Wyoming elk Region W — western Wyoming
Region W is the high country, and it is much the largest of the three: the Absarokas and the Thorofare, the Wind River and Gros Ventre ranges, the Greys River and Salt River country, and the Jackson and Pinedale front. Ground runs from about 3,600 feet to 13,800 feet, and this is where Wyoming's elk hunting reputation was made.
It is also the most public. Several hunt areas here are effectively all public land, and much of the rest sits above three quarters. What it asks in return is effort and, on a good deal of it, horses — and in designated wilderness, Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.
What a Region W licence is — and is not
A Region W general licence is what a nonresident draws to hunt Wyoming’s general-licence elk areas in this part of the state. It is valid across the 35 hunt areas listed below, each subject to its own season dates and limitations.
It is not valid in the limited-quota hunt areas that sit inside the same country. Those must be drawn for that area specifically, and no region licence reaches them — so a region licence is a fallback only when the hunt a reader wants is in a general area.
A Wyoming resident does not use a region licence at all: residents buy a general elk licence over the counter, unlimited statewide, on sale from mid-July. Residents also have no elk preference points — where a resident must draw, that draw is random. Points are a nonresident concept here, and for nonresidents three quarters of each pool is awarded by preference points and the remaining quarter at random.
The 35 general hunt areas in Region W
| Hunt area | Herd | Size | Open public land | Terrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 · Cony Mountain | South Wind River | 543 sq mi | 83% | Steep |
| 36 · Rock Creek | North Bighorn | 209 sq mi | 67% | Moderate |
| 37 · Goose | North Bighorn | 684 sq mi | 53% | Moderate |
| 56 · Wapiti Ridge | Cody | 473 sq mi | 86% | Rugged |
| 59 · Boulder Basin | Cody | 393 sq mi | 91% | Rugged |
| 60 · Thorofare | Cody | 331 sq mi | 100% | Rugged |
| 66 · Basin | Cody | 1,915 sq mi | — | — |
| 67 · Wiggins Fork | Wiggins Fork | 701 sq mi | 91% | Steep |
| 68 · Warm Springs | Wiggins Fork | 215 sq mi | 88% | Moderate |
| 69 · Whiskey Mountain | Wiggins Fork | 332 sq mi | 98% | Rugged |
| 70 · Buffalo Fork | Jackson | 448 sq mi | 99% | Steep |
| 71 · Pacific Creek | Jackson | 234 sq mi | 84% | Steep |
| 73 · Targhee-Alta | Targhee | 383 sq mi | 96% | Steep |
| 78 · Wilson | Jackson | 71 sq mi | 36% | Moderate |
| 80 · Sheep Creek | Jackson | 89 sq mi | 99% | Rugged |
| 81 · Spread Creek | Jackson | 351 sq mi | 99% | Steep |
| 82 · Crystal Peak | Jackson | 234 sq mi | 99% | Steep |
| 83 · Fish Creek | Jackson | 161 sq mi | 100% | Steep |
| 84 · Lower Hoback | Fall Creek | 396 sq mi | 92% | Rugged |
| 85 · Fall Creek | Fall Creek | 280 sq mi | 92% | Rugged |
| 86 · Monument Ridge | Piney | 116 sq mi | 97% | Steep |
| 87 · Raspberry Ridge | Upper Green River | 115 sq mi | 91% | Steep |
| 89 · Lower Greys River | Afton | 263 sq mi | 100% | Rugged |
| 90 · Upper Greys River | Afton | 221 sq mi | 100% | Rugged |
| 91 · Salt River | Afton | 466 sq mi | 61% | Steep |
| 92 · Piney-Horse Creek | Piney | 659 sq mi | 55% | Gentle |
| 94 · South Piney | Piney | 977 sq mi | 75% | Gentle |
| 96 · New Fork | Upper Green River | 251 sq mi | 69% | Moderate |
| 97 · Pinedale | Pinedale | 474 sq mi | 85% | Moderate |
| 98 · Boulder | Pinedale | 1,933 sq mi | 86% | Gentle |
| 102 · West Green River | West Green River | 1,491 sq mi | 69% | Gentle |
| 103 · Raymond Mountain | West Green River | 265 sq mi | 77% | Steep |
| 104 · Lincoln | West Green River | 676 sq mi | 71% | Moderate |
| 127 · Crowheart Butte | Wiggins Fork | 3,084 sq mi | 2% | Gentle |
| 128 · Muskrat | Green Mountain | 2,200 sq mi | 81% | Gentle |
“Open public land” is the share of each hunt area a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply. Areas without a link are inside the licence but do not have a guide written yet.
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
Region boundaries, licence types and seasons change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.