open routes into the country they can legally hunt. Summer Range covers 4% of the area and Winter Range covers 2%, reflecting the seasonal distribution of mapped elk use across the hunt area's varied terrain.

A general elk licence hunts both seasons here. Residents buy a general licence over the counter with no draw involved and no preference points required—the resident draw for elk is random, with no point cutoff. Nonresidents must draw a Region general licence to hunt either season; within the nonresident draw pool for the region's general areas, three quarters of the licences are awarded to the preference-point draw (top-down by points held), and a quarter go to a random draw that all applicants enter.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 127 (Crowheart Butte) 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 W, 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 Gen — general licence · Any elk
Regular August 1 – October 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular November 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 Gen — Any elk (August–October)

Hunting any elk from August through October spans the rut cycle on hunt area 127. Late summer and early pre-rut conditions in August bring elk into sagebrush and mixed cover with highs around 81°F and minimal snow, making conditions warm and dry for glassing open country. By late August and early September, pre-rut and early rut activity begins to concentrate elk and make them more responsive to calling. The primary rut runs through mid-September, when bulls are most active and accessible; temperatures cool to the mid-50s by October, with occasional light snowfall beginning to appear. Hunters have access to State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land (roughly 62 square miles), but private land dominates the hunt area, so scouting and planning routes in advance is essential. This season allows any legal elk—bull or cow—on a general licence.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (November–January)

Hunting antlerless elk from November through January requires focus on cows and calves only. By November, elk enter the migration and winter-range phases, moving into lower-elevation habitat and becoming more predictable in their use of accessible country. November brings temperatures dropping to the mid-40s with around 1.3 inches of snow accumulation, while January cold tightens further, with highs near 36°F and lows near 12°F, along with roughly 1.5 inches of monthly snowfall. Winter conditions can make high-elevation travel difficult and may concentrate elk on lower public and private ground, but access remains limited to State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land plus whatever private ground a hunter has secured permission to use. This season is restricted to cows or calves; bulls cannot be legally taken.

Land and access

private land88%

Private

unclassified ownership10%

Ownership unclassified

State Wildlife Areas2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 2% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 62 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

Summer Range4%

used in summer

Winter Range2%

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

Sagebrush61%

Other cover23%

Grass and meadow9%

Riparian7%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush86%

Grass and meadow6%

Other cover5%

Riparian3%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush60%

Conifer23%

Grass and meadow14%

Other cover3%

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	36°F	12°F	1.5 in
February	39°F	13°F	2.6 in
March	49°F	21°F	1.4 in
April	55°F	28°F	1.2 in
May	64°F	36°F	0.3 in
June	75°F	44°F	0 in
July	83°F	50°F	0 in
August	81°F	48°F	0 in
September	71°F	40°F	0 in
October	58°F	30°F	0.8 in
November	44°F	20°F	1.3 in
December	35°F	11°F	2.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take antlerless elk in hunt area 127 on a general licence?: Yes. Hunt area 127 offers two general-licence seasons: a regular season for any elk from August through October, and a regular season for antlerless elk only from November through January. Both seasons are available on a general licence.
What preference points do nonresidents need for hunt area 127?: Preference points are not a requirement—they are a tool that improves a nonresident's odds in the draw pool. In the nonresident draw for Region general licences, three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw (where higher points rank applicants top-down), and a quarter go to a random draw open to everyone. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points and no point cutoff for any hunt area; their elk draw is random.
How much of hunt area 127 is public land that a hunter can access?: About 2% of the hunt area—roughly 62 square miles—consists of State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land. The remainder is private. Even on public ground, hunters must contend with roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures, so access requires careful planning and scouting.
Can a hunter hunt hunt area 127 on a Region general licence?: A Region general licence is valid in the general-licence areas of Region W, which includes hunt area 127. Nonresidents draw a Region general licence to hunt any or all of those areas; residents buy a general licence over the counter and can hunt any general area in Wyoming.
When does the rut activity occur during the August–October season in hunt area 127?: The season spans the late summer, pre-rut, rut onset, primary rut, and early post-rut phases. Late summer and pre-rut occupy August, rut onset begins in early September, the primary rut peaks through September, and post-rut recovery extends into October. Elk behavior and movement change significantly across these phases, affecting hunting strategy and success.

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