How does a hunter draw a permit for hunt area 30?

Hunt area 30 is a limited-quota area drawn specifically for this hunt area by residents and nonresidents alike. A region license does not apply here; the hunter must draw a license for this area in the draw for it to be valid. Wyoming residents enter a random elk draw for limited-quota areas, while nonresidents must enter the preference-point pool, where three-quarters of the available licenses go to preference points ranked top-down and a quarter are allocated by random draw.

When does the archery season for any elk open on this area?

The September 1–September 30 archery window for any elk overlaps the beginning of the rut and the primary rut phase. This is a strong calling period when bulls respond readily to cow sounds and challenging competitors. September weather is mild, with highs around 69 degrees Fahrenheit and minimal snow, which means clear conditions and active travel by elk across open country.

Where should a hunter focus effort in October on hunt area 30?

Early October, before the regular rifle season ends on October 31, elk are still scattered in the aspen pockets and grasslands of the Aspen and Miller Mountains. As pressure increases through the month, many move into the Sage Creek Drainage, where juniper cover is more extensive. By mid- to late October, the Sage Creek corridor between US Highway 191 and the hunt area boundary becomes a primary holding area; elk driven from the open plateaus funnel into this cover.

What is the legal animal for the September-to-October any-elk hunt?

The Type 1 hunt permits any elk, including bulls of any age and antler configuration, cows, and calves. The archery portion runs September 1–30, followed immediately by a rifle season October 1–31.

Can a hunter take a cow or calf during the fall season here?

The Type 4 hunt, running September 1–30 by archery and October 6–November 15 by rifle, is restricted to antlerless elk only—cows and calves. This later-season hunt extends through November, when snowfall increases and temperatures drop, making access to high country more difficult as winter approaches.

Wyoming Hunt Area 30 (Aspen Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

58%

Elevation

6,000–8,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 30 is a high-sagebrush country split between open plateau tops and scattered stands of aspen and juniper. Most of the area runs between 6,000 and 8,700 feet, with typical ground around 7,000 feet. The ground is predominantly gentle—sagebrush covers 92 percent of what grows here, with grass and meadow making up most of the rest. The terrain itself grades gentle across more than two-thirds of the area, with moderate slopes covering about a quarter of it. The western section, from Little Bitter Creek down to the Green River, is cut by juniper-lined drainages and ridges. The eastern side, around the Aspen and Miller Mountains, holds scattered aspen pockets on slopes and plateaus; beyond those rises fairly arid low-elevation sagebrush where elk are not typically found. The country is open enough that elk come under pressure quickly once hunting starts, particularly in the early-season aspen and grassland zones.

Public land covers about 58 percent of the area in a checkerboard pattern with private ground, amounting to roughly 319 square miles that a hunter can generally count on. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply; access is not straightforward. However, most private landowners allow crossing for hunting, which opens pathways to public ground throughout most of the hunt area. This arrangement gives a mobile hunter reasonable opportunity to reach productive country without being blocked by continuous private land.

Elk shift their distribution noticeably as autumn progresses. In September and early October, they concentrate in the aspen stands and pockets on the slopes of the Aspen and Miller Mountains, where grass and scattered timber hold them. This country is open and carries limited timber cover, so hunting pressure moves elk fairly quickly. By October, a significant portion of the herd works into the Sage Creek Drainage, where more extensive juniper cover and lower road densities provide refuge. The stretch of Sage Creek between US Highway 191 and the hunt area boundary is a primary holding area later in the season, though elk use it earlier as well. The western portions around Flattop Mountain, Middle Firehole Canyon, and the Faulkner Draw area hold elk year-round but at lower densities than the main migration corridors.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 30 (Aspen 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 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 6 – November 15

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)

Hunting any elk here in September and October means chasing animals that respond predictably to sound and pressure through two very different phases. The archery window of September 1–30 falls during rut onset and the primary rut, when bulls are vocal and actively seeking. Temperatures run mild, with highs around 69 degrees Fahrenheit early in September, and snow is negligible. The country opens readily for foot travel, and elk move visibly across the aspen stands and grasslands of Aspen Mountain and Miller Mountain. The rifle season, October 1–31, arrives as the rut begins to wind down and postseason movement takes over. Temperatures cool noticeably—from mid-60s to mid-50s as the month progresses—and October typically brings around 1.7 inches of snow, enough to track animals but not enough to close high ground. Elk begin shifting from the open plateaus into heavier juniper cover in Sage Creek as hunting pressure builds.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

The antlerless-elk hunt runs from September 1 through November 15, split between archery in September and rifle from October 6 onward, and it follows elk through three distinct phases. September archery (September 1–30) overlaps the rut onset and primary rut, when cows and calves are responsive and moving; early-season weather remains mild and snow minimal. The rifle season opens October 6, as the rut winds down and postseason recovery begins, catching antlerless animals still concentrated in the aspen and Miller Mountain country but beginning their shift toward Sage Creek and juniper cover. By November, as temperatures drop steadily—from the low 40s in early November to near 20 degrees Fahrenheit by month's end—and snowfall increases to around 4 inches monthly, migration pressure intensifies and elk settle into lower-elevation juniper refuges where the Sage Creek Drainage and western portions of the hunt area provide the best opportunity to intercept moving animals.

Land and access

BLM51%

Generally open to public hunting

private land42%

Private

State Trust Land5%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 58% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 319 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

Yearlong Range57%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range8%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range8%

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

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush92%

Other cover4%

Grass and meadow4%

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	10°F	5.6 in
February	34°F	12°F	5.2 in
March	43°F	20°F	4.3 in
April	51°F	26°F	2.9 in
May	61°F	35°F	0.1 in
June	72°F	42°F	0 in
July	81°F	50°F	0 in
August	78°F	48°F	0 in
September	69°F	40°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	30°F	1.7 in
November	41°F	19°F	4 in
December	31°F	10°F	5.5 in

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

Common questions

How does a hunter draw a permit for hunt area 30?: Hunt area 30 is a limited-quota area drawn specifically for this hunt area by residents and nonresidents alike. A region license does not apply here; the hunter must draw a license for this area in the draw for it to be valid. Wyoming residents enter a random elk draw for limited-quota areas, while nonresidents must enter the preference-point pool, where three-quarters of the available licenses go to preference points ranked top-down and a quarter are allocated by random draw.
When does the archery season for any elk open on this area?: The September 1–September 30 archery window for any elk overlaps the beginning of the rut and the primary rut phase. This is a strong calling period when bulls respond readily to cow sounds and challenging competitors. September weather is mild, with highs around 69 degrees Fahrenheit and minimal snow, which means clear conditions and active travel by elk across open country.
Where should a hunter focus effort in October on hunt area 30?: Early October, before the regular rifle season ends on October 31, elk are still scattered in the aspen pockets and grasslands of the Aspen and Miller Mountains. As pressure increases through the month, many move into the Sage Creek Drainage, where juniper cover is more extensive. By mid- to late October, the Sage Creek corridor between US Highway 191 and the hunt area boundary becomes a primary holding area; elk driven from the open plateaus funnel into this cover.
What is the legal animal for the September-to-October any-elk hunt?: The Type 1 hunt permits any elk, including bulls of any age and antler configuration, cows, and calves. The archery portion runs September 1–30, followed immediately by a rifle season October 1–31.
Can a hunter take a cow or calf during the fall season here?: The Type 4 hunt, running September 1–30 by archery and October 6–November 15 by rifle, is restricted to antlerless elk only—cows and calves. This later-season hunt extends through November, when snowfall increases and temperatures drop, making access to high country more difficult as winter approaches.

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