Can a hunter draw a region licence to hunt area 33?

No. Hunt area 33 is a limited-quota area drawn individually — a region licence does not cover it. Hunters must draw a specific licence for this hunt area to be legal on the ground.

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

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all, and the resident draw for hunt area 33 is random. Nonresidents do rely on preference points: three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded by points (top-down from a pool), and a quarter go to a random draw open to all.

How much of hunt area 33 is public land a hunter can count on?

About 339 square miles, or roughly 54% of the area — BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas combined. Private land covers the rest, and scattered motorized access limits mean foot or horse travel often reaches beyond where vehicles can go.

Where does a hunter find elk in hunt area 33?

Most concentrate in the western third of the hunt area on the southern Bighorn slope. As the season advances and snow increases, elk shift to higher terrain, making them harder to reach on foot. Elk also spend time on private ground, which limits public-land hunting opportunity.

When do the archery seasons run in hunt area 33?

Archery seasons run September 1–30 for three licence types: Type 6 (cow or calf), Type 1 (any elk), and Type 4 (antlerless elk valid in the entire area). Regular seasons begin later and run into winter.

Wyoming Hunt Area 33 (Middle Fork) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

54%

Elevation

4,600–8,600 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Hunt area 33 spans the southern Bighorn Mountains, rolling terrain with open mountain grassland and sagebrush mixed through timbered ridges and canyons. Elevation ranges from 4,600 to 8,600 feet, with the bulk of the ground around 5,400 feet and terrain that leans gentle — about 68% of the area is rolling country, 26% moderate slopes, and only 5% steep. Lower elevations hold grass and meadow alongside sagebrush; higher terrain adds conifer. Most elk congregate in the western third of the hunt area on the southern Bighorn slope, though the herd includes both resident animals and migrants that move in when snow deepens. Access varies sharply: public land covers roughly 339 square miles where a hunter can generally count on entry — BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas — but this ground is scattered through private holdings, and motorized routes are limited by ownership patterns. Foot and horse travel reach beyond where vehicles can go.

Hunting pressure falls heavily on accessible public land early in the season, then shifts as elk climb to higher elevations and snow accumulates. Late-season conditions — increasing snow depth and drifting — make access difficult on foot and can block vehicle routes entirely. Elk also find refuge on private ground throughout the area, which restricts opportunity for hunters working public land alone. Natrona County Walk In Area 16 offers another avenue to ground, open to walk-in entry during its posted season, though the calendar and rules change year to year.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 33 (Middle Fork) 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 9 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 7 – December 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk valid on private land east of Buffalo Creek and the Bar C Road (B.L.M. Road 6214)
Regular August 15 – September 30
Type 4 · Antlerless elk valid in the entire area
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 9 – October 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 7 – December 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 7 – 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 6 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Archery hunting for cow or calf spans late summer through rut onset and peak, with August highs dropping from 83°F and cool nights around 52°F as the season begins, then cooling further into September with highs around 72°F and lows in the low 40s. Green forage and cooler temperatures draw elk to higher terrain early on. Archery-only access applies September 1–30, with regular-season hunting for cow or calf extending from November 7 through December 31 as temperatures fall steeply — November highs average 44°F with 2.9 inches of snow, and December highs drop to 34°F as snowfall averages 5.2 inches per month and drifting makes higher elevations difficult to reach on foot. This licence is valid for cow or calf only, not mature bulls.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Any-elk hunting spans rut onset and peak during the September 1–30 archery window, when highs around 72°F and lows in the low 40s create active hunting conditions and elk move to match seasonal forage. Archery-only access applies then; regular hunting follows October 9–31, crossing into the late rut and early post-rut phases as temperatures fall to highs around 57°F and lows near 31°F, with October averaging 1.2 inches of snow. Early October still offers rut activity; later in the month bulls transition to recovery and scattered movement. This licence allows any elk — bull, cow, or calf.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

Antlerless-elk hunting runs November 7 through December 31, spanning migration and winter-range phases as the country transitions from November highs around 44°F and 2.9 inches of snow to December highs of 34°F with an average 5.2 inches of monthly snowfall and significant drifting. Elk move to established winter ranges and concentrate where forage and shelter are best; access becomes increasingly difficult as snow depth accumulates. This licence is valid for cow and calf only, not bulls.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk valid on private… (August–September)

Early-season antlerless hunting for this Type 4 licence runs August 15 through September 30 on private land east of Buffalo Creek and the Bar C Road (B.L.M. Road 6214) only — this is a private-land-specific hunt and is not valid area-wide. The season spans late summer and velvet shedding through rut onset and peak, with August highs near 83°F and cool nights around 52°F early on, cooling to September highs around 72°F and lows in the low 40s. Elk begin moving as pre-rut behavior takes over late in the window. This licence is valid for antlerless elk only.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk valid in the entire… (September–October)

Antlerless hunting across the entire hunt area spans September 1–30 for archery and October 9–31 for regular season, crossing rut onset and peak in early September when highs average 72°F and lows around 42°F, then transitioning to late rut and early post-rut in October as temperatures drop to highs around 57°F and lows near 31°F with 1.2 inches of average snowfall. Early weeks find elk in rut behavior; late weeks show them beginning post-rut recovery and scattered movement. This licence covers the entire area and is valid for antlerless elk only.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

Late-season antlerless hunting runs November 7 through December 31, spanning migration and winter range as temperatures fall from November highs around 44°F and 2.9 inches of snow to December highs of 34°F with average monthly snowfall of 5.2 inches and drifting that limits access on foot. Elk concentrate on winter range as snow accumulates and forage availability narrows. This licence is valid for antlerless elk only and covers the entire hunt area.

Land and access

private land46%

Private

BLM40%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land12%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas3%

Generally open to public hunting

About 54% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 339 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 35% 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.

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.

Where elk are mapped

Yearlong Range15%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range10%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

Summer Range2%

used in summer

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

Grass and meadow48%

Sagebrush45%

Riparian3%

Other cover3%

Conifer2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush57%

Grass and meadow36%

Conifer6%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush57%

Grass and meadow28%

Conifer15%

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	35°F	13°F	3.5 in
February	37°F	14°F	4.3 in
March	47°F	22°F	3.5 in
April	54°F	29°F	2 in
May	64°F	38°F	0.1 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	42°F	0 in
October	57°F	31°F	1.2 in
November	44°F	21°F	2.9 in
December	34°F	13°F	5.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a region licence to hunt area 33?: No. Hunt area 33 is a limited-quota area drawn individually — a region licence does not cover it. Hunters must draw a specific licence for this hunt area to be legal on the ground.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk in this hunt area?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all, and the resident draw for hunt area 33 is random. Nonresidents do rely on preference points: three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded by points (top-down from a pool), and a quarter go to a random draw open to all.
How much of hunt area 33 is public land a hunter can count on?: About 339 square miles, or roughly 54% of the area — BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas combined. Private land covers the rest, and scattered motorized access limits mean foot or horse travel often reaches beyond where vehicles can go.
Where does a hunter find elk in hunt area 33?: Most concentrate in the western third of the hunt area on the southern Bighorn slope. As the season advances and snow increases, elk shift to higher terrain, making them harder to reach on foot. Elk also spend time on private ground, which limits public-land hunting opportunity.
When do the archery seasons run in hunt area 33?: Archery seasons run September 1–30 for three licence types: Type 6 (cow or calf), Type 1 (any elk), and Type 4 (antlerless elk valid in the entire area). Regular seasons begin later and run into winter.

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