Can a hunter take any elk in hunt area 21, or is the hunt restricted to cows and calves?

Hunt area 21 offers hunts for any elk under its general-licence seasons and its youth-only seasons, as well as separate hunts valid for cow or calf only. The specific legal animal depends on which season a hunter draws or obtains, so checking the season table is essential before applying.

Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw a general licence for hunt area 21?

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. A resident simply buys a general elk licence over the counter—there is no draw, no points system, and no wait. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw a region general licence, and preference points matter significantly in that draw.

How much of hunt area 21 can a hunter actually access on foot, and what walk-in areas are available?

Roughly 76% of the area—about 763 square miles—is dependably open public ground on BLM, national forest, state trust land, and state wildlife areas. Three walk-in areas (Carbon County Walk-In Areas 2, 6, and 8) provide access to private land in the southern periphery, open without application during their posted seasons. Private land interspersed throughout requires careful mapping, especially in the central portions.

Which seasons in hunt area 21 allow hunting with a general licence, and when do they run?

General-licence seasons are Type Gen (any elk, September 1–30 archery and October 15–31 regular) and Type Gen-Youth only (youth only, any elk, September 1–30 archery and October 11–12 regular). Residents buy a general licence over the counter; nonresidents must draw a region general licence. The Type 7 and Type 6 seasons require separate draws and are not general-licence hunts.

Does hunt area 21 require a nonresident to hire a guide, and are there any area restrictions?

Designated wilderness within the area requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting there—that is a legal requirement, not optional. Type 7 (cow or calf) is valid on private land only; Type 6 and Type Gen are not similarly restricted and may be hunted on both public and private ground where access is available.

Wyoming Hunt Area 21 (Baggs) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

76%

Elevation

6,200–11,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 21 holds diverse country across 1,002 square miles, from low sagebrush plains in the west through mixed mountain shrub at mid-elevations to high forested slopes in the southeast. Terrain is predominantly gentle, averaging 8.8 degrees of slope. Lower elevations are dominated by sagebrush with scattered riparian areas; as elevation rises, aspen, conifer, and grass become more interspersed among the sagebrush before the southeastern third transitions into lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, and spruce forest alongside aspen stands. The country hunts in two very different modes. Near roads—mostly on national forest land and lower-elevation BLM—hunting pressure concentrates heavily and elk learn quickly. Beyond the roads, on foot or horseback through the backcountry, a hunter encounters a different hunt entirely, and this is where the country rewards effort.

About 76% of the area is dependably open to public hunting: BLM, national forest, state trust land, and state wildlife areas totaling roughly 763 square miles. The remaining 24% is private land, interspersed throughout but notably denser in the central portions; a hunter must map carefully in those sections. Three walk-in areas provide access to private ground in the southern periphery during their open periods, with no application required. Public access itself is not straightforward—roads, seasonal closures, trailheads, and private inholdings all restrict where a hunter can actually go—but the framework is there. The area contains designated wilderness, and a nonresident must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide to hunt there legally.

Weather shapes the hunt markedly. August opens mild, with highs around 78°F and virtually no snow. September remains pleasant, cooling to the high 60s. October drops sharply into the high 50s by day and can bring 2.9 inches of snow, tightening the season. November turns harsh—highs in the low 40s, lows in the low 20s, and monthly snowfall averaging 13.5 inches pushes weather as a forcing factor. December winters in fully, with highs around 33°F and 20.2 inches of monthly snow. Snow and cold drive elk to lower elevations and increase hunter success; conversely, mild weather concentrates them at higher, less accessible elevations.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 21 (Baggs) 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 S, 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 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 20
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid on private land
Regular August 15 – December 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 7 — Cow or calf valid on private land (August–December)

The cow-or-calf hunt runs long, August 15 through December 31, and is valid on private land only. Early season, August and early September, finds elk scattered across lower and mid-elevation summer grounds in mild weather; as the rut builds through September and October, bull activity rises but the hunt remains cows and calves. October snowfall—averaging 2.9 inches—can push elk to lower elevations and intensify hunting opportunity. November brings serious cold and heavy snow totaling 13.5 inches, concentrating elk at lower elevations and increasing access to animals seeking shelter and forage. December's harsh conditions drive further consolidation, though deep snow in December (averaging 20.2 inches) can make travel difficult for hunters even as elk become more vulnerable. Because this hunt is valid on private land only, access hinges on permission from landowners; public land cannot be used.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

The general-licence any-elk hunt spans two windows: archery September 1–30 and regular October 15–31. The archery phase coincides with rut onset and primary rut conditions—early September is pre-rut transition, building toward bugling by mid-month—when bulls are mobile and responsive to calling. Weather is cool but not harsh, with highs in the mid-60s and negligible snow. The regular season opens in late rut and post-rut recovery, October 15–31, after peak rut intensity has passed; bulls are still active but becoming more cautious, and October snowfall (averaging 2.9 inches) can push animals to lower elevations. Hunters have access to public land throughout—BLM, national forest, state trust land, and state wildlife areas—but must map carefully around private inholdings. Designated wilderness requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

The cow-or-calf hunt runs September 1–30 for archery and October 15–November 20 for regular rifle. During archery in early September, elk are in pre-rut and rut-onset phases, bulls are active and vocal, and weather is mild with highs in the upper 60s, favoring foot hunting and calling. The regular season spans late rut through post-rut recovery and into migration transition—October 15–31 sees cooling temperatures (highs dropping from mid-50s to low 40s) and increasing snow pressure (2.9 inches in October), while November cold and heavy snow (13.5 inches) drive elk down and consolidate them on winter grounds. Because this hunt allows only cow or calf, not bulls, hunters must distinguish animals carefully in the field. Public access is available throughout the area on BLM, national forest, state trust land, and state wildlife areas, though designated wilderness within the area requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.

Land and access

BLM37%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest26%

Generally open to public hunting

private land24%

Private

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 76% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 763 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 70% 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 3 enrolled walk-in areas. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. 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.

This hunt area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where elk are mapped

Winter Range81%

used in winter

Yearlong Range29%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range24%

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

Summer Range20%

used in summer

Parturition Areas9%

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush89%

Other cover6%

Grass and meadow2%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush86%

Aspen6%

Conifer3%

Grass and meadow3%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush43%

Conifer36%

Aspen16%

Grass and meadow3%

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	33°F	13°F	22 in
February	36°F	14°F	17.8 in
March	45°F	21°F	12.4 in
April	52°F	27°F	6.3 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.5 in
June	72°F	42°F	0 in
July	80°F	49°F	0 in
August	78°F	47°F	0 in
September	69°F	40°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	30°F	2.9 in
November	42°F	21°F	13.5 in
December	33°F	13°F	20.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take any elk in hunt area 21, or is the hunt restricted to cows and calves?: Hunt area 21 offers hunts for any elk under its general-licence seasons and its youth-only seasons, as well as separate hunts valid for cow or calf only. The specific legal animal depends on which season a hunter draws or obtains, so checking the season table is essential before applying.
Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw a general licence for hunt area 21?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. A resident simply buys a general elk licence over the counter—there is no draw, no points system, and no wait. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw a region general licence, and preference points matter significantly in that draw.
How much of hunt area 21 can a hunter actually access on foot, and what walk-in areas are available?: Roughly 76% of the area—about 763 square miles—is dependably open public ground on BLM, national forest, state trust land, and state wildlife areas. Three walk-in areas (Carbon County Walk-In Areas 2, 6, and 8) provide access to private land in the southern periphery, open without application during their posted seasons. Private land interspersed throughout requires careful mapping, especially in the central portions.
Which seasons in hunt area 21 allow hunting with a general licence, and when do they run?: General-licence seasons are Type Gen (any elk, September 1–30 archery and October 15–31 regular) and Type Gen-Youth only (youth only, any elk, September 1–30 archery and October 11–12 regular). Residents buy a general licence over the counter; nonresidents must draw a region general licence. The Type 7 and Type 6 seasons require separate draws and are not general-licence hunts.
Does hunt area 21 require a nonresident to hire a guide, and are there any area restrictions?: Designated wilderness within the area requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting there—that is a legal requirement, not optional. Type 7 (cow or calf) is valid on private land only; Type 6 and Type Gen are not similarly restricted and may be hunted on both public and private ground where access is available.

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