Can a hunter legally hunt hunt area 28 on a general elk licence without drawing?

A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or points involved, valid statewide including hunt area 28. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region.

Does a nonresident need preference points for an elk hunt in this area?

Nonresidents do need preference points to compete for a Region W general licence in most cases. Within the nonresident draw pool, three quarters of the licences go to those with the most points, while a quarter are awarded randomly to all applicants regardless of points. A Wyoming resident has no preference points for elk and the resident draw is random.

Is the Fremont County Walk In Area 26 open every season, and how does a hunter access it?

Walk-in area enrollment is renegotiated annually, so access cannot be guaranteed in a coming season. A hunter may enter a walk-in area during its posted open period without applying for permission or a slip.

What must a nonresident know before planning to hunt the designated wilderness in hunt area 28?

Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide while hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt this area's wilderness needs to arrange this accompaniment before the season.

When is the rut expected to peak in this hunt area?

The rut typically peaks in late September. This timing makes the September archery season and early October regular season likely to coincide with peak rut activity, while late October and November hunting occurs after rut has subsided.

Wyoming Hunt Area 28 (Cony Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

83%

Elevation

5,300–13,200 ft

Terrain

Steep

Elk region

Hunt area 28 spans from the high country of the Shoshone National Forest down through rolling foothills to sagebrush steppe in the lower elevations, with creeks and rivers running throughout. At typical elevations around 8,800 feet, the terrain averages a 14-degree slope—mostly moderate grades with some steep sections at higher elevations. The forest dominates the upper country, while sagebrush covers the lower foothills and flats. Much of the area is true foot country, especially in the designated wilderness and remote forest sections far from roads and services; a hunter needs to plan for difficult road conditions when wet and prepare for extended trips away from cell coverage and resupply.

About 450 square miles of the area's 543 square miles is National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land, or State Wildlife Areas that a hunter can generally count on accessing. Private land sits mostly along the lower elevations of the foothills. The walk-in area Fremont County Walk In Area 26 provides additional access on enrolled private ground during its posted season. The designated wilderness within the hunt area requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Fall storms can push elk down from higher elevations, and seasonal road closures do affect where a hunter can get in.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 28 (Cony Mountain) 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 W, 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 1 – October 14
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular October 15 – October 22
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20

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)

Archery elk hunting here during September gives way to regular rifle hunting in early October, both on any elk. The rut is ramping up and then at its peak through September before tapering in early October, when bulls are more responsive but increasingly cautious as hunters arrive. Early September weather brings highs around 61 degrees and light snow, while temperatures drop and snowfall increases to nearly 7 inches by month's end. Access is generally good to the public lands, though high-elevation trails may still be muddy in early September. This general licence hunt is open statewide for a resident or valid on a drawn Region W general licence for a nonresident, and allows any elk—bulls, cows, or calves.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October)

Antlerless hunting during mid-October shifts focus to cows and calves after the rut has subsided. By mid-October, bulls have moved through their peak responsiveness and many are in early recovery, making this an effective window for targeting female elk without the rut's noise. Temperatures continue dropping into the mid-40s for highs and mid-20s for lows, with snowfall increasing—expect about 7 inches of snow during the month. Public access remains good, though wet conditions and early snows may slow road travel. This general licence hunt is open statewide for a resident or valid on a drawn Region W general licence for a nonresident.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

Archery in September and regular rifle hunting November 1 through November 20 target antlerless elk on a Type 4 hunt, allowing a different licensing path than the general seasons. September archery coincides with the rut's onset and peak, when cows and calves are active and responsive. November's regular season falls during migration transition as weather tightens—highs drop to 37 degrees and lows to 15 degrees, with heavy snow accumulation averaging 12 inches for the month. Fall storms accelerate movement off high country, pushing animals toward lower elevations where access may improve. This hunt requires drawing and is available to nonresidents; Wyoming residents have no elk preference points and the resident draw is random.

Land and access

National Forest66%

Generally open to public hunting

private land15%

Private

BLM12%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership2%

Ownership unclassified

State Wildlife Areas1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 83% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 450 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. 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

Summer Range57%

used in summer

Winter Range35%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range15%

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

Yearlong Range13%

the only layer that means year-round use

Parturition Areas11%

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

Sagebrush67%

Other cover12%

Grass and meadow11%

Conifer8%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Conifer60%

Sagebrush31%

Aspen4%

Grass and meadow3%

Other cover2%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Conifer37%

Grass and meadow29%

Sagebrush26%

Other cover6%

Aspen2%

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	30°F	7°F	13.2 in
February	32°F	8°F	13.6 in
March	39°F	14°F	15.2 in
April	45°F	21°F	19.8 in
May	54°F	30°F	4 in
June	64°F	37°F	0 in
July	73°F	44°F	0 in
August	71°F	43°F	0 in
September	61°F	36°F	1.7 in
October	48°F	26°F	6.9 in
November	37°F	15°F	12.3 in
December	29°F	7°F	15.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter legally hunt hunt area 28 on a general elk licence without drawing?: A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or points involved, valid statewide including hunt area 28. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region.
Does a nonresident need preference points for an elk hunt in this area?: Nonresidents do need preference points to compete for a Region W general licence in most cases. Within the nonresident draw pool, three quarters of the licences go to those with the most points, while a quarter are awarded randomly to all applicants regardless of points. A Wyoming resident has no preference points for elk and the resident draw is random.
Is the Fremont County Walk In Area 26 open every season, and how does a hunter access it?: Walk-in area enrollment is renegotiated annually, so access cannot be guaranteed in a coming season. A hunter may enter a walk-in area during its posted open period without applying for permission or a slip.
What must a nonresident know before planning to hunt the designated wilderness in hunt area 28?: Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide while hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt this area's wilderness needs to arrange this accompaniment before the season.
When is the rut expected to peak in this hunt area?: The rut typically peaks in late September. This timing makes the September archery season and early October regular season likely to coincide with peak rut activity, while late October and November hunting occurs after rut has subsided.

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