Can a hunter use a general elk licence to hunt this area?

Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or preference-point requirement, and it is valid here. A nonresident wanting to hunt on a general licence must draw a Region E general licence, which reaches the general-licence hunt areas of region E. Three quarters of Region E's nonresident general licences go to applicants ranked by preference points, and a quarter to a random draw open to everyone in the pool.

What licences work for hunting hunt area 6?

A resident buys a general elk licence over the counter. A nonresident draws either a Region E general licence or a limited-quota licence (Type 1, Type 4, or Type 8) specific to this area. The general licence is valid off national forest land only; the limited-quota hunts have different restrictions and seasons.

How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually reach on public ground?

About 15 percent of the area—roughly 335 square miles—is ground a hunter can generally count on: State Trust Land, National Forest, and BLM. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still limit where a hunter can get on the ground. Access outside the National Forest and Curt Gowdy State Park is limited, and private land covers 84 percent of the area.

When do the elk seasons run on this area?

Type 8 (cow or calf) runs August 1 to January 31 off national forest. Type Gen (general licence) offers any elk by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–31 off national forest, and antlerless elk rifle November 1–December 31 off national forest. Type 1 (limited quota) offers any elk by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–31, and antlerless elk rifle November 1–January 31. Type 4 (limited quota, antlerless) runs by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–January 31.

Wyoming Hunt Area 6 (Iron Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

15%

Elevation

4,900–9,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 6 spans 2,176 square miles of terrain rolling from 4,900 to 9,000 feet, with typical ground around 6,800 feet. The country is mostly gentle—82 percent of slopes run 6 degrees or less—and the landscape shifts with elevation. Lower slopes carry grass and meadow with sagebrush breaks; mid elevations add conifer; higher ground turns more open again with sagebrush and grass. National Forest land holds timbered slopes and rock outcroppings mixed with park-like clearings, while the rest of the area leans toward shrub-dominated ridges and prairie. About 15 percent of the area is ground a hunter can generally count on—State Trust Land, National Forest, and BLM totaling roughly 335 square miles—though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply. Private land covers 84 percent, and access outside the National Forest and Curt Gowdy State Park is tight.

Hunters drawn for the limited-quota Type 1 hunts can glass and stalk across more ground than those on general licences, which are restricted to hunting off national forest land. A resident purchases a general elk licence over the counter with no draw; a nonresident wanting a general hunt must draw a Region E general licence valid in region E's general-licence areas. Three quarters of nonresident general licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points top-down, and a quarter to a random draw that everyone enters, so preference points matter significantly for a nonresident. Type 8, the cow-or-calf hunt, is likewise valid only off national forest. The three Hunter Management Areas—Lone Tree Creek, North Crow, and Pilot Hill—are private ground requiring a printed permission slip from WGFD before hunting; enrollment is renegotiated each year and cannot be assumed. Curt Gowdy State Park allows archery only. Hunters are strongly advised to secure private land access before applying.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 6 (Iron Mountain) is a general-licence hunt area, and how a hunter gets a licence for it depends on where they live.

A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter — unlimited statewide, on sale from mid-July. No draw, no application, no preference points.
A nonresident cannot buy one. They must draw a Region general licence — for this hunt area, elk region E, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region and nowhere else.

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 Gen — general licence · Any elk valid off national forest
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk valid off national forest
Regular November 1 – December 31
Type 1 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – January 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – January 31
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid off national forest
Regular August 1 – January 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 8 — Cow or calf valid off national… (August–January)

The Type 8 cow-or-calf season runs August through January off national forest land, a long window targeting private ground and keeping hunting pressure away from the drawn limited-quota hunts on the National Forest. Early in the season, August and early September, elk are in velvet and transition into the rut; by October the rut has peaked and begun to recover, bringing elk more available. November through January sees migration and settled winter patterns, with snow accumulation climbing from 3.7 inches in November through 5.8 inches in December before dropping to 2.9 inches in January, driving elk movement and access difficulty. This hunt is valid off national forest only.

Type Gen — Any elk valid off national forest (September–October)

Archery hunting for any elk under a general licence runs September 1–30, catching the rut's onset and primary phase when bulls are active and vocal; regular rifle hunting follows October 1–31 as the rut winds down and recovery begins. The archery phase sees September highs around 71 degrees with no snow, while October brings cooling into the 50s and the first significant snowfall at 1.9 inches, pushing elk out of higher country toward easier terrain. Both seasons are valid off national forest land only, meaning a hunter on a general licence cannot pursue elk across the full hunt area—drawn limited-quota hunts offer access to national forest ground.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk valid off national… (November–December)

Antlerless hunting on a general licence runs November 1–December 31 off national forest, a rifle-only season as cows and calves become the focus and migration and winter range settle in. November sees highs dropping to 44 degrees with 3.7 inches of snowfall; December cools further to 35-degree highs and adds 5.8 inches of snow, the heaviest month, which concentrates elk on accessible ground but also closes roads and trailheads. This season is valid off national forest land only.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Limited-quota Type 1 hunts span September and October with separate windows for any elk and different access than the general licence: archery September 1–30 catching rut onset and peak with September temperatures in the low 70s and no snow, then rifle October 1–31 as the rut cools and recovery begins, with October highs around 57 degrees and 1.9 inches of snow. These hunts are not restricted to national forest ground—a drawn Type 1 permit reaches the full hunt area, giving access that a general licence does not. The any-elk window runs concurrent with the general licence but covers more country.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November–January)

Type 1 antlerless hunting runs November 1–January 31 rifle-only after the rut, as cows and calves become legal and elk settle into migration and winter range. November brings 44-degree highs and 3.7 inches of snow; December cools to 35-degree highs with the season's heaviest snowfall at 5.8 inches; January sees similar cold at 36-degree highs but slightly less snow at 2.9 inches. Unlike the general licence's antlerless season, this drawn hunt is not limited to national forest land.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–January)

Type 4 antlerless hunts run September through January with both archery and rifle phases: archery September 1–30 covers rut onset and primary phase with mild September weather around 71-degree highs and no snow, while rifle October through January stretches from the late rut into winter range across four months of cooling and accumulating snow—October brings 1.9 inches, November 3.7 inches, December 5.8 inches, and January 2.9 inches. This is the longest and most flexible of the antlerless seasons, and like Type 1, it reaches the full hunt area, not restricted to national forest ground.

Land and access

private land84%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest4%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 15% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land, National Forest and BLM, roughly 335 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 9% 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.

It also holds 3 Hunter Management Areas. 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

Yearlong Range80%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range34%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range8%

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

Summer Range5%

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 meadow85%

Sagebrush7%

Other cover4%

Riparian4%

Mid elevations

Grass and meadow79%

Sagebrush16%

Riparian2%

Other cover2%

Conifer2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush51%

Grass and meadow37%

Conifer9%

Riparian2%

Other cover2%

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	36°F	16°F	2.9 in
February	37°F	16°F	5.8 in
March	46°F	23°F	3.6 in
April	52°F	28°F	3.2 in
May	62°F	37°F	0.1 in
June	73°F	46°F	0 in
July	81°F	53°F	0 in
August	79°F	51°F	0 in
September	71°F	42°F	0 in
October	57°F	31°F	1.9 in
November	44°F	22°F	3.7 in
December	35°F	15°F	5.8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general elk licence to hunt this area?: Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or preference-point requirement, and it is valid here. A nonresident wanting to hunt on a general licence must draw a Region E general licence, which reaches the general-licence hunt areas of region E. Three quarters of Region E's nonresident general licences go to applicants ranked by preference points, and a quarter to a random draw open to everyone in the pool.
What licences work for hunting hunt area 6?: A resident buys a general elk licence over the counter. A nonresident draws either a Region E general licence or a limited-quota licence (Type 1, Type 4, or Type 8) specific to this area. The general licence is valid off national forest land only; the limited-quota hunts have different restrictions and seasons.
How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually reach on public ground?: About 15 percent of the area—roughly 335 square miles—is ground a hunter can generally count on: State Trust Land, National Forest, and BLM. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still limit where a hunter can get on the ground. Access outside the National Forest and Curt Gowdy State Park is limited, and private land covers 84 percent of the area.
Do hunters need permission to use Hunter Management Areas here?: Yes. The three Hunter Management Areas—Lone Tree Creek, North Crow, and Pilot Hill—require a printed permission slip from WGFD before hunting. These are private lands enrolled by agreement; enrollment is renegotiated annually.
When do the elk seasons run on this area?: Type 8 (cow or calf) runs August 1 to January 31 off national forest. Type Gen (general licence) offers any elk by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–31 off national forest, and antlerless elk rifle November 1–December 31 off national forest. Type 1 (limited quota) offers any elk by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–31, and antlerless elk rifle November 1–January 31. Type 4 (limited quota, antlerless) runs by archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–January 31.

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