Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt this area?

No. Hunt area 64 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn specifically for this area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota hunt area. Both residents and nonresidents must draw a licence for this specific area to hunt here.

What preference points do Wyoming residents need for elk in this area?

Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw is random with no points system. Residents need only to draw their specific licence for this area; there is no resident point cutoff or point-building strategy.

How many preference points do nonresidents need to draw here?

The nonresident pool works differently: three quarters of the licences go to a preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, while a quarter go to a random draw. A nonresident's odds of drawing improve with more points, but the random quarter offers a chance without points.

Can a hunter access the Absaroka Front HMA without permission?

No. The Absaroka Front is a Hunter Management Area on private land enrolled by annual agreement, and hunters must obtain a printed permission slip from the area manager before hunting. Enrollment is renegotiated each year, so availability can change.

How much of this hunt area is actually huntable?

About 357 square miles—35 percent of the area—consists of public land or enrolled access ground that a hunter can generally count on, including BLM, state trust land, National Forest, and the Absaroka Front HMA. The remaining 65 percent is private. The southern third of the hunt area lies on the Wind River Indian Reservation and is not open to non-tribal hunting.

Wyoming Hunt Area 64 (Owl Creek) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

35%

Elevation

4,300–12,400 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Hunt area 64 spans 1,023 square miles of mixed terrain across the Gooseberry herd unit. The country divides sharply: the lower elevations and foothills are rolling sagebrush and grassland with scattered juniper and limber pine ridges, while the higher ground climbs into mountainous Shoshone National Forest. Elevation ranges from 4,300 to 12,400 feet, with typical terrain graded as moderate—the mean slope of 12.7 degrees reflects a landscape split roughly even between gentle and moderate ground, with steep and rugged terrain comprising the remainder. The landscape changes with elevation: lower elevations are heavily sagebrush with grass and meadow scattered through, mid elevations remain sagebrush-dominated with increasing conifers, and higher elevations bring more forest cover. About 357 square miles—roughly 35 percent—consists of land a hunter can generally count on: BLM parcels, state trust land, and National Forest ground. The remainder is private. The southern third of the hunt area lies within the Wind River Indian Reservation and is closed to non-tribal hunting.

Getting onto public ground requires navigation through private holdings and scattered access points rather than straightforward entry. The National Forest receives the heaviest hunting pressure. The Absaroka Front Hunter Management Area, a private parcel enrolled by annual agreement and requiring printed permission to hunt, holds concentrations of elk and sees significant use. Some private ranches are open to hunting for a fee. Access roads and trailheads come and go with seasonal closures and the condition of mountain roads, and many parcels remain ringed by private land that must be crossed or worked around.

This limited-quota hunt area offers six distinct seasons designed to target different mixes of elk and different phases of the rut. The earliest seasons overlap with the rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are most vocal. October and November seasons strike the late rut and the post-rut recovery period as well as the transition into migration. December hunts occur on the winter range itself. Cow and calf hunts are restricted to specific drainages or areas to manage harvest pressure. Weather cools sharply from September through December, with September highs averaging near 69 degrees but December highs dropping to around 33 degrees; snow accumulation increases from roughly 0.3 inches in September to 3.5 to 3.6 inches per month by late autumn.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 64 (Owl 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 1 – October 21
Type 2 · Any elk valid within the Washakie Wilderness
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 21
Type 3 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 15
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid in that portion of the Cottonwood Creek drainage downstream of and including the 21-Creek drainage; also valid within the Grass Creek drainage downstream of the Grass Creek/Little Grass Creek confluence
Regular September 1 – November 14
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid in the entire area
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 15 – December 21
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid south of and including the Cottonwood Creek drainage
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – 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 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Archery through September and regular rifle hunting October 1–21 chase elk during rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are vocal and responsive, and then into the late rut and post-rut recovery as bulls drop back into travel patterns. September weather averages mild—highs near 69 degrees and only trace snow—making early-season archery physically comfortable but potentially slower hunting as elk feed and rest. By October the weather tightens: highs drop to the mid-50s, lows near freezing, and around 1.8 inches of snow may fall. This hunt is valid anywhere in the area. Public pressure concentrates on the National Forest and Absaroka Front HMA; scattered BLM parcels and private ranches offer alternatives for hunters willing to pay access fees.

Type 2 — Any elk valid within the Washakie… (September–October)

This hunt mirrors Type 1 in its two-phase structure—archery September 1–30 during rut onset and primary rut, then regular rifle October 1–21 as the late rut and post-rut recovery unfold—but the licence is restricted to elk within the Washakie, limiting hunters to a specific portion of the area. The rut timing and September-to-October weather patterns remain the same: mild and dry in early season, then cooling with intermittent snow by rifle season's end. Access follows the same pattern as other seasons, with public land seeing the heaviest pressure and private land available by fee.

Type 3 — Any elk (September–November)

Archery in September and regular rifle from November 1–15 split the rut itself from the transition into winter movement. Archery takes place during rut onset and primary rut when bulls are vocal; November rifle hunting shifts into the migration transition phase as herds begin their seasonal movement. September stays mild and virtually dry, but November weather turns cold rapidly—highs dropping to the low 40s, lows near 20 degrees, and around 3.5 inches of monthly snowfall. This hunt is valid across the entire area. As with other seasons, most harvest occurs on National Forest and the Absaroka Front HMA, though private land opportunities exist for hunters with fee access.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid in that portion… (September–November)

This cow or calf hunt runs through the rut—from September 1 through November 14 covering rut onset, primary rut, late rut, post-rut recovery, and the beginning of the migration transition—giving cow hunters a long window to find animals across changing conditions and rut phases. The hunt is limited to the Cottonwood Creek drainage downstream of and including the 21-Creek drainage, and also to the Grass Creek drainage downstream of the Grass Creek/Little Grass Creek confluence. September offers mild weather; by November highs fall to the low 40s and snow accumulates heavily. The extended season means hunters can time their trip to weather and access conditions that suit them, though the drainage restrictions concentrate effort on specific ground.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid in the entire area (September–December)

This cow or calf hunt spans archery in September and regular rifle from November 15–December 21, opening during rut onset and primary rut before transitioning into migration and then winter-range seasons. Archery takes place in mild September weather, while November and December hunting shifts into cold, snowy conditions—highs dropping from the low 40s in November to the low 30s by December, with 3.5 to 3.6 inches of monthly snowfall. This hunt is valid across the entire hunt area. The long rifle window extending into December allows hunters flexibility in timing their hunt to weather and personal schedule, with the later portion coinciding with elk concentrated on winter range.

Type 7 — Cow or calf valid south of and… (September–December)

Archery in September and regular rifle from October 15–December 21 give hunters a two-phase hunt across the late rut, post-rut recovery, migration, and winter-range periods. September archery during rut onset and primary rut offers mild conditions and vocal bulls; October rifle enters the late rut and post-rut recovery, then the late season pushes through migration and onto winter range in cold, snowy weather—highs falling from the mid-50s in October to the low 30s by December. This hunt is restricted to the area south of and including the Cottonwood Creek drainage. Most hunting pressure falls on the National Forest and Absaroka Front HMA, where public and enrolled private ground concentrate elk across the long season.

Land and access

private land65%

Private

BLM27%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 35% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 357 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.

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

Winter Range22%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range13%

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

Parturition Areas5%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

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

Sagebrush81%

Grass and meadow9%

Other cover5%

Riparian3%

Conifer1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush84%

Grass and meadow11%

Conifer4%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush63%

Conifer22%

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	34°F	11°F	2.4 in
February	37°F	12°F	3.6 in
March	46°F	20°F	3.1 in
April	53°F	27°F	3 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.3 in
June	72°F	43°F	0 in
July	81°F	49°F	0 in
August	80°F	48°F	0 in
September	69°F	40°F	0.3 in
October	55°F	29°F	1.8 in
November	42°F	19°F	3.5 in
December	33°F	11°F	3.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt this area?: No. Hunt area 64 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn specifically for this area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota hunt area. Both residents and nonresidents must draw a licence for this specific area to hunt here.
What preference points do Wyoming residents need for elk in this area?: Wyoming residents have no elk preference points at all. The resident elk draw is random with no points system. Residents need only to draw their specific licence for this area; there is no resident point cutoff or point-building strategy.
How many preference points do nonresidents need to draw here?: The nonresident pool works differently: three quarters of the licences go to a preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, while a quarter go to a random draw. A nonresident's odds of drawing improve with more points, but the random quarter offers a chance without points.
Can a hunter access the Absaroka Front HMA without permission?: No. The Absaroka Front is a Hunter Management Area on private land enrolled by annual agreement, and hunters must obtain a printed permission slip from the area manager before hunting. Enrollment is renegotiated each year, so availability can change.
How much of this hunt area is actually huntable?: About 357 square miles—35 percent of the area—consists of public land or enrolled access ground that a hunter can generally count on, including BLM, state trust land, National Forest, and the Absaroka Front HMA. The remaining 65 percent is private. The southern third of the hunt area lies on the Wind River Indian Reservation and is not open to non-tribal hunting.

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