Can a hunter obtain a license for hunt area 22 using a general or region license?

No. Hunt area 22 is a limited-quota area and must be drawn specifically. A region license is valid only in the general-license areas of its region and does not cover this hunt area.

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

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw for this area is random, with no point cutoff and no points needed. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of licenses go to the top-ranked by preference points and a quarter go to a random draw open to all nonresidents.

How much of hunt area 22 is public land a hunter can access?

Public land makes up roughly 88 percent of the area, about 285 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. Private land comprises 12 percent. However, almost all roads in the area are primitive and four-wheel drive is recommended; seasonal closures, trailhead locations and private inholdings can all affect entry.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 22?

Multiple seasons run in this area. Type 1 Any Elk runs September 1–30 (archery only) and October 1–31 (rifle). Type 2 Antlered (five points or fewer) runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle). Type 6 Cow or Calf seasons run in the Muddy Creek drainage September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle), or in the entire area November 1–14 (rifle only), or November 15–December 31 (rifle only, also valid in Area 111).

What private land issues should a hunter know about in this area?

Most private land is found along watercourses and creeks. These can usually be avoided if permission has not been obtained. The Stone Creek Hunter Management Area, which is private land, requires a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish before hunting and is subject to annual re-enrollment.

Wyoming Hunt Area 22 (Ferris) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

88%

Elevation

5,900–10,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 22 spans 326 square miles of country centered on the Ferris Mountains, which rise sharply to 10,000 feet and dominate the landscape with rocky, forested ridges. The mountains themselves are nearly roadless; almost all routes penetrate only to their base. North of the range, open sagebrush prairie breaks into granite outcrops scattered with conifers. South, the range descends through a narrow band of foothills before giving way to stabilized and active sand dunes. Wildfires burned significant acreage on the eastern Ferris slope in 2011 and 2012. Riparian meadows, irrigated hayfields and scattered aspen pockets line several major creeks running through the foothills and lower country.

Most hunting happens on foot in the foothills and base zone rather than high on the mountains themselves, which are too steep and rocky for practical horse travel and lack the roads that would make them accessible. However, elk routinely move out into the desert, open prairie and aspen stands, making their location unpredictable. Most flowing water in the area sits in the foothills and lower country, and elk concentrate there, but hunters must be ready to find them dispersed. Almost all of hunt area 22 is public land—roughly 88 percent, or about 285 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land—but almost all roads within the area are primitive and four-wheel drive is recommended. October weather here is highly variable: conditions can shift from dry, windy days in the 70s and 80s to freezing cold with heavy snow. Some sandy and rocky sections of road stay drivable in wet conditions; others become impassable mud.

Access includes Carbon County Walk-In Area 10, which is open to foot hunting during its posted season without permission, and the Stone Creek Hunter Management Area, which requires a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish before hunting. Enrollment in these areas is renegotiated annually, so their availability should be confirmed before the season.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 22 (Ferris) 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 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlered elk five (5) points or less on either antler; also valid in Area 111
Regular November 15 – December 15
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular December 16 – December 31
Type 2 · Antlered elk five (5) points or less on either antler
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid in the Muddy Creek drainage
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid in the entire area
Regular November 1 – November 14
Type 6 · Cow or calf; also valid in Area 111
Regular November 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 6 — Cow or calf (November–December)

Late-season rifle hunting for cow or calf runs November 15 through December 31 and is also valid in Area 111. At this point elk are in their winter-range migration phase and settling into winter habitats. November brings snowfall averaging 3.3 inches, with highs around 42 degrees, while December is colder with highs near 31 degrees and snowfall climbing to 4.6 inches per month. Access via primitive roads is possible but can be muddy and unreliable when wet, though sandy and rocky sections often remain drivable. A hunter may only take a cow or calf, not an antlered bull.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Early-season elk hunting for any animal begins with an archery phase September 1–30 and transitions into a rifle season October 1–31. During September, elk are beginning the primary rut phase; archery hunters encounter warm conditions with highs around 72 degrees and minimal snow, but terrain and steepness require foot travel into the foothills and base country. October cooling is dramatic, with highs dropping to 56 degrees, snowfall increasing to 1.6 inches and the rut winding down into recovery phase. October weather can vary wildly from mild to freezing. Rifle hunters in October often find elk transitioning between summer and winter ranges. This season has no area restriction and allows any elk.

Type 1 — Antlered elk five (5) points or… (November–December)

Antlered elk hunting limited to five points or fewer on either antler runs November 15–December 15 and is also valid in Area 111. Elk are in migration and entering winter range during this period. November weather brings 3.3 inches of snowfall with highs around 42 degrees; by mid-December, highs drop near 31 degrees with snowfall around 4.6 inches per month. Primitive roads remain the only practical access but become unreliable when muddy. A hunter may take only an antlered bull with no more than five points on either side.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (December)

Antlerless elk hunting opens December 16 and runs through December 31, a rifle-only hunt when elk are fully settled on winter range. December weather is cold, with highs near 31 degrees, lows around 14 degrees and snowfall of 4.6 inches per month. Access via primitive roads is challenging but some sandy and rocky sections remain passable. Only antlerless elk—cows and calves—may be taken.

Type 2 — Antlered elk five (5) points or… (September–October)

Antlered elk hunting for five points or fewer on either antler combines an archery phase September 1–30 with a rifle season October 15–31. September archery happens during rut onset and primary rut; hunters pursue warm-weather conditions with highs around 72 degrees and must foot-travel the foothills and base country. When rifle season opens October 15, elk are in late-rut and early post-rut phase with temperatures dropping to highs around 56 degrees and snowfall rising to 1.6 inches per month, shifting elk between summer and winter ranges. A hunter may take only an antlered bull with no more than five points on either side.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid in the Muddy… (September–October)

Cow or calf hunting valid only in the Muddy Creek drainage combines an archery phase September 1–30 with a rifle season October 15–31. During September archery, elk are in rut-onset and primary-rut phases; hunters encounter warm conditions with highs around 72 degrees but must reach the drainage on foot. October rifle hunting coincides with late-rut and early post-rut phases, when temperatures drop to highs near 56 degrees and snowfall begins at 1.6 inches per month; elk dispersing from the rut may be found in the drainage or far into open country. This hunt is restricted to the Muddy Creek drainage only and does not cover the entire area. A hunter may take only a cow or calf.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid in the entire area (November)

Early November rifle hunting for cow or calf across the entire hunt area runs November 1–14. Elk are in their migration-transition phase, moving toward winter range. November weather brings 3.3 inches of snowfall with highs around 42 degrees, and some primitive roads become muddy and unreliable while others remain passable. A hunter may take a cow or calf anywhere in the area.

Land and access

BLM79%

Generally open to public hunting

private land12%

Private

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 88% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 285 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.

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 Range24%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range14%

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

Summer Range11%

used in summer

Yearlong Range9%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush95%

Riparian3%

Other cover2%

Conifer1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush95%

Grass and meadow2%

Conifer2%

Riparian2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush77%

Conifer17%

Grass and meadow5%

Other cover1%

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	32°F	14°F	3.8 in
February	34°F	15°F	4.7 in
March	45°F	22°F	3.8 in
April	53°F	28°F	3.4 in
May	63°F	37°F	0 in
June	75°F	46°F	0 in
July	84°F	53°F	0 in
August	82°F	52°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0.2 in
October	56°F	32°F	1.6 in
November	42°F	22°F	3.3 in
December	31°F	14°F	4.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter obtain a license for hunt area 22 using a general or region license?: No. Hunt area 22 is a limited-quota area and must be drawn specifically. A region license is valid only in the general-license areas of its region and does not cover this hunt area.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for an elk draw in this area?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw for this area is random, with no point cutoff and no points needed. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of licenses go to the top-ranked by preference points and a quarter go to a random draw open to all nonresidents.
How much of hunt area 22 is public land a hunter can access?: Public land makes up roughly 88 percent of the area, about 285 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. Private land comprises 12 percent. However, almost all roads in the area are primitive and four-wheel drive is recommended; seasonal closures, trailhead locations and private inholdings can all affect entry.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 22?: Multiple seasons run in this area. Type 1 Any Elk runs September 1–30 (archery only) and October 1–31 (rifle). Type 2 Antlered (five points or fewer) runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle). Type 6 Cow or Calf seasons run in the Muddy Creek drainage September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle), or in the entire area November 1–14 (rifle only), or November 15–December 31 (rifle only, also valid in Area 111).
What private land issues should a hunter know about in this area?: Most private land is found along watercourses and creeks. These can usually be avoided if permission has not been obtained. The Stone Creek Hunter Management Area, which is private land, requires a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish before hunting and is subject to annual re-enrollment.

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