Can a hunter take elk in hunt area 97 on a general licence?

Yes. A resident buys a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Both types are valid in hunt area 97.

What is the elevation range in hunt area 97?

Elevation spans 6,800 to 13,700 feet, with typical ground around 8,100 feet. The northeastern mountains hold alpine habitat at the crest, grading down through forest and aspen to sagebrush foothills in the lower valleys.

Can a nonresident hunt alone in the wilderness portion of hunt area 97?

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness area must arrange for qualified accompaniment.

How much of hunt area 97 is public ground?

About 85% of the area is dependably open ground — National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land, plus State Wildlife Areas. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still apply.

When do elk typically move to lower elevations in hunt area 97?

Elk are predominantly in the upper basins early in the season and do not typically migrate to lower elevations near the forest boundary and BLM lands until significant snowfall persists at higher elevations. Continued hunting pressure can keep elk at higher elevations longer when snow events do not occur.

Wyoming Hunt Area 97 (Pinedale) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

85%

Elevation

6,800–13,700 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Elk region

Hunt area 97 spans the western flank of the Wind River Range and the foothills rolling down to the Pinedale valley. Elevation runs from 6,800 feet in the lower sagebrush country to 13,700 feet at high alpine, with most ground around 8,100 feet. The northeastern mountains hold rock and tundra at the crest, grading down through dense conifer forest and aspen to sagebrush benches and private grassland in the valley bottoms. Terrain is moderate overall, with 58% gentle slopes, 28% moderate grades, 10% steep country, and 3% rugged ground. Sagebrush covers 60% of the area, conifers 14%, grass and meadow 12%, with riparian and other cover making up the rest. The country opens gradually from ridge to valley — high terrain limits foot hunters early in the season, but elk do not typically migrate to lower elevations near the forest boundary and BLM lands until snow persists at altitude. Horses are advantageous here because few roads reach the upper basins where elk spend September and October.

About 85% of the area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest in the northeastern half, BLM and State lands in the south, with private holdings around Pinedale creating a barrier through the center. The area contains designated wilderness, and Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting there. Public ownership comes with the standard caveats: roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all apply. The main Forest Service access points are Fremont Lake Road to Elkhart Park, Pole Creek Road, and Burnt Lake Road to the Fall Creek drainage. Hunting pressure tends to concentrate on the public ridges and basins early on, pushing elk higher or keeping them at elevation longer when snow does not arrive to drive them downslope.

Seasons span September through November, with archery and regular gun hunting overlapping on some licence types. Early-season hunting coincides with the transition into the primary rut and climbing pressure from other hunters, while October and November bring cooling weather and increasing snow at higher elevations. Access and elk distribution shift as weather changes — September hunting takes place in fine weather but requires reaching distant high basins, while November hunting may involve deeper snow but also sees elk responding to conditions by shifting to lower ground.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 97 (Pinedale) 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 19Regular October 1 – October 15
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless elk
Regular October 16 – November 20
Type 1 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 19Regular September 20 – October 31
Type 1 · Antlerless elk
Regular November 1 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 19Regular September 20 – November 30

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 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

Type 6 hunters pursue cow or calf during archery from September 1 through 19 and regular seasons from September 20 through November 30, with archery overlapping the rut onset and primary rut phases when bulls are actively pursuing and bugling. Early September archery takes place in warm weather — highs near 67 degrees — and requires reaching elk in the high basins; as September turns to October, temperatures drop and the rut enters its late phases, making bulls more responsive but also pushing hunters into cold nights in the 20s. November cooling continues, with highs falling from the 50s into the 30s and significant snowfall arriving—an average of 7 inches for the month—which can drive elk downslope toward the forest boundary and BLM lands. Public access holds throughout the season on Forest, BLM, and State ground, though weather and snow increasingly affect travel and terrain. Hunters pursuing cow or calf have access to both the upper basins where pressure concentrates early and to lower terrain later as snow triggers movement.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

Archery for any elk runs September 1 through 19, spanning rut onset and primary rut when bulls are calling and responsive to bugling. Early September hunting means warm days in the mid-60s but cold nights in the low 30s, and reaching productive water and meadow country in the high basins requires distance from trailheads — horses are advantageous here. The regular gun season opens October 1 and closes October 15, coinciding with the late-rut phase and early post-rut recovery when bulls remain active but are shifting behavior; October weather brings highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 20s, with light snow of about an inch and a half for the month. This hunt type allows any elk under a general licence obtained over the counter by residents or drawn by nonresidents.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October–November)

The antlerless hunt runs regular season only from October 16 through November 20, covering the post-rut recovery phase into the migration transition as weather cools and snow begins to drive movement. October's final two weeks bring highs dropping into the 50s and lows into the 20s with light snow; November weather turns noticeably colder with highs in the 30s and lows around 13 degrees, accompanied by an average of 7 inches of snowfall that typically triggers elk movement from high basins toward lower Forest Service, BLM, and State lands near the valley. Antlerless hunting here benefits from animals shifting into more accessible terrain as snow accumulates, though public ground may require persistence to access under winter conditions.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

The any-elk hunt for Type 1 licence holders spans archery from September 1 through 19 and regular seasons from September 20 through October 31. Archery takes place during rut onset and primary rut in warm early September weather with highs in the 60s and lows in the 30s, when bulls are actively calling and elk concentrate in the high basins that require reaching distant trailheads—horses provide significant advantage in reaching these areas early. The regular gun season from September 20 through October 31 covers the tail of the primary rut, the late-rut phase, and early post-rut recovery; temperatures cool from September's 60s toward October's 50s, lows drop from the 30s to the 20s, and snowfall increases from essentially none in September to about 1.5 inches in October. Self-guided nonresident hunters face concentrated pressure on the public ridges and upper basins during these months, which typically keeps elk at higher elevations unless weather drives them downslope.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November)

Antlerless hunting under Type 1 runs November 1 through 30, covering the migration transition and early winter range phases when cooling temperatures and snow are shifting elk behavior and distribution across the hunt area. November weather brings a steep drop—highs average 39 degrees and lows 13 degrees, with 7 inches of average snowfall for the month—that typically drives elk from high basins toward lower elevations on Forest Service, BLM, and State lands near the forest boundary and private agricultural areas. This timing means later-season hunters may find more elk accessible without the long distances required in early season, though snow and winter conditions affect travel and terrain navigation.

Land and access

National Forest56%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM26%

Generally open to public hunting

private land15%

Private

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 85% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 403 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 75% 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.

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 Range46%

used in summer

Winter Range13%

used in winter

Parturition Areas10%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

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

Sagebrush60%

Conifer14%

Grass and meadow12%

Other cover9%

Riparian4%

Aspen1%

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	3°F	8.1 in
February	31°F	4°F	9.1 in
March	40°F	13°F	6.1 in
April	49°F	22°F	3.9 in
May	59°F	30°F	0.5 in
June	69°F	37°F	0 in
July	78°F	43°F	0 in
August	76°F	41°F	0 in
September	67°F	34°F	0 in
October	53°F	24°F	1.5 in
November	39°F	13°F	7 in
December	29°F	4°F	9.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take elk in hunt area 97 on a general licence?: Yes. A resident buys a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident must draw a Region W general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Both types are valid in hunt area 97.
What is the elevation range in hunt area 97?: Elevation spans 6,800 to 13,700 feet, with typical ground around 8,100 feet. The northeastern mountains hold alpine habitat at the crest, grading down through forest and aspen to sagebrush foothills in the lower valleys.
Can a nonresident hunt alone in the wilderness portion of hunt area 97?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness area must arrange for qualified accompaniment.
How much of hunt area 97 is public ground?: About 85% of the area is dependably open ground — National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land, plus State Wildlife Areas. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still apply.
When do elk typically move to lower elevations in hunt area 97?: Elk are predominantly in the upper basins early in the season and do not typically migrate to lower elevations near the forest boundary and BLM lands until significant snowfall persists at higher elevations. Continued hunting pressure can keep elk at higher elevations longer when snow events do not occur.

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