Can a hunter in Wyoming buy a general elk licence to hunt hunt area 67?

A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas in that region, including hunt area 67.

How much of this hunt area is public ground a hunter can generally count on?

About 91% of hunt area 67—roughly 635 square miles—is public land including National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, BLM, and State Trust Land. Roads and trailheads provide access, but reaching elk often requires climbing steep terrain, and seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.

Can a nonresident hunt alone in the Washakie Wilderness here?

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. The Dunoir Special Management Area on the west side offers similar high-elevation hunting without that requirement.

What seasons run when in hunt area 67?

General-licence any-elk archery runs September 15–30, followed by antlered-elk regular seasons in October (October 1–10 for antlered, October 11–31 for antlered with spikes excluded). Cow-or-calf seasons run September 15–October 31 over the entire hunt area, with an additional November cow-or-calf season restricted to the west side of the Wiggins Fork and East Fork. Antlerless and Type 7 cow-or-calf seasons extend from mid-September through December.

What is the elevation range and terrain difficulty in hunt area 67?

Hunt area 67 ranges from 6,400 to 12,600 feet, with typical terrain around 8,800 feet. The ground is steep overall at a mean slope of 17.3 degrees: 34% gentle, 40% moderate, 22% steep, and 4% rugged. Most of the hunt is foot country, with access by road and trailhead but significant climbing required to reach elk.

Wyoming Hunt Area 67 (Wiggins Fork) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

91%

Elevation

6,400–12,600 ft

Terrain

Steep

Elk region

Hunt area 67 spans 701 square miles of highly varied country, from mountain foothills and sagebrush slopes to dense conifer forest, alpine parks, and tundra. Elevation ranges from 6,400 to 12,600 feet, with typical terrain around 8,800 feet. The ground is steep overall—mean slope 17.3 degrees—but the breakdown is gradual: 34% gentle, 40% moderate, 22% steep, and 4% rugged. At lower elevations, sagebrush dominates the landscape at 69%, mixed with scattered conifer at 17% and grass meadow at 8%. Mid elevations transition to primarily conifer forest at 71%, with sagebrush retreating to 24%. Higher elevations open into alpine country of sagebrush, conifer, and meadow in more even shares. Most of the hunt area is a foot-country proposition; roads and trailheads provide access, but reaching elk often means climbing.

About 91% of hunt area 67—roughly 635 square miles—is public ground: National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, BLM, and State Trust Land. The remaining 9% is private. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, which requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. The Dunoir Special Management Area on the west side offers a wilderness-like hunting experience without triggering that requirement. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission owns three large parcels on the east side of the East Fork of the Wind River, within the Wind River Reservation boundary but legal to hunt as part of hunt area 67; however, the surrounding reservation land is closed to hunting, making a detailed ownership map and GPS unit essential. Dispersed camping is allowed on BLM and Forest Service lands, though camping on Game and Fish lands is restricted to designated sites.

Early-season archery hunting tends to be better at the higher elevations where the Washakie Wilderness sits. As the fall progresses and temperatures drop, the character of the hunt changes. By November, snowfall increases significantly—averaging 12.2 inches for the month—and conditions shift toward the later seasons. December brings the deepest snow and coldest temperatures, with highs near 28 degrees and 15.4 inches of snowfall typical. The later seasons push hunters toward lower ground and the west side of the area, where some seasons are geographically restricted.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 67 (Wiggins Fork) 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 W, 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
Archery September 15 – September 30
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered elk
Regular October 1 – October 10
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered elk, spikes excluded
Regular October 11 – October 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 15 – September 30Regular November 1 – December 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 15 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid west of the Wiggins Fork and west of the East Fork downstream from the confluence with the Wiggins Fork
Regular November 1 – November 30
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid west of the Wiggins Fork and west of the East Fork downstream from the confluence with the Wiggins Fork
Archery September 15 – September 30Regular December 1 – December 31
Type 9 · Any elk, archery only
Regular September 1 – September 30

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 6 — Cow or calf (September–October)

The September 15–30 archery season and October 15–31 regular season for cow or calf hunt across the entire hunt area during the primary rut in mid-September through early October, when bulls are bugling and cows are moving. September opens warm at highs near 59 degrees with minimal snow, but by October temperatures drop sharply to highs around 46 degrees and snowfall increases to about 6.4 inches for the month. Both windows benefit from public access across the hunt area, though most productive hunting occurs at mid and higher elevations early in the archery window.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid west of the… (November)

The November cow-or-calf regular season is restricted to the country west of the Wiggins Fork and west of the East Fork downstream from the confluence with the Wiggins Fork, concentrating hunting on the western portion of the hunt area. This hunt occurs during migration transition, when cooler temperatures and snowfall averaging 12.2 inches for the month move elk patterns, and access remains available across the western hunt area's public ground. The restriction reflects the specific elk movement in this portion of the hunt area during the season.

Type 7 — Cow or calf valid west of the… (September–December)

The Type 7 archery season for cow or calf runs September 15–30 during the primary rut, offering high-elevation hunting in the western portion of the hunt area, while the regular season extends December 1–31 deep into winter range with heavy snow and lows averaging 9 degrees. December brings the deepest cold and heaviest snowfall of any month at 15.4 inches, which concentrates elk movement. Both archery and regular windows are restricted to the west side of the Wiggins Fork and west of the East Fork downstream from their confluence, keeping hunters on the western half of the hunt area.

Type 9 — Any elk, archery only (September)

Any-elk archery hunting from September 1–30 spans the rut onset in early September and the primary rut in mid to late September, when bulls are active and concentrated. The season opens during warm weather with highs near 59 degrees and minimal snow, creating favorable conditions for archery hunters to pursue bugling bulls. The entire hunt area is open, and public access across the hunt area allows hunters to cover varied country from foothills to alpine parks.

Type Gen — Any elk (September)

The September 15–30 general-licence any-elk archery season overlaps the peak of the primary rut, when bulls are bugling hard and responsive to hunting pressure. September weather remains relatively mild with highs near 59 degrees and only trace snowfall, favoring archery hunters who can move quietly through sagebrush and conifer. Residents and nonresidents with a Region W general licence can hunt across the entire hunt area on public ground.

Type Gen — Antlered elk (October)

The October 1–10 general-licence antlered-elk regular season opens during the late rut and early post-rut phase, as bulls begin to lose the aggressive behavior of peak rutting and shift away from receptive cows. October temperatures drop sharply—highs drop to around 46 degrees—and snowfall increases to about 6.4 inches for the month, which can concentrate elk movement. Residents and nonresidents with a Region W general licence have access across the hunt area's public ground.

Type Gen — Antlered elk, spikes excluded (October)

The October 11–31 general-licence antlered-elk season, with spikes excluded, spans the post-rut recovery period, when bulls are transitioning toward winter range and temperatures continue to fall with highs near 46 degrees. Snowfall remains substantial at about 6.4 inches for the month, which moves elk across elevations and terrain. The spike restriction narrows the legal animal, and residents and nonresidents with a Region W general licence can hunt across public ground throughout the hunt area.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–December)

Antlerless-elk archery runs September 15–30 during the primary rut, while the regular season extends November 1–December 31 across migration transition and deep into winter range. The archery window opens mild at highs near 59 degrees with minimal snow; the regular season spans the coldest and snowiest months, with December bringing highs near 28 degrees and 15.4 inches of typical snowfall that concentrates elk on lower ground. Archery hunting occurs during peak rut activity at higher elevations, while regular-season hunters encounter winter conditions across the hunt area.

Land and access

National Forest71%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas12%

Generally open to public hunting

private land9%

Private

BLM6%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 91% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 635 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 includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where elk are mapped

Summer Range63%

used in summer

Winter Range36%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range20%

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

Parturition Areas15%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Yearlong Range14%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush69%

Conifer17%

Grass and meadow8%

Other cover3%

Riparian3%

Mid elevations

Conifer71%

Sagebrush24%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush32%

Conifer26%

Grass and meadow23%

Other cover19%

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	29°F	10°F	11.8 in
February	31°F	9°F	13.2 in
March	39°F	15°F	14.5 in
April	44°F	20°F	13.7 in
May	52°F	29°F	3.8 in
June	62°F	36°F	0 in
July	71°F	42°F	0 in
August	69°F	41°F	0 in
September	59°F	35°F	0.8 in
October	46°F	25°F	6.4 in
November	35°F	16°F	12.2 in
December	28°F	9°F	15.4 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in Wyoming buy a general elk licence to hunt hunt area 67?: A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas in that region, including hunt area 67.
How much of this hunt area is public ground a hunter can generally count on?: About 91% of hunt area 67—roughly 635 square miles—is public land including National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, BLM, and State Trust Land. Roads and trailheads provide access, but reaching elk often requires climbing steep terrain, and seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.
Can a nonresident hunt alone in the Washakie Wilderness here?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. The Dunoir Special Management Area on the west side offers similar high-elevation hunting without that requirement.
What seasons run when in hunt area 67?: General-licence any-elk archery runs September 15–30, followed by antlered-elk regular seasons in October (October 1–10 for antlered, October 11–31 for antlered with spikes excluded). Cow-or-calf seasons run September 15–October 31 over the entire hunt area, with an additional November cow-or-calf season restricted to the west side of the Wiggins Fork and East Fork. Antlerless and Type 7 cow-or-calf seasons extend from mid-September through December.
What is the elevation range and terrain difficulty in hunt area 67?: Hunt area 67 ranges from 6,400 to 12,600 feet, with typical terrain around 8,800 feet. The ground is steep overall at a mean slope of 17.3 degrees: 34% gentle, 40% moderate, 22% steep, and 4% rugged. Most of the hunt is foot country, with access by road and trailhead but significant climbing required to reach elk.

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