Can a hunter without preference points draw a nonresident licence for hunt area 49?

Yes. One quarter of the nonresident licences are distributed through a random draw that all nonresidents enter regardless of points. The other three quarters go to those holding preference points, awarded to the highest point-holders first.

What licence does a hunter need to hunt hunt area 49?

Hunt area 49 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for residents and nonresidents alike. A general elk licence or region licence does not provide access to this area — a hunter must draw a licence specifically for hunt area 49.

How much of hunt area 49 can a hunter actually access?

About 69 percent of the area is public land (BLM and state trust land), but private holdings intermix throughout, especially in the eastern third where most elk live. The most reliable public access lies along Highway 434 and 436 south of Tensleep and west of the Nowood River. Other public ground may be landlocked or require walking long distances from trailheads.

When does the rut occur during hunt area 49's archery seasons?

Archery seasons (September 1–30) coincide with the rut's onset and primary phase, when bulls are calling and moving. Regular-season hunting in late October and early November comes after the peak rut when bulls are in recovery and early migration phases.

What does a Type 7 licence allow a hunter to take in hunt area 49?

A Type 7 licence is valid for cow or calf only, not bulls. Archery hunting runs September 1–30, and regular hunting runs November 7–December 21, both seasons on the same licence.

Wyoming Hunt Area 49 (Otter Creek) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

69%

Elevation

4,000–8,800 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 49 is mostly rolling sagebrush and grassland hills, interspersed with juniper ridges and scattered conifer patches. The country sits between 4,000 and 8,800 feet, with typical ground around 4,800 feet and gentle slopes throughout. Sagebrush and grass dominate at lower and mid-elevations, while higher ground mixes sagebrush with increasing conifers and meadow. Most of the productive elk ground lies in the eastern third of the area, where private land heavily intermixes with public ground, making access the hunt's defining constraint. About 69 percent of the hunt area is BLM or state trust land, but private holdings fragment the landscape and prevent straightforward entry to much of the elk range. Large BLM blocks along Highway 434 and 436 south of Tensleep offer the most reliable public access, and another fair access zone sits just west of the Nowood River. Much of the area's elk, however, concentrates on private land, and those herds hold there unless driven by hunting pressure from neighboring ranches. Hunters should plan for several days of work to locate available elk on public ground.

Hunt area 49 is drawn as a limited-quota hunt — both residents and nonresidents must draw specifically for this area, and a general or region licence does not cover it. The resident draw is random with no preference points involved. Nonresident applicants compete differently: three quarters of the available nonresident licences go to those with preference points, awarded from highest points downward, and the remaining quarter go to a random draw open to all nonresidents regardless of points. Preference points therefore matter significantly for nonresidents and are useful to hold or build before applying here.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 49 (Otter 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
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 9 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 7 – December 21
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Regular September 1 – December 21
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 9 – October 31
Type 7 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 7 – December 21

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)

Early-season archery (September 1–30) overlaps the rut's onset and primary phase, when bulls vocalize and move in response to cows. September temperatures run warm, with highs around 74 degrees and minimal snow, favoring foot travel and glassing. However, a Type 7 licence permits only cows or calves, so this season targets cows responding to bull activity. Late-season regular hunting (November 7–December 21) occurs as elk shift from fall migration into winter range, with increasingly cold temperatures and heavier snow through the month — November averages 1.9 inches, December 3.5 inches. Winter range concentrates elk into accessible areas on both public and private ground, though private-land herds often remain unavailable to public hunters.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Any-elk archery hunting (September 1–30) falls during the rut's onset and primary phase, when bulls call to cows and compete actively, making them more visible to an archer who can stalk close. September offers warm conditions with highs near 74 degrees and virtually no snow, good for covering ground and spotting bulls in sagebrush and scattered cover. Hunters must contend with the area's mixed public-private landscape and should expect to scout multiple days to locate bulls on huntable ground.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

Antlerless-elk hunting (November 7–December 21) focuses on cow and calf removal across the full calendar from late migration through winter range, when animals have shifted from fall elk country into their winter-use areas. November snowfall averages 1.9 inches and December 3.5 inches, with temperatures dropping from 45-degree highs in November to 34-degree highs in December, pushing hunters to higher elevations to find concentrations of elk. Access to winter herds depends heavily on which private ranches allow hunting and where elk hold on public land.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–December)

This long-season antlerless hunt (September 1–December 21) spans the entire archery opener through winter range, allowing a hunter to pursue cows and calves across the rut, recovery, and migration phases. Early September brings warm days, minimal snow, and bulls responsive to cow calls, while November and December grow progressively colder and snowier — 1.9 and 3.5 inches respectively — concentrating animals on winter ground. The four-month window accommodates multiple trips to hunt elk at different life phases and in different parts of the area, though hunters must navigate the fragmented public-private landscape throughout.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–October)

Cow-or-calf hunting with both archery (September 1–30) and regular (October 9–31) seasons spans the rut through early post-rut recovery. September's warm temperatures and minimal snow favor archery hunters glassing sagebrush, while October's cooling trend and small snowfall (0.4 inches) make regular-season hunting harder as elk shift behavior after the rut's peak. Both seasons target females, making the hunt partly dependent on locating where cows concentrate rather than following bulls, though September's rut activity still draws cows to areas where bulls are active.

Land and access

BLM61%

Generally open to public hunting

private land29%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership2%

Ownership unclassified

About 69% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 851 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.

This hunt area has 2 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 2 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 Range28%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range6%

used in winter

Parturition Areas4%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Summer Range2%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range2%

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

Sagebrush74%

Grass and meadow16%

Other cover8%

Riparian1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush81%

Grass and meadow15%

Other cover2%

Conifer2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush53%

Grass and meadow25%

Conifer22%

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	9°F	3.3 in
February	37°F	13°F	2.8 in
March	49°F	23°F	1.6 in
April	57°F	31°F	0.8 in
May	67°F	40°F	0 in
June	79°F	49°F	0 in
July	88°F	56°F	0 in
August	86°F	53°F	0 in
September	74°F	44°F	0 in
October	59°F	32°F	0.4 in
November	45°F	20°F	1.9 in
December	34°F	11°F	3.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter without preference points draw a nonresident licence for hunt area 49?: Yes. One quarter of the nonresident licences are distributed through a random draw that all nonresidents enter regardless of points. The other three quarters go to those holding preference points, awarded to the highest point-holders first.
What licence does a hunter need to hunt hunt area 49?: Hunt area 49 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for residents and nonresidents alike. A general elk licence or region licence does not provide access to this area — a hunter must draw a licence specifically for hunt area 49.
How much of hunt area 49 can a hunter actually access?: About 69 percent of the area is public land (BLM and state trust land), but private holdings intermix throughout, especially in the eastern third where most elk live. The most reliable public access lies along Highway 434 and 436 south of Tensleep and west of the Nowood River. Other public ground may be landlocked or require walking long distances from trailheads.
When does the rut occur during hunt area 49's archery seasons?: Archery seasons (September 1–30) coincide with the rut's onset and primary phase, when bulls are calling and moving. Regular-season hunting in late October and early November comes after the peak rut when bulls are in recovery and early migration phases.
What does a Type 7 licence allow a hunter to take in hunt area 49?: A Type 7 licence is valid for cow or calf only, not bulls. Archery hunting runs September 1–30, and regular hunting runs November 7–December 21, both seasons on the same licence.

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