How many preference points does a nonresident need to draw hunt area 7?

The facts on preference points needed for a given year and draw pool are published by the state and are not part of this guide. Nonresidents should check the current draw odds and point-requirement tables on the Wyoming Game and Fish website before applying. Within the nonresident draw pool, three quarters of the licences are awarded by preference points (top-down) and a quarter are drawn at random, so points matter significantly.

When does elk season run on this hunt area?

Hunt area 7 offers multiple seasons with different animals and dates. Type 1 (any elk) runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–November 20. Type 1 antlerless runs November 21–December 31. Type 2 (any elk) runs November 21–December 31. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–December 31. Type 8 (cow or calf, private land or off national forest with area limits) runs August 15–October 14 and October 15–January 31 depending on county. A hunter should verify which season they hold and its exact dates and restrictions.

How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 7?

About 1,189 square miles of the area's 4,046 total are public land a hunter can generally count on, though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply. The area also contains 12 walk-in areas requiring no permission and 12 Hunter Management Areas where a printed permission slip from the landowner is required. Road access for game retrieval is limited on public lands.

Will walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas be open during the hunting season?

Enrollment in walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas is renegotiated annually, so a hunter cannot assume any particular property will be open in a coming season. A hunter should check the Wyoming Game and Fish Public Access page for current status, rules and dates before the season. Each area has its own posted rules and open periods that must be observed.

Wyoming Hunt Area 7 (Laramie Peak) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

29%

Elevation

4,300–10,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 7 spans 4,046 square miles of mixed terrain between 4,300 and 10,200 feet, with typical elevation around 6,800 feet. The country is predominantly gentle—75% slopes at 7 degrees or less—but terrain alone does not determine where a hunter can actually walk. The landscape is divided roughly equally between sagebrush and grass-meadow, with scattered conifer and scattered riparian country. Elk use this habitat differently as the season progresses: early in the year they occupy private agricultural fields and mid-elevation sagebrush flats and mountain mahogany slopes; by winter many have moved to lower elevations, where private land dominates.

Getting onto the ground is the real constraint here. About 29% of the area—roughly 1,189 square miles—consists of public land a hunter can generally count on: BLM, State Trust Land, National Forest and State Wildlife Areas. Private land makes up 70%. The area holds 12 walk-in areas that require no permission, and 12 Hunter Management Areas where a printed permission slip is required before hunting. Access is rated Fair by the agency. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply, and a GPS with landownership mapping is essential. Outfitting is prevalent here, and private-land access can be difficult to arrange.

Elk presence on public land shifts sharply through the seasons. During archery season in September, elk are typically well distributed across the area, including on National Forest lands. Once rifle season opens in mid-October, pressure builds quickly—concurrent deer seasons bring crowds—and elk are readily displaced onto private land. Public-land hunting success remains possible after opening, but animals tend to move further from roads and away from concentrated hunting pressure. Late-season success, particularly for cow elk, is generally highest on private land or on the Hunter Management Areas. Road access for game retrieval is limited on public lands, and snow in late season can close roads and shift elk distribution further.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 7 (Laramie Peak) 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 15 – November 20
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 21 – December 31
Type 2 · Any elk
Regular November 21 – December 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – December 31
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land in Albany and Carbon counties; also valid in all of Platte County; not valid in Converse or Natrona counties or on Commission owned lands
Regular August 15 – October 14
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land in Converse County; also valid off national forest in the remainder of the area
Regular October 15 – 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 on private land… (October–January)

Cow or calf hunting is valid on private land in Converse County from October 15 through January 31, and off national forest in the remainder of the area during the same window, making this the longest season on the area. By October, most elk have entered the post-rut recovery and migration phases, and many are already shifting toward winter grounds. Weather turns progressively cold and snowy—October averages 5.9 inches of snow, November 8.8 inches, December 10.6 inches, and January 8.9 inches—and late-season snow can close roads and move elk further from public-land access points. Late-season success on cow elk is generally highest on private land and Hunter Management Areas. The hunt is restricted by county and forest proximity, so a hunter must verify which portion of the area their licence covers before heading out.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–November)

Any-elk hunting spans archery from September 1–30 and rifle from October 15–November 20, covering the primary rut and the transition into the post-rut period. During archery season in early September, elk are typically well distributed throughout the hunt area, including on National Forest lands, and the weather is mild—highs around 65°F, with negligible snowfall. The rifle season opens mid-October as the rut winds down and elk enter the post-rut recovery phase, bringing cooler conditions (highs near 51°F in October, dropping to 38°F in November) and increasing snow. Once rifle season opens, hunting pressure intensifies due to concurrent deer seasons and high elk-licence issuance, and elk are readily displaced onto private land. Public-land hunting remains productive but animals tend to move further from roads and away from concentrated pressure.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November–December)

Antlerless-elk hunting runs from November 21 through December 31, covering the migration transition and winter-range phases when many elk have already moved to lower elevations and private land. Early November brings cold and heavy snow—November averages 8.8 inches—further pushing elk off higher public lands. By late November and December, weather is severe; December highs average 29°F with 10.6 inches of snow. Late-season success for cow and calf harvest is generally highest on private land and Hunter Management Areas, where elk concentrate as conditions deteriorate. Public-land hunting is more challenging, with elk occurring further from accessible roads and in areas less frequently scouted by hunters.

Type 2 — Any elk (November–December)

Any-elk hunting on Type 2 licences runs November 21–December 31, spanning the migration transition and full winter-range phases when most elk have moved to lower elevations and many have settled onto private land. November weather brings heavy snow—8.8 inches monthly average—and December is severe, with highs around 29°F and 10.6 inches of snow. Road closures become common in late season, limiting access to retrieval areas on public land. Success for any-elk hunting in this window depends heavily on access to private land or Hunter Management Areas where elk concentrate in winter. Public-land opportunity exists but is limited by the distribution shift and by snow-related access constraints.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Cow-or-calf hunting spans archery from September 1–30 and rifle from October 15–December 31, making this season run longer than most and covering the primary rut through winter range. Archery season finds elk well distributed and accessible on National Forest lands and public ground in early September when temperatures are mild and snow is negligible. The rifle season opens mid-October as the rut winds down, bringing cooler weather and increasing pressure; elk are readily displaced onto private land in early rifle season, though public-land hunting remains possible further from roads. By late season—November through December—snow becomes heavy and many elk have moved to lower elevations and private land, but late-season success on cow elk is generally highest on Hunter Management Areas. The hunt allows antlerless harvest only, not bulls.

Type 8 — Cow or calf valid on private land… (August–October)

Cow-or-calf hunting valid on private land in Albany and Carbon counties, and anywhere in Platte County, but not in Converse or Natrona counties or on Commission-owned lands, runs from August 15–October 14, spanning late summer through the onset of the primary rut. This is the longest early-season option, opening while elk still occupy private agricultural fields and higher-elevation sagebrush flats. August is warm and mild—highs around 75°F, minimal snow—and September sees cooling (highs near 65°F) with modest snowfall around 0.8 inches. The hunt is restricted by county and excludes certain public lands, so a hunter must verify the exact boundaries their licence covers. Access in this window is primarily private land; public-land hunting for this season is not viable in the restricted counties.

Land and access

private land70%

Private

BLM12%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land10%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest7%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 29% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land, National Forest and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 1,189 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 12 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 12 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

Winter Range23%

used in winter

Summer Range19%

used in summer

Yearlong Range17%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range8%

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

Sagebrush41%

Grass and meadow41%

Conifer12%

Other cover4%

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	29°F	12°F	8.9 in
February	32°F	13°F	11.3 in
March	40°F	20°F	11 in
April	47°F	26°F	10 in
May	56°F	35°F	0.9 in
June	68°F	43°F	0 in
July	76°F	50°F	0 in
August	75°F	49°F	0 in
September	65°F	40°F	0.8 in
October	51°F	29°F	5.9 in
November	38°F	20°F	8.8 in
December	29°F	13°F	10.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general or region licence to hunt this area?: Hunt area 7 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for both residents and nonresidents. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota area. Any hunter here must draw a licence specifically for this hunt area.
How many preference points does a nonresident need to draw hunt area 7?: The facts on preference points needed for a given year and draw pool are published by the state and are not part of this guide. Nonresidents should check the current draw odds and point-requirement tables on the Wyoming Game and Fish website before applying. Within the nonresident draw pool, three quarters of the licences are awarded by preference points (top-down) and a quarter are drawn at random, so points matter significantly.
When does elk season run on this hunt area?: Hunt area 7 offers multiple seasons with different animals and dates. Type 1 (any elk) runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–November 20. Type 1 antlerless runs November 21–December 31. Type 2 (any elk) runs November 21–December 31. Type 6 (cow or calf) runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 15–December 31. Type 8 (cow or calf, private land or off national forest with area limits) runs August 15–October 14 and October 15–January 31 depending on county. A hunter should verify which season they hold and its exact dates and restrictions.
How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 7?: About 1,189 square miles of the area's 4,046 total are public land a hunter can generally count on, though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply. The area also contains 12 walk-in areas requiring no permission and 12 Hunter Management Areas where a printed permission slip from the landowner is required. Road access for game retrieval is limited on public lands.
Will walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas be open during the hunting season?: Enrollment in walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas is renegotiated annually, so a hunter cannot assume any particular property will be open in a coming season. A hunter should check the Wyoming Game and Fish Public Access page for current status, rules and dates before the season. Each area has its own posted rules and open periods that must be observed.

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