Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt area 32?

No. Hunt area 32 is a limited-quota draw area valid only with a licence drawn specifically for this hunt area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota area.

What preference points do Wyoming residents need for elk in hunt area 32?

Wyoming residents do not earn or use preference points for elk at all. The resident elk draw is random with no points system. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of licences go to the preference-point pool, awarded by points from highest to lowest, and a quarter go to a random pool open to all applicants.

How much of hunt area 32 is public land a hunter can count on?

Roughly 96% of the hunt area—about 364 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land. Public land is not guaranteed entry: roads become nearly impassable when wet, trailheads and closures still apply, and private inholdings are scattered throughout. The western slope of Pine Mountain has more limited road access and sees fewer hunters.

When does the elk rut happen in hunt area 32?

The rut building phase runs from early September through early October. Archery season spans the onset and peak of the rut in September. Rifle season in October coincides with the rut decline and recovery, and the antlerless extension into December catches elk settled onto winter ground.

What legal animals can a hunter take in each season on hunt area 32?

Type 1, valid September 1 through October 31, allows any elk on archery and any elk on rifle. Type 4, valid September 1 through December 31, allows any elk on archery but is restricted to cow or calf on rifle from October 6 onward. Each season is drawn separately.

Wyoming Hunt Area 32 (Pine Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

96%

Elevation

6,300–9,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 32 is sagebrush country with elevation from 6,300 to 9,600 feet, typical ground around 7,500 feet. The landscape is a patchwork: open sagebrush flats at lower elevations transition through juniper to subalpine fir and aspen in the higher drainages and ridges. Scattered deep canyons cut through the terrain. The hills are not tall, but many of them are fairly steep to cross. Sagebrush covers 85% of the ground within the mapped elevation range, with grass and meadow at 10%, and scattered conifers at 3%. The country is mostly gentle-sloped—about 68% of the area—but the steep sections demand careful foot placement and steady hiking.

Access to public land is widespread: roughly 96% of the hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on, split between BLM and State Trust Land, with private parcels scattered throughout. Public land is not easy entry—seasonal mud makes many roads nearly impassable after rain, and trailheads, closures, and private inholdings still apply—but the density of public ownership means a hunter can find routes onto it across much of the area. The lower west slope of Pine Mountain has more limited road access and therefore sees less pressure.

This hunt area has two seasons with different legal animals and timing. The archery portion of both seasons spans September—the rut is building, temperatures are mild, and the longer ranges of bow hunting demand precision placement more than pure firepower. The rifle season splits into two phases: October, when the rut is declining and hunting pressure peaks, and the longer antlerless window that extends into December, when cold and snow set in and elk are at their most unpredictable.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 32 (Pine 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 – 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 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Archery hunting in September finds elk in the early stages of the rut, responding to calls and moving actively across the sagebrush. Temperatures range from highs around 69 degrees Fahrenheit down to lows near 41, with minimal snow—about 0.1 inches for the month—so footing is firm and glassing far into the draw systems is possible. Rifle season, October 1 through October 31, overlaps the rut's decline and a spike in hunting pressure; temperatures drop sharply from highs near 56 degrees to lows around 30, and snowfall averages 1.6 inches, which can slow travel on muddy roads and force route changes. Both windows allow any elk, and both rely on widespread access to BLM and State Trust Land, though most of the elk concentrate near the state line and often shift into Colorado or Utah under pressure.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–December)

Antlerless archery in September mirrors the bull season's timing—the rut is building, elk are actively moving, and mild temperatures around 69-degree highs and 41-degree lows favor long glassing days with minimal snow. Rifle hunting for cows and calves runs October 6 through December 31, a much longer window that stretches from the rut's late phase through the post-rut recovery and into the darkest months of winter. October brings cooling from the mid-50s to the 30s and about 1.6 inches of snow; December deepens that chill to highs around 33 degrees and lows around 12, with 3.9 inches of snow accumulation pushing elk lower into the sagebrush and draws. Access remains public throughout, but winter conditions and the westslope areas with limited roads become more significant as hunters narrow their search for wintering cow herds. Elk often drift back across the state line during heavy pressure, and even late-season hunters may find only scattered animals on the less-accessed west slope of Pine Mountain.

Land and access

BLM87%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land10%

Generally open to public hunting

private land4%

Private

About 96% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 364 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.

the Wyoming Game & Fish Department publishes 88% public land for this hunt area. That counts public ownership; the figure above counts ground a hunter can depend on getting onto. They answer different questions, so both are shown rather than blended.

Where elk are mapped

Yearlong Range58%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range19%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range19%

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

Parturition Areas7%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush85%

Grass and meadow10%

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	34°F	12°F	4.7 in
February	37°F	14°F	4.2 in
March	45°F	21°F	2.4 in
April	52°F	27°F	2.1 in
May	62°F	36°F	0 in
June	73°F	44°F	0 in
July	82°F	51°F	0 in
August	79°F	49°F	0 in
September	69°F	41°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	30°F	1.6 in
November	42°F	20°F	4.1 in
December	33°F	12°F	3.9 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt area 32?: No. Hunt area 32 is a limited-quota draw area valid only with a licence drawn specifically for this hunt area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota area.
What preference points do Wyoming residents need for elk in hunt area 32?: Wyoming residents do not earn or use preference points for elk at all. The resident elk draw is random with no points system. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of licences go to the preference-point pool, awarded by points from highest to lowest, and a quarter go to a random pool open to all applicants.
How much of hunt area 32 is public land a hunter can count on?: Roughly 96% of the hunt area—about 364 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land. Public land is not guaranteed entry: roads become nearly impassable when wet, trailheads and closures still apply, and private inholdings are scattered throughout. The western slope of Pine Mountain has more limited road access and sees fewer hunters.
When does the elk rut happen in hunt area 32?: The rut building phase runs from early September through early October. Archery season spans the onset and peak of the rut in September. Rifle season in October coincides with the rut decline and recovery, and the antlerless extension into December catches elk settled onto winter ground.
What legal animals can a hunter take in each season on hunt area 32?: Type 1, valid September 1 through October 31, allows any elk on archery and any elk on rifle. Type 4, valid September 1 through December 31, allows any elk on archery but is restricted to cow or calf on rifle from October 6 onward. Each season is drawn separately.

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