Can a hunter draw a general elk licence for hunt area 2 as a Wyoming resident?

No. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter from mid-July onward with no draw involved and no preference points required. A nonresident wanting to hunt on a general licence must draw a Region E general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas of that region but does not guarantee any specific area.

What public land can a hunter count on in hunt area 2?

Roughly a third of the area—about 129 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land—is dependably accessible. The remainder is private, though some private landowners allow access by permission. Roads, seasonal closures, and private holdings still restrict what a hunter can actually reach.

Where is the elk density highest in hunt area 2?

Elk are found throughout the area, but occur in higher densities in the rougher, more rugged country in the western part of the hunt area. That country is steeper and more broken by juniper draws, and it typically requires more effort to reach.

Does hunt area 2 require a nonresident guide?

No. Hunt area 2 contains no designated wilderness, so no guide requirement applies. A Wilderness Study Area is present, but that does not carry the nonresident guide rule that designated wilderness does.

How many seasons does hunt area 2 offer for general elk licences?

Two: an archery-only season in late September and an any-elk regular season in early October, followed by an antlerless-only season in late October and November. A separate cow-or-calf hunt runs October through December and is valid only in hunt area 2 itself.

Wyoming Hunt Area 2 (Fortification) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

33%

Elevation

3,600–4,900 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Elk region

Hunt area 2 lies east of the Powder River and spans 393 square miles of rolling sagebrush country broken by juniper-filled draws. The terrain grades mostly gentle to moderate, though steeper pitches cut through the landscape where draws cut deeper. Sagebrush dominates the vegetation, covering 81% of the area, with grass and meadow openings making up most of the rest. Elevation ranges from 3,600 to 4,900 feet, with typical hunting country around 4,300 feet—high enough to see winter snow but not high country in the strict sense. The ground is mixed public and private, with roughly a third of the area on BLM and State Trust Land that a hunter can generally count on; the remaining two-thirds is private. Most private land here is tied to outfitters, so hunters planning to work private ground must secure access before they apply for a licence.

Getting onto the public side of hunt area 2 is not straightforward. Roads and seasonal closures apply to public ownership, and inholdings complicate access. The main public entry point requires roughly a 6-mile hike to reach the more rugged, higher-density elk country. Horses can work this terrain, though water is scarce and needs advance research. The broader public ground—the gentler, more open sagebrush country on BLM and State—can be entered where landowner permission extends it; availability shifts year to year, and each hunter bears the responsibility to confirm access before the season opens. This combination means hunt area 2 demands more legwork on access than many alternatives.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 2 (Fortification) 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 E, 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
Archery September 20 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 20
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular October 21 – November 15
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Regular October 1 – December 15

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 (September–October)

Early-season hunting for any elk spans the archery window in late September and transitions into the regular rifle hunt in early October, covering the heart of the rut when bulls are actively seeking and herding cows. September weather is mild, with highs around 75 degrees and little snow, making it ideal for moving through the sagebrush and draws; October warms into early weeks but cools by month's end, with occasional light snow beginning to accumulate. The hiking access to the higher-density elk country plays to this season's pace—bulls are vocal and less stable, and the effort to reach rougher ground pays off. Hunters are limited to any elk, bulls or cows, on both the archery and rifle portions.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October–November)

The antlerless season from late October into November hunts bulls in early recovery from the rut and through the migration transition as elk begin to shift with November's cooling. October's declining temperatures—highs dropping into the 50s—continue into November, when highs fall to the mid-40s and snowfall climbs to around 2 inches for the month. This season challenges public-land access: with private holdings dominant and most enrollment subject to annual change, hunters must confirm what ground remains open as fall advances. Only antlerless elk—cows and calves—are legal.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (October–December)

The cow-or-calf hunt runs from October into December, starting during the late rut and extending through winter range settlement as December arrives and snow deepens. October and November weather trends—cooling and moistening—persist into December, when highs plummet to around 36 degrees and monthly snowfall reaches 3.5 inches, making high-elevation country and the steeper draws increasingly challenging. Access remains dependent on private-land permission and the limited public entries; horses, where feasible and where water is confirmed, can help reach and stay in rougher country as conditions tighten. This hunt is valid only within hunt area 2 itself, not in adjacent areas, and allows only cows or calves.

Land and access

private land67%

Private

BLM27%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land5%

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 129 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 40% 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 Range34%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range29%

used in winter

Parturition Areas23%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Crucial Winter Range15%

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

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

Sagebrush81%

Grass and meadow15%

Other cover3%

Conifer1%

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	13°F	3.7 in
February	38°F	15°F	3.3 in
March	49°F	24°F	2.4 in
April	56°F	31°F	1.5 in
May	65°F	40°F	0 in
June	77°F	49°F	0 in
July	87°F	56°F	0 in
August	85°F	54°F	0 in
September	75°F	45°F	0 in
October	59°F	33°F	1.1 in
November	46°F	22°F	2.1 in
December	36°F	14°F	3.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a general elk licence for hunt area 2 as a Wyoming resident?: No. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter from mid-July onward with no draw involved and no preference points required. A nonresident wanting to hunt on a general licence must draw a Region E general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas of that region but does not guarantee any specific area.
What public land can a hunter count on in hunt area 2?: Roughly a third of the area—about 129 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land—is dependably accessible. The remainder is private, though some private landowners allow access by permission. Roads, seasonal closures, and private holdings still restrict what a hunter can actually reach.
Where is the elk density highest in hunt area 2?: Elk are found throughout the area, but occur in higher densities in the rougher, more rugged country in the western part of the hunt area. That country is steeper and more broken by juniper draws, and it typically requires more effort to reach.
Does hunt area 2 require a nonresident guide?: No. Hunt area 2 contains no designated wilderness, so no guide requirement applies. A Wilderness Study Area is present, but that does not carry the nonresident guide rule that designated wilderness does.
How many seasons does hunt area 2 offer for general elk licences?: Two: an archery-only season in late September and an any-elk regular season in early October, followed by an antlerless-only season in late October and November. A separate cow-or-calf hunt runs October through December and is valid only in hunt area 2 itself.

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