Can a hunter use a general elk licence to hunt here?

A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw required. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region. Hunt area 90 is open to both under the appropriate general licence for their residency.

Does a nonresident need preference points to hunt this area?

Nonresidents hunting a general licence must draw a Region W general licence, and preference points matter only for nonresidents. Three quarters of nonresident general licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, while a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants. A Wyoming resident has no elk preference points and uses a random draw for any license that requires drawing.

How much of this hunt area is actually accessible on foot?

The entire 221 square miles lies on National Forest land and is generally open to public hunting. Motorized access follows designated routes, leaving most of the terrain accessible only by foot or horseback. Trailheads, seasonal closures, and the rugged slope—36% steep terrain and 3% true rugged—mean a hunter's reach depends on fitness and preparation rather than road miles.

When is hunting pressure lowest on hunt area 90?

Pressure spikes sharply during the opening days of each season, then drops significantly by the second week. A hunter planning to avoid crowds should schedule the hunt for the later part of each season window rather than opening week.

Where should a hunter focus for trophy bulls on this area?

Trophy-class bulls favor steep, heavily timbered north-facing slopes, especially terrain at least a mile away from the Greys River Road. These areas offer cover and security from hunting pressure and require backcountry effort to reach and hunt effectively.

Wyoming Hunt Area 90 (Upper Greys River) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

100%

Elevation

6,600–11,400 ft

Terrain

Rugged

Elk region

Hunt area 90 drains the Greys River watershed between the Salt Range and the Wyoming Range, a complex of steep mountainsides rising from 6,600 to 11,400 feet. The country is conifer-dominated at lower and mid elevations—spruce and Douglas fir on the north-facing slopes—with aspen and mountain shrub taking the south and southeast aspects. Higher elevations transition toward more open sagebrush and grass meadows. Overall the ground grades rugged: 41% moderate slope, 36% steep, and 3% true rugged terrain. Foot travel is the norm here; the lack of maintained roads through most of the area makes it a backcountry proposition, though several motorized trails open to hunters during the season offer route-based access deeper in.

Entry is via the Greys River Road out of Alpine, and the entire 221 square miles lies on National Forest land that is generally accessible to hunters. Seasonal closures, trailheads, and the physical demands of steep terrain still shape where a hunter can reasonably get. Hunting pressure is heaviest in the first few days of each season and then tapers; hunters seeking lower crowds typically hunt the second week onward. Elk respond predictably to opening-day pressure by dropping into the steeper, more timbered country, particularly the north slopes where heavy cover provides security. Backcountry hunters targeting trophy-class bulls focus on these north-facing drainages, staying well back from the road corridor.

The seasons here both span archery and rifle windows, offering two separate hunts across the September-through-October period. The rut phases shift notably between them: early-season archery coincides with the onset and primary rut, when elk are still broadly active and vocal, while the October rifle hunt falls into the late rut and post-rut recovery phases, when bull activity has wound down and cows dominate movement patterns.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 90 (Upper Greys River) 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 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 26
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 26

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 Gen — Any elk (September–October)

The September archery hunt and October rifle hunt both span the early rut and its transition into post-rut recovery. September archery coincides with rut onset and primary rut, when bulls are vocal and active, temperature highs average 64 degrees, and conditions remain dry with no significant snowfall. October rifle hunting shifts into the late rut and post-rut recovery phases as temperatures cool from highs near 50 degrees and snowfall averages 3.6 inches for the month. Access remains reliable across both windows, though early October snow can make high-elevation terrain more demanding and visibility lower. Either window allows any elk, and hunters should expect to find bulls reacting to hunting pressure by moving into steep, timbered country, particularly north-facing terrain, as the season progresses.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–October)

This hunt is restricted to cow or calf and runs archery in September and rifle in October, shadowing the same rut phases and weather as the general hunt but with a different quarry focus. Early September provides mild conditions—highs near 64 degrees and no snow—ideal for stalking mobile cows and calves during the rut onset and primary rut phases. October rifle hunting for cows and calves occurs as temperatures drop and snowfall averages 3.6 inches, making the later part of the month potentially more challenging for foot hunting at higher elevations. All-public access via National Forest land and the motorized trails remains consistent, though hunters should be prepared for changing conditions and steeper terrain as the season progresses and pressure builds. The hunt allows cows and calves only; bulls are not legal.

Land and access

National Forest100%

Generally open to public hunting

About 100% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, roughly 221 square miles. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply.

Where elk are mapped

Summer Range82%

used in summer

Parturition Areas31%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Winter Range18%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range18%

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

Lower elevations

Conifer66%

Sagebrush26%

Riparian4%

Grass and meadow3%

Mid elevations

Conifer67%

Sagebrush28%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush42%

Conifer38%

Grass and meadow19%

Other cover2%

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	33.2 in
February	32°F	10°F	27.9 in
March	40°F	17°F	20.8 in
April	47°F	23°F	10 in
May	56°F	31°F	1.4 in
June	65°F	38°F	0 in
July	75°F	44°F	0 in
August	74°F	43°F	0 in
September	64°F	36°F	0 in
October	50°F	27°F	3.6 in
November	36°F	17°F	20.8 in
December	28°F	10°F	31.4 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general elk licence to hunt here?: A Wyoming resident can buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw required. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region. Hunt area 90 is open to both under the appropriate general licence for their residency.
Does a nonresident need preference points to hunt this area?: Nonresidents hunting a general licence must draw a Region W general licence, and preference points matter only for nonresidents. Three quarters of nonresident general licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, while a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants. A Wyoming resident has no elk preference points and uses a random draw for any license that requires drawing.
How much of this hunt area is actually accessible on foot?: The entire 221 square miles lies on National Forest land and is generally open to public hunting. Motorized access follows designated routes, leaving most of the terrain accessible only by foot or horseback. Trailheads, seasonal closures, and the rugged slope—36% steep terrain and 3% true rugged—mean a hunter's reach depends on fitness and preparation rather than road miles.
When is hunting pressure lowest on hunt area 90?: Pressure spikes sharply during the opening days of each season, then drops significantly by the second week. A hunter planning to avoid crowds should schedule the hunt for the later part of each season window rather than opening week.
Where should a hunter focus for trophy bulls on this area?: Trophy-class bulls favor steep, heavily timbered north-facing slopes, especially terrain at least a mile away from the Greys River Road. These areas offer cover and security from hunting pressure and require backcountry effort to reach and hunt effectively.

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