Wyoming Hunt Area 8 (Boulder Ridge) elk hunting

Licence
Limited quota — drawn
Open public land
18%
Elevation
7,100–9,700 ft
Terrain
Gentle

Hunt area 8 spans 377 square miles of foothill and mountain country ranging from 7,100 to 9,700 feet. The landscape is fundamentally a mix of open ground and intermittent timber. Shortgrass prairie dominates the terrain—sagebrush covers half the area and grass and meadow another 30 percent—with scattered conifer stands on higher slopes and wet sites. The Big Laramie River cuts through the northern section, creating broad riparian corridors of cottonwood and willow, and irrigated hay meadows line much of the drainage. Mahogany and pine cover rougher ground along the southern border. Slope averages 3.7 degrees; the terrain is predominantly gentle, rolling country broken by timbered ridges. Hunters should expect to cover distance on foot across open and semi-open ground, then locate elk in drainages, aspen stands, or sagebrush parks.

Access is severely constrained. Only 69 square miles—about 18 percent of the area—is dependably open public ground (BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas), and even that public land has roads, trailheads and private inholdings woven through it. The southwest corner of the hunt area, including Red Mountain, Ring Mountain and Jelm Mountain, holds the most accessible public land. Private land comprises 80 percent of the hunt area. Hunters who do not secure private permission before applying for a license will find their options sharply limited once drawn. Two private Hunter Management Areas—Cherokee Park and Lewis Ranch—are available with a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish, though enrollment is renegotiated annually and cannot be assumed from year to year.

Elk that winter in this area move north from Colorado, though resident herds also use drainages along the Big Laramie River, Sand Creek, Jelm Mountain and Red Mountain year-round. Winter range covers 19 percent of the hunt area, and yearlong range another 19 percent. The archery season unfolds during the rut's onset and peak, when bulls are active and responsive. Regular hunting extends through the post-rut period and winter, when snow may accumulate—October averages 2.7 inches of snow and January 4.2 inches—and temperatures drop steadily from October's highs near 57 degrees to January lows around 13 degrees.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 8 (Boulder Ridge) 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 – January 31
  • Type 8 · Cow or calf
    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 1 — Any elk (September–January)

Archery hunting for any elk runs September 1–30, beginning as bulls are moving into the rut and continuing into its peak phase; bulls are vocal and active during this window, making them vulnerable to well-executed stalks. September weather is mild, with highs near 71 degrees and minimal precipitation, though temperatures drop into the upper 30s at night. The landscape is still open and visibility good, but elk may spend the heat of the day in scattered conifer stands and aspen groves, requiring hunters to glass sagebrush parks and drainages. Once archery season ends, regular hunting for any elk runs October 1–January 31 across the transition from the rut's tail into the post-rut and winter periods; October brings the first significant snow, averaging 2.7 inches, and temperatures fall sharply from the 50s to near freezing, which can push elk into sheltered timber and riparian bottoms. By January, snow is frequent—4.2 inches typical—and highs hover near 35 degrees, concentrating elk in lower drainages and on winter range.

Type 8 — Cow or calf (August–January)

Hunting for cow or calf across August 1–January 31 is a season of distinct phases. August hunting occurs during summer before the rut begins; elk are often scattered in higher sagebrush and aspen, and temperatures are warm (highs near 79 degrees, lows around 46), favoring early-morning and late-evening hunting. The landscape is fully green and visibility limited by standing vegetation. As September arrives, temperatures moderate to highs near 71 degrees, but elk begin moving toward rutting grounds; the cow-and-calf license allows hunters to take antlerless animals while bulls are preoccupied with the rut. October through January mirror the conditions of the archery and regular any-elk seasons, with increasingly cold and snowy weather pushing herds into established winter-use areas along riparian bottoms and sheltered drainages.

Land and access

  • private land80%
    Private
  • BLM10%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • State Trust Land8%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • unclassified ownership1%
    Ownership unclassified

    • About 18% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 69 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 12% 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 Range19%
    used in winter
  • Yearlong Range19%
    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

    Across the unit

  • Sagebrush50%
  • Grass and meadow30%
  • Riparian12%
  • Conifer5%
  • Other cover4%

    • 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

    MonthAvg highAvg lowSnowfall
    January35°F13°F4.2 in
    February37°F13°F4.8 in
    March45°F20°F4.6 in
    April52°F25°F3.3 in
    May62°F33°F0.1 in
    June74°F41°F0 in
    July81°F48°F0 in
    August79°F46°F0 in
    September71°F38°F0.1 in
    October57°F28°F2.7 in
    November44°F20°F3.4 in
    December35°F12°F5.1 in

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

    Common questions

    Can a hunter draw hunt area 8 on a regional general license?
    No. Hunt area 8 is a limited-quota hunt area and requires a specific draw for this area alone. A regional general elk license is valid only in the general-license areas of its region, never in limited-quota areas. Hunters must draw the limited-quota license for this hunt area to hunt here.
    Do Wyoming residents need preference points for an elk draw in this hunt area?
    No. Wyoming residents have no preference-point system for elk; the resident elk draw is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of licenses go to applicants with the most preference points and one quarter go to a random draw open to all nonresidents.
    How much public land can a hunter count on in hunt area 8?
    About 69 square miles, or 18 percent of the hunt area, is dependably open public ground. The southwest corner—Red Mountain, Ring Mountain and Jelm Mountain—holds the most accessible public land. However, public land access still depends on roads, trailheads and seasonal closures, and private inholdings exist throughout the area.
    What do the two Hunter Management Areas in hunt area 8 require?
    Cherokee Park and Lewis Ranch are private lands enrolled with Wyoming Game and Fish. A hunter drawn for this hunt area can hunt them only with a printed permission slip from the Game and Fish. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability cannot be assumed from one year to the next.
    When do the elk seasons run in hunt area 8?
    Type 1 (any elk) opens with archery September 1–30, then switches to regular hunting October 1–January 31. Type 8 (cow or calf) runs August 1–January 31 on a regular license. Both seasons run concurrently once October begins, though they pursue different legal animals.

    Sources

    Seasons, licence types and boundaries change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.

    All Wyoming elk hunt areas