Can a hunter take a general bull or bull-like elk in this hunt area on a general licence?

Yes. The Type Gen (general licence) hunt valid October 15–31 allows any elk, meaning both bulls and cows. A Wyoming resident purchases a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or wait. A nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in all general hunt areas of that region, and three-quarters of Region W general licences go to nonresidents ranked by preference points, with the remaining quarter in a random draw.

When does the rut occur here and what seasons overlap it?

Elk enter the rut around September 1, with peak activity from mid-September through September 30, then remain in early post-rut through mid-October. Both archery seasons (Type Gen and Type 6) run September 1–30 and fully cover the rut's onset and primary phases. The Type Gen regular hunt (October 15–31) and Type 6 regular hunt (October 1–November 30) begin after peak rutting but catch the tail end of breeding and the ensuing post-rut recovery period.

Does deep snow change where and how a hunter should look for elk?

Yes. Snow deeper than 12 inches typically forces elk down to lower elevations and south-facing slopes where forage is more accessible. Without such snow, elk remain distributed through the higher conifer basins and timber stands, particularly on north-facing terrain where hunters must hike farther from roads to find them undisturbed.

Where do most elk in this area concentrate during the hunting season?

Elk concentrate in the western portion of the hunt area on National Forest lands, particularly in the three Piney Creek drainages and their upper basins where dense conifer stands provide security. Bare Mountain and Coal Mine Hill are also productive. Because the majority of elk occupy the high timber away from roads, a hunter must commit to hiking and gaining elevation to find animals during normal conditions.

Wyoming Hunt Area 94 (South Piney) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

75%

Elevation

6,500–11,400 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 94 spans the western slopes of the Wyoming Range, climbing from sagebrush foothills around 6,500 feet to rocky ridges above 11,400 feet, with typical hunting ground near 7,600 feet. The country is predominantly gentle—two-thirds of it slopes less than 9 degrees—and breaks into distinct zones by elevation. Lower terrain rolls as sagebrush with scattered riparian strips; mid-elevations transition through aspen to conifer forest; and higher basins stand thick with subalpine conifers. The western boundary follows the Range crest, and the area drains eastward through three main creek systems—North, Middle, and South Piney—that concentrate elk in their upper basins where dense timber meets rocky terrain.

About 75 percent of the area is public ground—National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land—that a hunter can generally depend on, though access varies sharply. Roads and trailheads penetrate the National Forest in the western portion where most elk concentrate, with major access corridors up the Cottonwood, Piney, LaBarge, and Wyoming Range roads. The farther a hunter hikes from any road, the better the odds of finding elk undisturbed. Snow of 12 inches or more typically compresses elk to lower elevations and more accessible terrain, particularly on south-facing slopes; without deep snow, hunters must climb to timber and north-facing cover to find concentrated animals. Private land fills the eastern valleys and lower foothills, mostly in agricultural use, and creates a buffer that elk use seasonally.

The area offers five distinct seasons across fall and winter, each with different legal game and dates. Archery seasons bridge September into early October, when elk are entering the rut; regular seasons span mid-October through November, covering the latter stages of breeding and the shift onto winter range; and a late cow hunt runs through mid-January on private land north of Middle Piney Creek.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 94 (South Piney) 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 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – November 20
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 7 · Cow or calf; except that portion of Area 94 between Middle Piney Road (Sublette County Road 23-111) and South Piney-Fish Creek Road (Sublette County Road 23-142) west to Forest Road 10046 shall be closed
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – December 15
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid on private land north of Middle Piney Creek
Regular December 16 – 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 7 — Cow or calf valid on private land… (December–January)

The December–January cow or calf hunt on private land north of Middle Piney Creek targets wintering elk that have shifted down from the higher basins and become concentrated in the valleys and lower sagebrush. Weather turns harsh—December highs average 28°F with roughly 15 inches of snowfall monthly, and January remains frigid. This hunt relies entirely on access to private ground by permission, and hunters should expect deep snow, cold nights, and elk that are often already bedded in accessible lower country. Hunters pursue females and young animals only, and tags are limited to private land north of Middle Piney Creek.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

Archery during September 1–30 opens as elk are entering the rut and becoming vocal and responsive, with daytime highs around 67°F dropping to near freezing at night and virtually no precipitation. Hunters must reach the high basins and dense timber where concentrations hold, meaning early-morning climbs and all-day effort, and should plan for significant foot traffic to find less-pressured animals. Archery allows any elk. The rifle season (October 15–31) follows the rut's intensity but catches elk still responsive in the post-rut phase, though they grow warier; October weather shifts sharply, with highs dropping from 53°F toward freezing and roughly 2 inches of snow possible mid-month. Road access remains useful, but animals disperse somewhat and require more stalking skill. This season also allows any elk and is open across the entire area.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (November)

The November general-licence antlerless hunt runs November 1–20 as elk move toward winter range, with weather deteriorating rapidly—highs average 38°F and the area receives about 10 inches of snow for the month. By this point, animals are less concentrated than during archery and have begun shifting to lower terrain where accessibility improves. Access via roads and moderate hikes can yield success. The hunt is restricted to antlerless elk (cows and calves), and the entire hunt area is open.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

Archery (September 1–30) mirrors the Type Gen archery period, opening as the rut intensifies with cool mornings and warm days, requiring foot access to high timber where elk concentrate. Hunters must pursue cows or calves only. The regular season extends October 1–November 30 and spans the period from late rut recovery through the migration transition onto winter range; October begins warm (highs ~53°F) and cools rapidly while receiving light snow, and November brings consistent precipitation (about 10 inches) and highs near 38°F. Elk begin spreading across mid- and lower elevations by late October, and accessibility improves as weather pushes them downslope. This long season covers the full transition from breeding season into winter patterns and is valid across the entire area for cows and calves only.

Type 7 — Cow or calf (September–December)

Archery (September 1–30) occurs as elk enter the rut and respond to calling, with mild September weather (highs ~67°F, minimal snow) allowing hunters to reach high-timber strongholds where the densest concentrations hold. However, a significant closure applies: the area between Middle Piney Road and South Piney-Fish Creek Road west to Forest Road 10046 is off-limits during archery, restricting hunters to the northern and southern portions of the hunt area. The regular season runs November 1–December 15 across most of the area, though the same mid-area closure remains in effect from November 1–15. By November, cold weather (highs ~38°F, 10+ inches of snow) and the migration transition push elk downslope toward lower sagebrush and accessible terrain. Hunters may pursue cows or calves only, and must account for the area restrictions before planning routes.

Land and access

BLM50%

Generally open to public hunting

private land25%

Private

National Forest22%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 75% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 736 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.

Where elk are mapped

Winter Range49%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range32%

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

Parturition Areas26%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Summer Range16%

used in summer

Yearlong Range10%

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

Sagebrush73%

Other cover15%

Riparian10%

Grass and meadow2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush82%

Riparian7%

Conifer5%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush42%

Conifer41%

Grass and meadow15%

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	28°F	4°F	15.5 in
February	31°F	6°F	13.7 in
March	41°F	15°F	8.2 in
April	49°F	22°F	4.1 in
May	59°F	31°F	0.6 in
June	69°F	37°F	0 in
July	78°F	43°F	0 in
August	76°F	42°F	0 in
September	67°F	34°F	0 in
October	53°F	25°F	1.9 in
November	38°F	14°F	10.1 in
December	28°F	5°F	14.9 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take a general bull or bull-like elk in this hunt area on a general licence?: Yes. The Type Gen (general licence) hunt valid October 15–31 allows any elk, meaning both bulls and cows. A Wyoming resident purchases a general elk licence over the counter with no draw or wait. A nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid in all general hunt areas of that region, and three-quarters of Region W general licences go to nonresidents ranked by preference points, with the remaining quarter in a random draw.
When does the rut occur here and what seasons overlap it?: Elk enter the rut around September 1, with peak activity from mid-September through September 30, then remain in early post-rut through mid-October. Both archery seasons (Type Gen and Type 6) run September 1–30 and fully cover the rut's onset and primary phases. The Type Gen regular hunt (October 15–31) and Type 6 regular hunt (October 1–November 30) begin after peak rutting but catch the tail end of breeding and the ensuing post-rut recovery period.
Does deep snow change where and how a hunter should look for elk?: Yes. Snow deeper than 12 inches typically forces elk down to lower elevations and south-facing slopes where forage is more accessible. Without such snow, elk remain distributed through the higher conifer basins and timber stands, particularly on north-facing terrain where hunters must hike farther from roads to find them undisturbed.
Which seasons in this hunt area allow a hunter to pursue cows or calves only?: Type 6 is valid September 1 through November 30 for cows or calves. Type 7 (September 1–December 15) is also limited to cows or calves, but a significant portion of hunt area 94 between Middle Piney Road and South Piney-Fish Creek Road west to Forest Road 10046 is closed during Type 7 archery and closed from November 1–15 during the regular season. Type 7 is also valid December 16–January 31 on private land north of Middle Piney Creek only.
Where do most elk in this area concentrate during the hunting season?: Elk concentrate in the western portion of the hunt area on National Forest lands, particularly in the three Piney Creek drainages and their upper basins where dense conifer stands provide security. Bare Mountain and Coal Mine Hill are also productive. Because the majority of elk occupy the high timber away from roads, a hunter must commit to hiking and gaining elevation to find animals during normal conditions.

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