Can a hunter take an elk on a general licence in hunt area 96?

Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter—unlimited statewide, with no draw and no preference points—and it is valid in hunt area 96. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence; a nonresident wanting a general hunt in the region must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of region W and nowhere else.

How much public land is available in hunt area 96?

About 69% of the hunt area—roughly 172 square miles—is public ground a hunter can generally count on, including National Forest, BLM, State Wildlife Areas, and State Trust Land. Private land comprises the remaining 31%. Public ownership does not mean easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings still apply throughout the area.

Does a nonresident need preference points to draw a hunt in area 96?

For a nonresident, preference points matter significantly in the Region W general licence draw. Three quarters of those licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants in the pool. Wyoming residents, by contrast, have no elk preference points at all; the resident elk draw is random.

Can a nonresident hunt alone in the wilderness within hunt area 96?

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. Hunt area 96 contains designated wilderness, so a nonresident planning a self-guided hunt must stay outside it.

When are elk most likely to be accessible at lower elevations in hunt area 96?

Elk concentrate in the high country and upper basins early in the season and typically move to lower elevations near the forest boundary and private lands only after significant snowfall persists at higher elevations. Without continued snow, hunting pressure tends to hold them higher. Late-season and winter hunts have better access to lower public ground and private lands as snow forces movement downslope.

Wyoming Hunt Area 96 (New Fork) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

69%

Elevation

7,200–12,100 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Elk region

Hunt area 96 is a high-country alpine and subalpine landscape dropping through coniferous forest to lower aspen and sagebrush terrain. The eastern half sits in the Wind River Range, with the hunt area's ridges and upper basins pushing above timberline and the terrain grading down through timbered draws to rolling foothills. The New Fork River and its tributaries drain the area west and south out of the higher elevations. Most of the ground is foot country; roads are scarce and trailheads lie at significant distance from where elk concentrate, especially early in the season. A hunter on foot faces the vertical and the distance both. The higher elevations carry conifer and alpine meadow, the mid elevations aspen mixed with sagebrush and conifer, and the valleys and private agricultural ground below. The area sits at 7,200 to 12,100 feet, typical ground around 8,000 feet, with moderate terrain averaging 11 degrees of slope.

About 69% of the hunt area is public ground a hunter can generally count on—roughly 172 square miles of National Forest, BLM, State Wildlife Areas, and State Trust Land—though access still requires navigating roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings. The major Forest Service access points are Jim Creek Road, Boulder Creek Road, New Fork Lake Road, and Willow Lake Road. The western and southern portions hold scattered BLM and State land mixed with private ground. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, and Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide there. Early-season elk concentrate in the upper basins and high country. As snowfall persists at higher elevations, elk typically move lower onto national forest and BLM ground near the forest boundary and private lands. Without continued snow, hunting pressure tends to hold elk at higher elevations later in the season. Horseback is advantageous for covering the distances and reaching elk herds, particularly early on. A self-guided nonresident will find limited opportunities during most of the hunting season.

Deer and moose are common on Forest Service lands throughout the hunt area, and pronghorn inhabit the lower sagebrush steppe. Mountain lions, wolves, and black bears are present in portions of the area. Grizzly bears are relatively common here, and the area's management authority strongly recommends that anyone recreating here carry bear pepper spray and take precautions to avoid conflicts.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 96 (New 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 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – November 20
Type 1 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – November 30
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road
Regular December 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 8 — Cow or calf valid on private land… (December–January)

The December-through-January hunt targets cow or calf on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road as elk winter on lower ground. Temperatures drop sharply through this span—highs fall from 28°F in December to 29°F in January, lows from 5°F to 5°F—while snowfall remains heavy, with roughly 13.6 inches in December and 11.4 inches in January. Winter and crucial winter range cover portions of the hunt area, and access to private ground is essential; a hunter must make arrangements in advance. This restriction to private land in a specified area means the hunt is not valid across the entire area or on public land.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

The general-licence any-elk hunt runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle October 15–31, spanning the transition from primary rut into late rut and post-rut recovery. Early September brings highs around 65°F and lows around 34°F with minimal snow, while October cools to highs around 52°F, lows around 25°F, and roughly 2 inches of snowfall. The archery portion coincides with aggressive bugling and elk concentrated in the high country, though access from distant trailheads is challenging. The regular rifle season arrives as the rut cools and elk begin descending from high elevations. Elk remain predominantly in the upper basins early but move lower as snow accumulates. A general licence is valid across the hunt area on public and private land wherever the licence type allows.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (November)

The general-licence antlerless hunt runs regular season November 1–20 during the migration transition phase as elk shift between summer and winter range. November weather deteriorates steadily—highs fall from 38°F to lower readings as the month progresses, lows reach 14°F, and snowfall averages 9 inches. Significant snow at higher elevations forces movement to lower forest boundary and BLM ground. The short window spans some of the most variable conditions of the fall. A general licence is valid across the hunt area.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

The Type 1 any-elk hunt includes archery September 1–30 and regular rifle October 1–31, covering rut onset through primary rut and into late rut and post-rut recovery. Archery conditions in September bring highs around 65°F and minimal snow, putting hunters in high country during peak bugling but facing distant access from trailheads. The regular season spans October as temperatures cool—highs around 52°F, lows around 25°F—with roughly 2 inches of snowfall. Elk begin descending from high basins as October progresses, making lower-elevation public and private ground more accessible. Type 1 is a limited-draw hunt, separate from the general licence.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November)

The Type 1 antlerless hunt runs regular season November 1–30 during migration transition and into winter range establishment. November brings cooling temperatures with highs falling from 38°F and increasing snowfall averaging 9 inches, driving elk from higher elevations toward lower winter grounds near the forest boundary and private lands. This extended window captures the full movement phase and the hardening of snow that concentrates elk at lower elevations where access improves. Type 1 is a limited-draw hunt.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

The Type 4 antlerless hunt spans archery September 1–30 and regular rifle October 1–November 30, covering the rut from onset through its full decline and into early winter. Early-season archery hunts the high country during primary rut with September highs around 65°F and minimal snow. Regular season extends through cooling temperatures—October highs around 52°F with roughly 2 inches of snow, November highs around 38°F with roughly 9 inches—and the extended November window captures the full migration transition as significant snowfall pushes elk downslope. By late season, lower public and private ground become more accessible. Type 4 is a limited-draw hunt.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

The Type 6 cow-or-calf hunt includes archery September 1–30 and regular rifle October 1–November 30, spanning rut onset through primary rut and the full descent through late rut, post-rut recovery, and migration transition. Archery in warm September weather hunts high-elevation elk during aggressive rut behavior, though access from distant trailheads is challenging. Regular season extends from October into November as temperatures drop—October highs around 52°F with roughly 2 inches of snow, November highs around 38°F with roughly 9 inches—and snowfall accumulation forces elk movement to lower elevations where forest boundary and BLM ground become more huntable. Type 6 is a limited-draw hunt.

Land and access

National Forest60%

Generally open to public hunting

private land31%

Private

BLM4%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas2%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 69% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 172 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 Range37%

used in summer

Winter Range36%

used in winter

Parturition Areas24%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Yearlong Range21%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range15%

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

Sagebrush51%

Other cover32%

Riparian14%

Conifer2%

Grass and meadow1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush52%

Conifer31%

Aspen8%

Riparian4%

Other cover3%

Grass and meadow2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush42%

Conifer37%

Grass and meadow16%

Other cover2%

Aspen2%

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	5°F	11.4 in
February	31°F	5°F	11.7 in
March	40°F	14°F	7.7 in
April	48°F	22°F	4.5 in
May	58°F	30°F	0.6 in
June	67°F	37°F	0 in
July	76°F	43°F	0 in
August	75°F	41°F	0 in
September	65°F	34°F	0 in
October	52°F	25°F	2 in
November	38°F	14°F	9 in
December	28°F	5°F	13.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take an elk on a general licence in hunt area 96?: Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general elk licence over the counter—unlimited statewide, with no draw and no preference points—and it is valid in hunt area 96. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence; a nonresident wanting a general hunt in the region must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of region W and nowhere else.
How much public land is available in hunt area 96?: About 69% of the hunt area—roughly 172 square miles—is public ground a hunter can generally count on, including National Forest, BLM, State Wildlife Areas, and State Trust Land. Private land comprises the remaining 31%. Public ownership does not mean easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings still apply throughout the area.
Does a nonresident need preference points to draw a hunt in area 96?: For a nonresident, preference points matter significantly in the Region W general licence draw. Three quarters of those licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants in the pool. Wyoming residents, by contrast, have no elk preference points at all; the resident elk draw is random.
Can a nonresident hunt alone in the wilderness within hunt area 96?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. Hunt area 96 contains designated wilderness, so a nonresident planning a self-guided hunt must stay outside it.
When are elk most likely to be accessible at lower elevations in hunt area 96?: Elk concentrate in the high country and upper basins early in the season and typically move to lower elevations near the forest boundary and private lands only after significant snowfall persists at higher elevations. Without continued snow, hunting pressure tends to hold them higher. Late-season and winter hunts have better access to lower public ground and private lands as snow forces movement downslope.

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