Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt area 65?

No. Hunt area 65 is a limited-quota area drawn for this specific area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota hunt areas. A hunter must draw a licence specifically for area 65 to hunt there.

How much public ground can a hunter actually count on in this area?

About 56 percent of the hunt area, roughly 939 square miles, is BLM and State Trust Land where hunters can generally rely on access. However, roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still restrict where hunters can actually reach, so not all of that acreage is equally accessible.

Do residents need preference points to draw hunt area 65?

No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk at all—the resident elk draw is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, enter a different pool where three quarters of licences go to the top applicants by preference points and a quarter go to a random draw.

What is an HMA and how does a hunter access it?

An HMA—Hunter Management Area—is private ground enrolled by agreement with Wyoming Game and Fish. To hunt an HMA, a hunter must obtain a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish before entering. The two HMAs in area 65 are Heart Mountain and Yellowtail, and enrollment is renegotiated annually, so neither is guaranteed to be open in any given year.

When do the different seasons run in this hunt area?

Type 1 (any elk) runs September 1–30 for archery and October 1–31 for rifle. Type 4 (antlerless elk) runs August 15–January 15. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs August 15–January 15. Type 7 (cow or calf) runs November 1–January 15. A hunter draws for a specific season type.

Wyoming Hunt Area 65 (Heart Mountain) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

56%

Elevation

3,600–8,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 65 spreads across rolling sagebrush hills, dry basins and river valleys between 3,600 and 8,100 feet, with most ground lying around 4,400 feet. Terrain is predominantly gentle—84 percent of the area slopes gently, 13 percent moderately, and 3 percent steeply. Sagebrush dominates the landscape at 70 percent of the cover; grass and meadow occupy 10 percent, other cover 18 percent, and riparian ground 2 percent. The country is foot-friendly in grade but dry and open, offering little shelter; hunters spend days crossing exposed terrain where elk visibility is high but so is hunter visibility. Most elk in this area are non-migratory residents, living year-round in and around the Heart Mountain area, but their availability to hunters depends heavily on where private land is posted and where access agreements hold.

Access is the limiting factor here. About 56 percent of the hunt area—roughly 939 square miles—is BLM and State Trust Land where hunters can generally count on entry, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Private land comprises 30 percent of the area. Two Hunter Management Areas, Heart Mountain and Yellowtail, are private ground enrolled by agreement; a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish is required before hunting on an HMA, and enrollment is renegotiated annually so neither area can be counted on as permanently open. A majority of hunters work the Heart Mountain HMA when it is accessible, and the same unpredictability that constrains access defines the hunt: elk shift between private and public ground depending on pressure, and when private land is unavailable, public ground may hold few animals.

Winter Range covers 4 percent of the hunt area and Crucial Winter Range 2 percent, reflecting a landscape where elk do not concentrate heavily in the coldest months. The area published for 2026 includes four distinct seasons: a September-October any-elk archery and rifle hunt (Type 1), an August-January antlerless hunt (Type 4), an August-January cow-or-calf hunt (Type 6), and a November-January cow-or-calf hunt (Type 7). Each season plays out differently across the cooling months and shifting rut phases, and hunters should clarify which season they draw before committing to a specific timeframe.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 65 (Heart Mountain) 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 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Regular August 15 – January 15
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Regular August 15 – January 15
Type 7 · Cow or calf
Regular November 1 – January 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 (November–January)

Hunting the November-to-January cow-or-calf season means pursuing animals in post-rut recovery and deep winter as temperatures plummet and snowfall increases. Highs drop from 45°F in November to 34°F in January, and snow totals roughly 1 inch monthly in November and 1.7 inches in January, transforming the landscape and making elk more visible but also harder to reach on foot. Access via the Hunter Management Areas depends on annual enrollment agreements, and private-land availability remains unpredictable; public BLM and State Trust Land offer an alternative but may hold fewer animals depending on current pressure. The hunt is valid for cows and calves only, not bulls.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

The September-to-October any-elk hunt spans the archery season in early September through the primary rut and into the rifle season as the rut winds down and bulls enter post-rut recovery. Archery hunting (September 1–30) occurs during rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are vocal and responsive; the rifle season (October 1–31) overlaps the late rut and post-rut recovery phases as bulls lose condition and become more cautious. Weather is warm and dry in early September with highs near 75°F, cooling to the mid-50s by October, and snowfall remains negligible both months. Access constraints remain consistent with other seasons—private Hunter Management Areas require printed permission slips and annual enrollment, and public BLM and State Trust Land offer the fallback when private ground is unavailable. This hunt allows any elk—bulls, cows, and calves.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (August–January)

The August-to-January antlerless season spans the longest calendar window, beginning in late summer velvet and pushing through the entire rut into deep winter. Early August offers warm days (highs near 85°F) and dry conditions ideal for foot hunting in sagebrush, but the season extends through cooling months and increasing snow—by January, temperatures drop to lows of 10°F and monthly snowfall reaches 1.7 inches. Elk availability depends on access; the private Hunter Management Areas are enrolled annually and require printed permission, while public BLM and State Trust Land remain available but may concentrate fewer animals when private ground is closed to hunting. This hunt is restricted to cows and calves, excluding bulls entirely.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (August–January)

The August-to-January cow-or-calf season parallels the antlerless hunt in timing and conditions, opening in warm, dry late summer and extending through the rut and into winter cold and snow. Hunters experience highs near 85°F and negligible snow in August, cooling progressively to January lows of 10°F with roughly 1.7 inches of monthly snow. Access depends on the same mix of enrolled private Hunter Management Areas—which require printed permission and are renegotiated annually—and public BLM and State Trust Land, with private-land availability remaining variable and affecting where elk concentrate. This hunt is valid for cows and calves only, not bulls.

Land and access

BLM51%

Generally open to public hunting

private land30%

Private

unclassified ownership13%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 56% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 939 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 2 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

Winter Range4%

used in winter

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush70%

Other cover18%

Grass and meadow10%

Riparian2%

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	10°F	1.7 in
February	38°F	13°F	1.7 in
March	50°F	23°F	0.6 in
April	58°F	31°F	0.3 in
May	68°F	41°F	0 in
June	78°F	50°F	0 in
July	87°F	56°F	0 in
August	85°F	53°F	0 in
September	75°F	44°F	0 in
October	59°F	32°F	0.1 in
November	45°F	21°F	1 in
December	34°F	11°F	1.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt area 65?: No. Hunt area 65 is a limited-quota area drawn for this specific area. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota hunt areas. A hunter must draw a licence specifically for area 65 to hunt there.
How much public ground can a hunter actually count on in this area?: About 56 percent of the hunt area, roughly 939 square miles, is BLM and State Trust Land where hunters can generally rely on access. However, roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still restrict where hunters can actually reach, so not all of that acreage is equally accessible.
Do residents need preference points to draw hunt area 65?: No. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for elk at all—the resident elk draw is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, enter a different pool where three quarters of licences go to the top applicants by preference points and a quarter go to a random draw.
What is an HMA and how does a hunter access it?: An HMA—Hunter Management Area—is private ground enrolled by agreement with Wyoming Game and Fish. To hunt an HMA, a hunter must obtain a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish before entering. The two HMAs in area 65 are Heart Mountain and Yellowtail, and enrollment is renegotiated annually, so neither is guaranteed to be open in any given year.
When do the different seasons run in this hunt area?: Type 1 (any elk) runs September 1–30 for archery and October 1–31 for rifle. Type 4 (antlerless elk) runs August 15–January 15. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs August 15–January 15. Type 7 (cow or calf) runs November 1–January 15. A hunter draws for a specific season 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