Can a Wyoming resident buy a general elk licence for this hunt area over the counter?

Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference-point requirement. The licence is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas, including hunt area 98.

Can a nonresident draw a general elk licence valid here?

A nonresident cannot buy a general licence. Nonresidents draw a Region W general licence through a preference-point system where three quarters of licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw. The Region W general licence is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region only.

Is this hunt area accessible to walk-in hunting, or does it require special permission?

Public land here — National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land — is generally accessible, but roads are limited and horses are often necessary to reach elk herds, especially early in the season. The Chimney Butte Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip before hunting; enrollment is renegotiated annually.

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

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange a guide before the season.

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

Elk are predominantly in the upper basins early in the season and typically remain at higher elevations until significant snowfall persists at higher elevations, which usually occurs around November. Hunting pressure can keep elk in the high country longer in the absence of continued snow events.

Wyoming Hunt Area 98 (Boulder) elk hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

86%

Elevation

6,300–12,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Elk region

Hunt area 98 spans 1,933 square miles across the western flank of the Wind River Range and the sagebrush foothills below it. The country climbs from rolling grasslands near valley floors to coniferous forest, then aspen, and finally alpine rock at the crest. Slopes average 4.5 degrees — gentle terrain throughout, with 87% of the ground sagebrush and 6% conifer. The area is bordered north by Boulder Creek and the Continental Divide, with major valleys carved by the New Fork River, East Fork River, Pocket Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Silver Creek. Elevation spans 6,300 to 12,500 feet, with typical ground near 7,000 feet.

About 86% of the area is public land a hunter can count on — National Forest in the north, BLM and State Trust Land across the middle and south, roughly 1,661 square miles total. Private holdings cluster along the main drainages and valley bottoms. Roads are limited; the Boulder Highway is the main paved access, with U.S. Forest Service trailheads at Boulder Creek, Scab Creek, Irish Canyon, Muddy Creek, Muddy Ridge, and Big Sandy Openings. Early-season hunting pressure concentrates in the upper basins near the Bridger Wilderness, and horses offer real advantage for reaching elk far from the few roads. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, which requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. A Hunter Management Area at Chimney Butte requires a printed permission slip before hunting.

Seasons here span three months in the rut and migration, then two more in early winter. Fall hunting is generally cool and dry, with October bringing light snow and November snowfall climbing to around 4 inches a month, which typically triggers elk movement to lower elevations and private land. December and January are cold and deep, with 6 inches and 5.5 inches of monthly snow respectively, and the late-season hunt in the Scab Creek–East Fork River corridor — designed to distribute hunting pressure away from private ground — rarely produces in most years. Self-guided nonresidents find limited opportunity outside the early archery season, particularly in the large southwestern portion of the unit away from the Wind River foothills.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 98 (Boulder) 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 1 · Antlerless elk valid between Scab Creek and the East Fork River
Regular December 1 – January 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 19Regular September 20 – November 30
Type 4 · Antlerless elk valid between Scab Creek and the East Fork River
Regular December 1 – January 31
Type 6 · Cow or calf
Archery September 1 – September 19Regular September 20 – November 30
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid between Scab Creek and the East Fork River
Regular December 1 – January 31
Type 8 · Cow or calf valid on private land
Regular November 1 – 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 8 — Cow or calf valid on private land (November)

Hunting cow and calf on private land in November catches elk in migration, moving toward winter range as temperatures drop and snowfall increases. Early November typically sees highs around 40°F and lows around 13°F, with about 4 inches of snowfall for the month, and this season allows hunters to pursue animals that have moved off public land into private valleys and bottoms. Access depends on landowner permission, which varies year to year.

Type Gen — Any elk (September–October)

The archery season for any elk runs September 1–19, opening during rut onset and the early primary rut when bulls are becoming vocal and aggressive. September weather is mild — highs near 69°F and lows near 35°F — with almost no snow, making this a popular time for foot hunters despite the distance from roads to elk herds. A general licence is valid here and does not require a draw for residents; nonresidents must draw a Region W general licence.

Type Gen — Antlerless elk (October–November)

October 16–November 20 offers antlerless elk on a general licence as the primary rut gives way to post-rut recovery and elk begin migration toward winter. Weather cools sharply from October highs near 55°F to November highs near 40°F, and snowfall increases from about 1 inch to 4 inches a month; this transition typically triggers movement to lower elevations and private land. A general licence does not require a draw for residents.

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Type 1 archery hunts any elk during rut onset and the primary rut from September 1–19, with the same mild early-September weather and limited road access. Type 1 is a limited-draw hunt for nonresidents only; residents cannot draw it.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk (November)

Antlerless elk under Type 1 run through November as the primary rut cools into post-rut recovery and migration. Conditions grow cold, with November highs near 40°F and lows near 13°F, and mounting snowfall — around 4 inches for the month — pushes animals to lower elevations and off public land. This is a limited-draw hunt for nonresidents.

Type 1 — Antlerless elk valid between Scab… (December–January)

The December 1–January 31 hunt for antlerless elk is restricted to the area between Scab Creek and the East Fork River, a region designed to keep hunting pressure away from private lands during the winter months. December and January are bitter cold with highs near 29°F and 28°F respectively, and about 6 inches and 5.5 inches of monthly snowfall; the restricted zone rarely offers much opportunity to locate and harvest elk in most years.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

Type 4 archery for antlerless elk spans September 1–19, opening when bulls are in rut onset and the primary rut, with mild early-September conditions and the challenge of distance to elk herds. Type 4 then runs regular seasons from September 20–November 30, carrying through post-rut recovery and migration as snowfall builds through fall and winter drives animals off public land. Type 4 is a limited-draw hunt for nonresidents.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk valid between Scab… (December–January)

Antlerless elk between Scab Creek and the East Fork River from December 1–January 31 under Type 4 confines hunting to a restricted zone during the hardest winter months with 6 to 5.5 inches of snowfall respectively. This late-season placement redirects pressure from private land, but the combination of deep snow, extreme cold with highs near 28–29°F, and difficult access rarely produces opportunity.

Type 6 — Cow or calf (September–November)

Type 6 cow-or-calf hunting spans archery from September 1–19 and regular seasons September 20–November 30, covering rut onset through migration as fall deepens. Archery opens in mild September weather with elk high in the country; the regular season follows through October and November as weather deteriorates and snowfall climbs to 4 inches a month, pushing animals toward lower elevations and private ground. Type 6 is a limited-draw hunt for nonresidents.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid between Scab… (December–January)

The December 1–January 31 hunt for cow or calf is restricted to the area between Scab Creek and the East Fork River, positioning hunting away from private lands during deep winter. With temperatures bottoming near 2–3°F and snowfall of 5.5–6 inches a month, access is severely limited and opportunity in most years is very sparse.

Land and access

BLM72%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest11%

Generally open to public hunting

private land7%

Private

unclassified ownership7%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 86% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 1,661 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.

It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. 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.

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

Winter Range12%

used in winter

Summer Range10%

used in summer

Parturition Areas7%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Crucial Winter Range6%

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

Sagebrush86%

Conifer6%

Other cover4%

Grass and meadow2%

Riparian2%

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	2°F	5.5 in
February	31°F	4°F	6 in
March	42°F	15°F	3.2 in
April	51°F	22°F	2.5 in
May	61°F	31°F	0.2 in
June	71°F	38°F	0 in
July	80°F	45°F	0 in
August	79°F	43°F	0 in
September	69°F	35°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	24°F	0.9 in
November	40°F	13°F	4.1 in
December	29°F	3°F	6 in

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

Common questions

Can a Wyoming resident buy a general elk licence for this hunt area over the counter?: Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general elk licence over the counter with no draw and no preference-point requirement. The licence is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas, including hunt area 98.
Can a nonresident draw a general elk licence valid here?: A nonresident cannot buy a general licence. Nonresidents draw a Region W general licence through a preference-point system where three quarters of licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw. The Region W general licence is valid in the general-licence hunt areas of that region only.
Is this hunt area accessible to walk-in hunting, or does it require special permission?: Public land here — National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land — is generally accessible, but roads are limited and horses are often necessary to reach elk herds, especially early in the season. The Chimney Butte Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip before hunting; enrollment is renegotiated annually.
Can a nonresident hunt alone in the designated wilderness portion of this area?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange a guide before the season.
When do elk typically move to lower elevations in this hunt area?: Elk are predominantly in the upper basins early in the season and typically remain at higher elevations until significant snowfall persists at higher elevations, which usually occurs around November. Hunting pressure can keep elk in the high country longer in the absence of continued snow events.

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