Can a hunter get a licence for hunt area 39 with a regional elk licence?

No. Hunt area 39 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for residents and nonresidents alike. A regional licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region and does not cover this ground.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 39?

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points; the resident elk draw is random. Nonresidents do use preference points—three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw (awarded top-down by points), and a quarter go to a random draw—but residents enter the draw with no points system.

How much of hunt area 39 can a hunter actually get onto?

About 88 percent of the area is public land (BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land) where hunters generally have access, roughly 202 square miles. Private land makes up 8 percent, and a small portion is National Park Service ground closed to hunting. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.

What does the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area require?

The Yellowtail HMA is private ground enrolled through an access agreement. Hunters must obtain and carry a printed permission slip before hunting there. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability can change year to year.

When do the different elk seasons run on hunt area 39?

Type 9 (any elk, archery only) runs September 1–30. Type 1 any elk runs October 10–November 4, with an antlerless-only option November 5–30. Type 4 (antlerless elk) runs October 1–November 30. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 5–30.

Wyoming Hunt Area 39 (Deer Creek) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

88%

Elevation

3,600–10,000 ft

Terrain

Steep

Hunt area 39 spans 230 square miles across the Bighorn Basin and the Bighorn Mountains, dropping from high peaks to rolling foothills and semi-arid flats. Elevation ranges from 3,600 feet in the basin to 10,000 feet in the mountains, with typical ground around 6,200 feet. Lower elevations are dominated by sagebrush and grass, while the foothills transition to mountain brush and curl-leaf mahogany. Conifer timber increases steadily with elevation, becoming substantial above mid-elevation and making up more than half the vegetation in the highest country. The terrain grades steep overall, with about 43 percent gentle slopes, 39 percent moderate, 15 percent steep, and 3 percent rugged—a mix that puts foot country throughout but with punishing canyon systems and thick timber patches that can turn a hunt hard fast.

Elk hold tight in the rugged canyons, draws and timbered basins during the day, and weather shifts determine where they concentrate between seasons. Migratory herds move into the area from the east and continue west or northwest for winter. Public land—BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land—makes up about 88 percent of the area (roughly 202 square miles), with private land at 8 percent and a small portion of National Park Service ground closed to hunting. Access to public ground is spread throughout the hunt area, though roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still apply the usual filters to where a hunter can actually get on the ground. The Yellowtail Hunter Management Area (private ground enrolled annually) requires a printed permission slip before hunting. The country here requires work; there is no simple path in.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 39 (Deer Creek) 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
Regular October 10 – November 4
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 5 – November 30
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 5 – November 30
Type 9 · Any elk, archery only
Regular September 1 – September 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 9 — Any elk, archery only (September)

September archery hunters pursue any elk as the rut begins and elk transition into breeding behaviour. Highs average 67 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 42 degrees, with minimal snowfall, making for clear days and cool nights that can favour active bulls moving to cow groups. September on public land offers widespread access, though the country's canyons and timber patches demand good glassing and patience. Any elk means both bulls and cows are legal, giving archers flexibility on what they pursue.

Type 1 — Any elk (October–November)

The October-through-early-November any-elk hunt runs as the rut winds down and bulls retreat from exhaustion into recovery, then begin the migration west and northwest toward winter range. Early October brings highs near 52 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 31 degrees with about 3 inches of snowfall by month's end; November cools further, with highs dropping to 40 degrees and lows to 21, while snowfall picks up to roughly 5 inches. The migration transition and cooling weather can concentrate elk in particular drainages and push them toward lower country. Public access throughout the hunt area supports a long pursuit, and hunters can take any elk—bull or cow.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November)

Antlerless-only hunting runs through November as the migration continues and weather begins pushing herds toward their winter-range footholds. Temperatures decline through the month, from highs around 40 degrees Fahrenheit to lows near 21, with snowfall averaging about 5 inches total. Cooling and snow both concentrate elk and can make the higher country less productive; lower-elevation sagebrush and basin country often hold animals pushed down by weather. Only cows and calves are legal, and public access throughout the area remains available.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (October–November)

This antlerless season spans October through November, covering the late rut through migration and into early winter. October opens with highs near 52 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 31, with about 3 inches of snowfall; by November, highs drop to 40 degrees and lows to 21, with roughly 5 inches of snow. The changing weather and migration push elk downslope and toward their winter ranges, concentrating them in certain drainages and lower elevations. Hunters may take cows and calves anywhere the public-land access allows throughout those two months.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

The September archery period finds elk actively moving as the rut onset drives bulls toward cows, with mild weather (highs ~67 degrees Fahrenheit, lows ~42 degrees) and little snow supporting long days of glassing and stalking. Cows and calves are the only legal animals. After a long break, the November regular season re-opens in early November as the migration transitions are in motion and weather begins cooling (highs ~40 degrees, lows ~21, about 5 inches of snowfall), concentrating elk in certain country and pushing animals downslope. Both seasons access public land throughout the hunt area, though the fall archery window and the late-season rifle window experience very different terrain use and animal behaviour.

Land and access

BLM49%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest35%

Generally open to public hunting

private land8%

Private

National Park Service4%

Public land closed to hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 88% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 202 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.

It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before hunting it. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where elk are mapped

Summer Range37%

used in summer

Winter Range36%

used in winter

Parturition Areas4%

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

Sagebrush75%

Grass and meadow18%

Other cover4%

Conifer3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush72%

Conifer25%

Grass and meadow3%

Higher elevations

Conifer56%

Sagebrush28%

Grass and meadow15%

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	32°F	13°F	9 in
February	34°F	14°F	7.5 in
March	43°F	21°F	5.9 in
April	50°F	28°F	3.2 in
May	59°F	37°F	0.2 in
June	69°F	46°F	0 in
July	78°F	53°F	0 in
August	77°F	51°F	0 in
September	67°F	42°F	0.1 in
October	52°F	31°F	3 in
November	40°F	21°F	5.1 in
December	31°F	14°F	8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter get a licence for hunt area 39 with a regional elk licence?: No. Hunt area 39 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for residents and nonresidents alike. A regional licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region and does not cover this ground.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 39?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference points; the resident elk draw is random. Nonresidents do use preference points—three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw (awarded top-down by points), and a quarter go to a random draw—but residents enter the draw with no points system.
How much of hunt area 39 can a hunter actually get onto?: About 88 percent of the area is public land (BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land) where hunters generally have access, roughly 202 square miles. Private land makes up 8 percent, and a small portion is National Park Service ground closed to hunting. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.
What does the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area require?: The Yellowtail HMA is private ground enrolled through an access agreement. Hunters must obtain and carry a printed permission slip before hunting there. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability can change year to year.
When do the different elk seasons run on hunt area 39?: Type 9 (any elk, archery only) runs September 1–30. Type 1 any elk runs October 10–November 4, with an antlerless-only option November 5–30. Type 4 (antlerless elk) runs October 1–November 30. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 5–30.

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