Can a hunter draw a general licence for pronghorn in hunt area 117?

No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited quota, drawn for that specific area by both resident and nonresident. Wyoming does not sell a general pronghorn licence over the counter and does not issue a regional pronghorn licence. A hunter who does not draw for hunt area 117 has no fallback licence to hunt there.

What preference points do Wyoming residents need for pronghorn in hunt area 117?

Wyoming residents do not use preference points for pronghorn. The resident draw for hunt area 117 is random, and no resident point cutoff exists for any antelope hunt area in the state. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point pool, with the remaining quarter filled by random draw; nonresident preference points matter significantly.

How does the Wind River Reservation affect hunting in hunt area 117?

Some private lands within the reservation boundary fall under state hunting regulations, while others are governed by tribal rules. The landownership patterns are confusing, and hunters must verify the regulatory jurisdiction before planning to hunt. Trespassing on reservation land to reach private parcels is not allowed.

What seasons are open for pronghorn in hunt area 117?

Three seasons are available: Type 1 offers any pronghorn with archery August 15 to September 18 and regular hunting September 19 to October 31. Type 2 allows any pronghorn August 15 to October 31 but applies only to parts of adjoining hunt area 97 and all of hunt area 117. Type 7 is doe or fawn only, also August 15 to October 31 with the same area restrictions as Type 2.

Wyoming Hunt Area 117 (Crowheart Butte) pronghorn hunting

Q: How much private land must a hunter access to hunt pronghorn in hunt area 117?

Nearly all of hunt area 117 is private land. Almost no public ground is reliably available, and the pronghorn concentrate on agricultural riparian corridors along the Wind River and Popo Agie that are mostly privately owned. A hunter should confirm access to private land before applying for a licence.

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

<1%

Elevation

4,600–12,800 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 117 sprawls across 2,629 square miles of highly varied country, from sagebrush grassland at lower elevations to dense conifer forest at higher ridges, with scattered mountain foothills throughout. Terrain is predominantly gentle, and pronghorn concentrate on the agricultural riparian corridors along the Wind River and Popo Agie, where they share the ground with deeded private land. Much of the non-agricultural country is sagebrush and grassland, with sagebrush dominant across all elevation bands and conifer forest substantial at higher elevations where ground also steepens. Most accessible pronghorn habitat lies on private land, and hunting here requires advance arrangement with a landowner.

Getting onto productive ground is the core challenge. The hunt area contains almost no public land that a hunter can count on, and very few private parcels are enrolled in walk-in access programs. Pronghorn use the easier, more open country along the riparian zones, but much of that is held in private ownership. A hunter without prior contact with a landowner before applying for a licence is unlikely to succeed. The maze of landownership patterns within the Wind River Reservation boundary adds complexity: some private lands within the reservation boundary are subject to state hunting regulations, while others fall under tribal management, and trespassing to access private land is not permitted. A nonresident should verify the regulatory jurisdiction of any land they plan to hunt before committing to a draw.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 117 (Crowheart Butte) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn licence and no region pronghorn licence, so there is no over-the-counter option and no regional fallback: every pronghorn hunt area in the state is drawn on its own.

Wyoming residents have no preference points for pronghorn — the resident pronghorn 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 1 · Any antelope
Archery August 15 – September 18Regular September 19 – October 31
Type 2 · Any antelope valid in Area 97 south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, and in all of Area 117
Regular August 15 – October 31
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid in Area 97 south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, and in all of Area 117
Regular August 15 – October 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 pronghorn 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 1 — Any antelope (August–October)

Archery hunting for any antelope runs August 15 through September 18, a span covering the period when pronghorn transition from summer range into pre-rut territory-holding behavior and then enter the primary rut. August offers warm midday temperatures in the low 80s and cool mornings near 48 degrees, with September cooling into the 70s and 40s and remaining dry. Regular-season hunting continues September 19 through October 31, encompassing the tail end of the primary rut and the recovery period through early winter transition as pronghorn begin grouping. By late September temperatures drop into the 60s, and October brings significant cooling with highs in the 50s and lows near freezing; snow becomes possible, with October averaging about 1.3 inches. Access to pronghorn throughout this hunt remains limited to private land arranged in advance, and the legal animal is any antelope without restriction.

Type 2 — Any antelope valid in Area 97 south… (August–October)

Any-antelope hunting on Type 2 runs August 15 through October 31, valid only on a portion of adjoining hunt area 97 (south of U.S. Highway 26 and Wyoming Highway 134, and east of Eight Mile Road) plus all of hunt area 117. This season spans pre-rut through winter-transition phases, beginning with August warmth and progressing through the primary rut in mid-September into cooling October as pronghorn groups consolidate. Weather follows the same pattern: warm start, dry through September, and October introducing frost and snow. Pronghorn on the limited private ground must be accessed by prior arrangement with the landowner, and the legal animal is any antelope without restriction on the specified portions of both areas.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid in Area 97 south… (August–October)

Doe-and-fawn hunting on Type 7 mirrors Type 2's dates and geographic restriction—valid south of U.S. Highway 26 and Wyoming Highway 134, east of Eight Mile Road on hunt area 97, and throughout hunt area 117—but the legal animal is limited to does and fawns only. The season runs August 15 through October 31, covering the same rut and weather progression from summer into winter transition. This restriction allows hunters to take only females, making it a selective hunt relative to any-antelope seasons. Access remains private-land dependent and requires advance permission.

Land and access

private land99%

Private

About <1% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land, roughly 8 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 pronghorn are mapped

Yearlong Range2%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range2%

used in winter

Each figure is the share of the hunt area that layer covers. It says where pronghorn are mapped, not where inside the area they are, and not when they move.

Habitat and cover

Lower elevations

Sagebrush74%

Other cover12%

Grass and meadow8%

Riparian6%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow7%

Other cover4%

Riparian2%

Conifer1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush52%

Conifer30%

Grass and meadow15%

Other cover3%

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	34°F	11°F	1.4 in
February	37°F	12°F	2.5 in
March	47°F	20°F	2 in
April	54°F	27°F	2.1 in
May	63°F	36°F	0.1 in
June	73°F	43°F	0 in
July	82°F	50°F	0 in
August	80°F	48°F	0 in
September	70°F	40°F	0 in
October	56°F	30°F	1.3 in
November	43°F	19°F	2.2 in
December	33°F	11°F	2.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a general licence for pronghorn in hunt area 117?: No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited quota, drawn for that specific area by both resident and nonresident. Wyoming does not sell a general pronghorn licence over the counter and does not issue a regional pronghorn licence. A hunter who does not draw for hunt area 117 has no fallback licence to hunt there.
What preference points do Wyoming residents need for pronghorn in hunt area 117?: Wyoming residents do not use preference points for pronghorn. The resident draw for hunt area 117 is random, and no resident point cutoff exists for any antelope hunt area in the state. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a draw where three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point pool, with the remaining quarter filled by random draw; nonresident preference points matter significantly.
How much private land must a hunter access to hunt pronghorn in hunt area 117?: Nearly all of hunt area 117 is private land. Almost no public ground is reliably available, and the pronghorn concentrate on agricultural riparian corridors along the Wind River and Popo Agie that are mostly privately owned. A hunter should confirm access to private land before applying for a licence.
How does the Wind River Reservation affect hunting in hunt area 117?: Some private lands within the reservation boundary fall under state hunting regulations, while others are governed by tribal rules. The landownership patterns are confusing, and hunters must verify the regulatory jurisdiction before planning to hunt. Trespassing on reservation land to reach private parcels is not allowed.
What seasons are open for pronghorn in hunt area 117?: Three seasons are available: Type 1 offers any pronghorn with archery August 15 to September 18 and regular hunting September 19 to October 31. Type 2 allows any pronghorn August 15 to October 31 but applies only to parts of adjoining hunt area 97 and all of hunt area 117. Type 7 is doe or fawn only, also August 15 to October 31 with the same area restrictions as Type 2.

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 pronghorn hunt areas