Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in hunt area 24?

No. Wyoming residents do not earn or hold elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw for hunt area 24 is random, with no points system. Nonresidents, by contrast, do compete on preference points in a separate draw pool.

When does the rut peak for elk in hunt area 24?

Rut typically peaks in late September in this area. The archery season (September 1–30) overlaps the onset and peak of the rut, while the October regular season (October 1–14) falls in the late rut and early post-rut phase when bulls are less vocal and more cautious.

How much of hunt area 24 is walkable foot country?

About 91% of hunt area 24 is public land, but that does not mean it is all easily accessed. Roads, trailheads and seasonal closures control entry. Remote terrain and lack of services mean a hunter must plan logistics carefully and carry extra fuel, water, food and spare tires.

Can a hunter take a cow or calf in the September–October seasons?

Type 1 allows any elk during its archery and regular windows. Type 4, also running September–October, is limited to antlerless elk (cow or calf) only. Type 5 is antlerless (September–November archery and November regular) and is also valid in hunt area 128. Check the season table to confirm which licence a hunter holds.

Wyoming Hunt Area 24 (Green Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

91%

Elevation

6,200–9,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 24 spans 680 square miles of country that shifts quickly from forested ridges to rolling sagebrush foothills to open desert flats. Green Mountain and Crooks Mountain dominate the eastern side; lower elevations run to sagebrush steppe with saltbush and greasewood. Typical elevation sits near 7,000 feet, with terrain graded gentle across 81% of the area. Ephemeral creeks flow from the mountains through open ground, supplying water throughout. Most of the hunt area lies remote, far from services and cell coverage. Roads vary sharply: sandy tracks stay drivable through light rain, but clay roads become nearly impassable when wet. Pack extra fuel, water, food and spare tires. The mountains and their immediate surroundings hold elk; they are sparse across most of the lower sagebrush country. Early-season weather swings hard—September can bring 70-degree days or freezing storms with snow, even during the archery opener. Fall snowstorms at higher elevations often trigger elk movement downslope and out of the area. Rut timing peaks in late September here.

About 91% of hunt area 24 is BLM and State Trust Land—roughly 617 square miles—with the remainder private. Most private ground clusters along Willow Creek, Crooks Creek and other stream bottoms. WGFD rates public access Good overall, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still control where a hunter can reach. One Walk-In Hunting Area is enrolled in the hunt area; check the hunt planner map for its current status and entry conditions, as private enrollment renegotiates annually.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 24 (Green Mountain) 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 14
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 14
Type 5 · Antlerless elk; also valid in Area 128
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 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 1 — Any elk (September–October)

The Type 1 any-elk season runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–14. September's archery phase falls as the rut onsets and enters its primary phase; bulls are increasingly vocal and responsive, and hunters working high ground early can encounter them transitioning between summer and rut patterns. Weather in September runs highs near 70 degrees and lows near 41, with light monthly snow averaging 0.2 inches, though sudden cold fronts can dump several inches and trigger downslope movement. The October regular season follows into late rut and early post-rut, when bulls grow less vocal and more wary; highs drop to 55 degrees, lows to 30, and snowfall increases to 1.8 inches per month. Road conditions deteriorate as fall storms arrive, so checking before entry matters.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–October)

The Type 4 season is limited to antlerless elk—cow or calf only—across archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–14. Archery hunting falls during rut onset and primary rut, when cows are concentrated near bulls and cover is still green and thick. September weather brings highs around 70 degrees and lows around 41, with minimal monthly snowfall, though sudden storms are possible. The regular season (October 1–14) continues into late rut and early post-rut as temperatures cool to highs of 55 degrees and lows of 30, snowfall rises to 1.8 inches per month, and movement increases. An antlerless hunt requires patience in reading elk behavior rather than responding to bugling.

Type 5 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

Type 5 is an antlerless hunt (cow or calf) valid in both hunt area 24 and hunt area 128, running archery September 1–30 and regular November 1–30. Archery in September overlaps rut onset and peak, with the same mild weather and low snowfall as other fall seasons—highs near 70 degrees, lows near 41, about 0.2 inches of snow. The November regular season shifts into migration and winter-range timing as the rut winds down and snow accumulates; temperatures fall sharply (highs around 41, lows around 19) and monthly snowfall reaches 3.3 inches. By late fall, movement off higher ground quickens, and access becomes weather-dependent as clay roads mud out. This hunt extends well past the peak rut and into colder, harder conditions.

Land and access

BLM83%

Generally open to public hunting

private land9%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

About 91% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 617 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

Winter Range28%

used in winter

Yearlong Range15%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range6%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range4%

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

Parturition Areas2%

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

Sagebrush97%

Riparian1%

Grass and meadow1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush95%

Grass and meadow3%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush82%

Conifer14%

Grass and meadow3%

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	31°F	11°F	3.3 in
February	34°F	12°F	5.3 in
March	44°F	20°F	4.1 in
April	52°F	26°F	3.2 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.2 in
June	74°F	44°F	0 in
July	82°F	51°F	0 in
August	80°F	50°F	0 in
September	70°F	41°F	0.2 in
October	55°F	30°F	1.8 in
November	41°F	19°F	3.3 in
December	31°F	11°F	4.8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt elk in hunt area 24?: No. Hunt area 24 is limited-quota and must be drawn individually; a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region. A hunter who draws a licence for hunt area 24 specifically can hunt only within that area.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in hunt area 24?: No. Wyoming residents do not earn or hold elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw for hunt area 24 is random, with no points system. Nonresidents, by contrast, do compete on preference points in a separate draw pool.
When does the rut peak for elk in hunt area 24?: Rut typically peaks in late September in this area. The archery season (September 1–30) overlaps the onset and peak of the rut, while the October regular season (October 1–14) falls in the late rut and early post-rut phase when bulls are less vocal and more cautious.
How much of hunt area 24 is walkable foot country?: About 91% of hunt area 24 is public land, but that does not mean it is all easily accessed. Roads, trailheads and seasonal closures control entry. Remote terrain and lack of services mean a hunter must plan logistics carefully and carry extra fuel, water, food and spare tires.
Can a hunter take a cow or calf in the September–October seasons?: Type 1 allows any elk during its archery and regular windows. Type 4, also running September–October, is limited to antlerless elk (cow or calf) only. Type 5 is antlerless (September–November archery and November regular) and is also valid in hunt area 128. Check the season table to confirm which licence a hunter holds.

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