What licence does a hunter need to hunt elk in area 48?

Hunt area 48 is a limited-quota area drawn individually by both residents and nonresidents. A general or region licence does not cover this ground—a hunter must draw a specific licence for this area through the licence-drawing process.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a licence for this area?

No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk at all. The resident draw for any hunt area, including area 48, is random. Nonresidents do compete in a preference-point pool where points significantly affect odds, but residents do not.

Can a hunter walk into the Hunter Management Areas in hunt area 48?

No. Hunter Management Areas (Kirby Creek, Upper Nowood and Deep Creek) are private ground where hunters must obtain a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department before hunting. Walk-in areas—Fremont County Walk-In Area 30 and Natrona County Walk-In Area 19—require no permission slip and are open during posted seasons, though enrollment in both walk-in and HMA programs is renegotiated annually.

When do the early fall archery seasons run in hunt area 48?

Multiple licence types offer archery elk hunting from September 1 through September 30. These are Type 1 (any elk), Type 4 (antlerless elk), Type 6 (cow or calf), and Type 7 (cow or calf). Regular (rifle) seasons begin in early to mid-October depending on licence type.

Wyoming Hunt Area 48 (Upper Nowood) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

58%

Elevation

4,500–9,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 48 is predominantly rolling sagebrush and grassland terrain broken by canyons and draws, spanning from 4,500 to 9,100 feet with typical ground around 6,000 feet. The terrain is gentle overall—70% gentle slope, 27% moderate and 3% steep—and sagebrush dominates across all elevation bands, comprising 87% of lower-elevation cover and 72% of higher elevations, with grass and meadow interspersed throughout. About 58% of the area is publicly accessible ground (BLM and State Trust Land), roughly 542 square miles, though public ownership does not guarantee straightforward entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all constrain how much ground a hunter can actually reach. The remaining 42% is private land, and much of the area's elk use private ground that has little or no public access.

Access to public land comes through established walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas. Fremont County Walk-In Area 30 and Natrona County Walk-In Area 19 are open during posted seasons and require no permission slip—a hunter may simply walk in during those windows. Three Hunter Management Areas (Kirby Creek, Upper Nowood and Deep Creek) are available to hunters who obtain a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department before hunting. These private-ground opportunities are renegotiated annually and cannot be counted on in advance. Large blocks of private land hold elk consistently through much of the season, and unless weather pushes animals onto lower public-land areas, elk herds can remain unavailable to hunters without private access. Cold and snowy weather is most likely to move elk from private ground onto public land where hunters can reach them, making late-season conditions unpredictable but potentially productive.

Hunt area 48 is a limited-quota area and is drawn individually; a region licence does not cover this ground. Both residents and nonresidents must draw a specific licence for this area. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk—the resident draw is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a preference-point pool where three quarters of the licences go to applicants ranked by points, with the remaining quarter allocated by random draw to anyone in the pool. For nonresidents, points therefore carry substantial weight, and the number of preference points held matters significantly.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 48 (Upper Nowood) 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 15
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 9 – December 15
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 9 – November 30
Type 7 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 7 – December 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 7 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Cow or calf hunting spans an archery window from September 1 to 30 and a regular season from November 7 to December 15. Archers encounter bulls in rut or pre-rut, when they are vocal and active, though they are only able to take cows and calves. The archery window brings September's mild weather—highs near 72 degrees—before cooling sharply into fall. The regular season unfolds through late autumn migration and winter range use, with November bringing temperatures in the 40s and increasing snowfall (averaging 2.9 inches), and December turning cold (highs near 32 degrees) with heavier snow (averaging 4.6 inches). Late-season weather can push elk from private ground to public land. This hunt is valid throughout the area and opens to any legal cow or calf wherever a hunter can reach them.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Any-elk hunting under Type 1 archery (September 1–30) coincides with rut onset and the primary rut, when bulls are competitive and responsive to calling. Archery elk hunting happens in mild September weather with highs around 72 degrees, and archers must be prepared to move quickly and climb steep country. This licence allows a hunter to take any legal elk encountered during the window, and it offers the season's most flexible opportunities. The combination of rutting bulls and predictable early-fall weather makes this a popular opening choice, though success depends on reaching areas where elk concentrate, which often means private ground.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

Antlerless elk hunting from November 7 through December 15 spans the transition to winter range and the depth of winter. Temperatures fall from the 40s in early November to near freezing by month's end, with snowfall building from 2.9 inches in November to 4.6 inches in December. Cold weather and snow push elk toward lower elevations and can move animals from private ground to public land, creating opportunities as herds shift. This hunt is valid throughout the area and allows the take of any legal antlerless elk, making it a chance to pursue smaller, concentrated groups as weather tightens survival conditions.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–December)

Antlerless elk hunting under Type 4 spans archery (September 1–30) and regular seasons (October 9 through December 15), covering rut activity, post-rut recovery and the shift to winter range. Archers encounter bulls in rut or pre-rut when herds are responsive, but can only take antlerless animals. The regular season runs through October's temperature drop (highs falling from 56 to lower 50s) and November's cooling (highs near 43 degrees), with increasing snow through the fall. By December, cold temperatures (highs near 32 degrees) and heavy snow (averaging 4.6 inches) can push elk to lower public ground. This hunt is valid throughout the area and opens antlerless hunting across a long window, allowing hunters to adapt to seasonal changes in elk behavior and movement.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

Cow or calf hunting under Type 6 pairs an early-fall archery season (September 1–30) with a regular season (October 9 through November 30). Archers hunt as bulls enter the rut, when herds are vocal and mobile, though they are restricted to cows and calves. The regular season continues through October's late rut and post-rut recovery (highs from 56 down to the low 50s, with snowfall averaging 1.3 inches), extending into November's migration and early-winter transition (highs near 43 degrees, averaging 2.9 inches of snow). By late November, cooling temperatures and increasing snow can trigger movement of elk from private to public ground, opening windows when herds are more accessible. This hunt is valid throughout the area and allows any legal cow or calf, making it a flexible choice across both archery and rifle seasons.

Land and access

BLM47%

Generally open to public hunting

private land42%

Private

State Trust Land11%

Generally open to public hunting

About 58% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 542 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 50% 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 2 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 3 Hunter Management Areas. Both are 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. 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 Range46%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range15%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range15%

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow9%

Other cover3%

Riparian1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush88%

Grass and meadow9%

Conifer1%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush72%

Grass and meadow18%

Conifer10%

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	12°F	3.7 in
February	35°F	13°F	4.6 in
March	46°F	22°F	3 in
April	54°F	29°F	1.7 in
May	64°F	38°F	0 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	43°F	0 in
October	56°F	31°F	1.3 in
November	43°F	21°F	2.9 in
December	32°F	12°F	4.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter reach public land in hunt area 48 without trespassing?: About 58% of the hunt area is publicly accessible ground through BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 542 square miles. However, public ownership does not guarantee straightforward entry—roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all constrain access. Much of the area's elk occur on private ground with little or no public access, so a hunter planning here should expect limited reach to areas where elk reliably concentrate.
What licence does a hunter need to hunt elk in area 48?: Hunt area 48 is a limited-quota area drawn individually by both residents and nonresidents. A general or region licence does not cover this ground—a hunter must draw a specific licence for this area through the licence-drawing process.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a licence for this area?: No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk at all. The resident draw for any hunt area, including area 48, is random. Nonresidents do compete in a preference-point pool where points significantly affect odds, but residents do not.
Can a hunter walk into the Hunter Management Areas in hunt area 48?: No. Hunter Management Areas (Kirby Creek, Upper Nowood and Deep Creek) are private ground where hunters must obtain a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department before hunting. Walk-in areas—Fremont County Walk-In Area 30 and Natrona County Walk-In Area 19—require no permission slip and are open during posted seasons, though enrollment in both walk-in and HMA programs is renegotiated annually.
When do the early fall archery seasons run in hunt area 48?: Multiple licence types offer archery elk hunting from September 1 through September 30. These are Type 1 (any elk), Type 4 (antlerless elk), Type 6 (cow or calf), and Type 7 (cow or calf). Regular (rifle) seasons begin in early to mid-October depending on licence type.

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