Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a licence for hunt area 23?

Wyoming residents have no elk preference points. The resident elk draw is random, with no point system at all. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a preference-point draw for three-quarters of the available licences, with the remaining quarter going to a random draw.

Can a hunter walk into the Rattlesnake Mountain access area without a permission slip?

The Rattlesnake Mountain area is a Hunter Management Area and requires a printed permission slip before hunting. The four walk-in areas in the hunt area may be entered subject to their posted rules without a permission slip, though enrollment varies annually.

How much of hunt area 23 can a hunter generally count on reaching?

Roughly half the hunt area—about 639 square miles of BLM and state trust land—is public ground a hunter can generally depend on. Private land makes up 47 percent of the area, with the balance in other ownership. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still determine what is actually accessible on the ground.

When do the any-elk and antlerless seasons run in hunt area 23?

The archery-only season runs September 1–30. The regular any-elk and antlerless seasons run October 1–21 and November 1–December 15, with the latter two seasons also valid in hunt area 128.

Wyoming Hunt Area 23 (Rattlesnake) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

50%

Elevation

5,100–8,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 23 sprawls across 1,267 square miles of rolling country between 5,100 and 8,200 feet, with typical ground around 6,100 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle, sloping at a mean of 5.3 degrees, and the landscape shifts by elevation. At lower elevations, sagebrush dominates with scattered grass and riparian strips. Higher up, conifers mix with sagebrush and grassy openings. Elk occupy the rocky, scrubby ridges of the Rattlesnake Hills and Pine Mountain areas, favoring a blend of conifer cover and open grassy slopes where they can feed and retreat to security. Through the seasons, bulls tend toward conifer cover and smaller groups, while cows and calves congregate in larger herds and gravitate toward lower, more open country as winter weather builds.

Access is fair, a mix of public and private lands interspersed across the hunt area. About half the area is public ground—roughly 639 square miles of BLM and state trust land—though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still shape what a hunter can actually reach. Additional access comes through the Rattlesnake Mountain Hunter Management Area, which requires a printed permission slip before hunting, and four walk-in areas that may be entered subject to their posted rules. The hunt area lies 60–90 minutes from Casper. Services around Alcova are limited; primitive camping is allowed on BLM lands but not on state lands.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 23 (Rattlesnake) 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
Regular October 1 – October 21
Type 1 · Any elk; also valid in Area 128
Regular November 1 – December 15
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Regular October 1 – October 21
Type 4 · Antlerless elk; also valid in Area 128
Regular November 1 – December 15
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Regular October 1 – October 21
Type 6 · Cow or calf; also valid in Area 128
Regular November 1 – December 15
Type 9 · Any elk, archery only
Regular September 1 – September 30

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 9 — Any elk, archery only (September)

The September archery season opens during rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are responding and moving between bedding and feeding. September weather runs mild, with highs around 72 degrees and lows in the low 40s, and snow is unlikely. Access follows the same routes as other seasons, with both public land and permitted private ground available. Hunters can take any elk with a bow.

Type 1 — Any elk (October)

October any-elk hunting spans the late rut and early post-rut period into post-rut recovery, when bull activity is winding down and elk are shifting behavior. The month cools steadily, with highs dropping from the upper 50s to the low 40s and lows near freezing, and light snow around an inch total becomes possible. Cows and calves begin congregating in larger groups; bulls remain scattered in smaller bands, often in or near conifer cover where they are harder to find but may be more vulnerable to harvest. Public land and the permitted areas remain the hunting ground.

Type 1 — Any elk (November–December)

The November through December any-elk season coincides with migration timing and the transition to winter range behavior. Temperatures drop sharply—highs fall from the low 40s to freezing, lows plunge toward the low teens—and snowfall increases, with about 2.4 inches in November and 4.2 inches in December. Cows and calves adjust to winter conditions and may shift toward lower, more open country; sudden weather can trigger movement, especially toward sagebrush grasslands. The season is also valid in hunt area 128. Hunters can take any elk.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (October)

October antlerless hunting catches the late rut and early post-rut transition, when cows and calves form larger herds and bulls are in early recovery. Conditions cool through the month, with highs around 57 degrees at the start and dropping to the low 40s, and about an inch of snow is typical. Cows congregating on accessible public land or permitted private ground offer the best opportunity; residents with time to hunt multiple days have an advantage as elk shift between private and public lands with changing conditions. Only antlerless elk may be taken.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

The November through December antlerless season runs through migration timing and winter-range settling, when cows and calves form larger winter groupings and elk behavior grows more predictable in response to snow and cold. Highs drop from the low 40s to around freezing, lows to the low teens, and snowfall accumulates to about 2.4 inches in November and 4.2 inches in December. Sudden winter weather can push cows and calves into sagebrush grasslands where they may be more accessible. The season is also valid in hunt area 128. Only antlerless elk may be taken.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (October)

October cow-or-calf hunting spans the late rut and early post-rut recovery phase, when cows and larger calf herds are increasingly visible as they congregate. Weather highs start around 57 degrees and cool through the month to the low 40s, with lows near freezing and about 0.9 inch of snow possible. Cows and calves offer more reliable sightings than bulls during this period, especially in open grassy areas and on accessible public land. Only a cow or calf may be taken.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (November–December)

The November through December cow-or-calf season covers migration timing and transition to winter range, when cows and calves move into winter-range behavior and form larger herds in response to snow and cold. Temperatures plummet from the low 40s to freezing by December, with lows dropping to the low teens, and snowfall becomes substantial—about 2.4 inches in November and 4.2 inches in December. Winter weather can drive elk toward sagebrush grasslands, and residents with multiple hunting opportunities stand to benefit most from that movement. The season is also valid in hunt area 128. Only a cow or calf may be taken.

Land and access

private land47%

Private

BLM42%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership3%

Ownership unclassified

About 50% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 639 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 4 enrolled walk-in areas. 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

Yearlong Range6%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range6%

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

Sagebrush80%

Other cover10%

Grass and meadow8%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush89%

Grass and meadow10%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush91%

Grass and meadow5%

Conifer3%

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	33°F	13°F	2.7 in
February	35°F	14°F	3.3 in
March	46°F	23°F	3.4 in
April	54°F	29°F	2.2 in
May	64°F	38°F	0 in
June	76°F	46°F	0 in
July	85°F	54°F	0 in
August	83°F	52°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0 in
October	57°F	32°F	0.9 in
November	43°F	21°F	2.4 in
December	33°F	13°F	4.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter apply for a region licence to hunt this area?: No. Hunt area 23 is limited-quota and must be drawn for specifically; a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not here. Any hunter drawing a licence for this area will have drawn for the hunt area itself.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a licence for hunt area 23?: Wyoming residents have no elk preference points. The resident elk draw is random, with no point system at all. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a preference-point draw for three-quarters of the available licences, with the remaining quarter going to a random draw.
Can a hunter walk into the Rattlesnake Mountain access area without a permission slip?: The Rattlesnake Mountain area is a Hunter Management Area and requires a printed permission slip before hunting. The four walk-in areas in the hunt area may be entered subject to their posted rules without a permission slip, though enrollment varies annually.
How much of hunt area 23 can a hunter generally count on reaching?: Roughly half the hunt area—about 639 square miles of BLM and state trust land—is public ground a hunter can generally depend on. Private land makes up 47 percent of the area, with the balance in other ownership. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still determine what is actually accessible on the ground.
When do the any-elk and antlerless seasons run in hunt area 23?: The archery-only season runs September 1–30. The regular any-elk and antlerless seasons run October 1–21 and November 1–December 15, with the latter two seasons also valid in hunt area 128.

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