Can a hunter draw this hunt area with a general or region pronghorn licence?

No. Hunt area 32 is a limited-quota hunt area drawn specifically for this area. Wyoming sells no general pronghorn licence and issues no region pronghorn licence for antelope. A hunter must draw a licence for this particular area or have no licence to hunt pronghorn here.

What preference points do Wyoming residents need for hunt area 32?

Wyoming residents do not earn, hold or use preference points for pronghorn hunts at all. The resident pronghorn draw for hunt area 32 is random, with no point requirement. Nonresident applicants for this area do use preference points; within the nonresident pool, three quarters of the licences go to the top point-holders in a preference-point draw, and the remaining quarter go to a random draw available to all nonresidents.

How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually hunt on?

About 56% of the area, roughly 394 square miles, is public land (BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest) where hunters can generally count on access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Two walk-in areas allow access to private ground during posted open periods without advance permission. The Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area opens additional private ground to hunters who obtain a printed permission slip beforehand.

Can a hunter camp in this hunt area?

Primitive camping is available on accessible BLM lands within the hunt area. Groomed campsites are available nearby at Alcova Reservoir. Camping is not permitted on State Trust Land.

Which seasons in hunt area 32 hunt any antelope, and which hunt only doe and fawn?

Type 1 and Type 2 are any-antelope hunts running through October, with archery August 15 to September 24 and regular seasons September 25 to October 31 or October 5 to October 31 respectively. Type 6 hunts doe or fawn from August 15 to October 31. Type 7 hunts doe or fawn valid only on or within one-half mile of irrigated land, August 15 to November 15.

Wyoming Hunt Area 32 (Bates Creek) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

56%

Elevation

5,100–8,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 32 spans 710 square miles of sagebrush country from 5,100 to 8,700 feet, with typical ground near 6,500 feet. The terrain slopes gently, averaging 6.0 degrees across the whole area, with 81% gentle ground, 17% moderate and 1% steep. Pronghorn occupy the open sagebrush habitats throughout the lower and middle elevations, though many also use higher-elevation sagebrush steppe into the fall. Rougher, timbered country at higher elevations holds few pronghorn. The hunt area is directly adjacent to Casper, putting lodging, fuel and food within easy reach.

Access is rated good overall. Public land—BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest—makes up about 394 square miles, or 56% of the area. The remaining 44% is private. In addition to public lands, the Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area opens private ground that would otherwise be inaccessible; entry requires a printed permission slip obtained in advance of the hunt. Two walk-in areas, Natrona County Walk In Areas 161 and 26, allow hunters to walk onto private ground during posted open periods without advance permission. Road conditions matter here: muddy or snowy roads can become impassable during inclement weather, and hunters should exercise judgment about whether a route is passable before driving it. Primitive camping is available on accessible BLM lands; groomed campsites are nearby at Alcova Reservoir.

Hunt area 32 holds four pronghorn seasons across the fall months, ranging from any-antelope hunts to doe-and-fawn-only tags, and including one hunt valid only on or near irrigated farm lands. Season length and rut timing vary between them. Archery season for all four seasons opens August 15 and closes September 24, while regular seasons run from late September through October for three of them, extending into November for the fourth.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 32 (Bates Creek) 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 24Regular September 25 – October 31
Type 2 · Any antelope
Archery August 15 – September 24Regular October 5 – October 31
Type 6 · Doe or fawn
Archery August 15 – September 24Regular September 25 – October 31
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Archery August 15 – September 24Regular September 25 – November 15

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 during August 15 to September 24 finds pronghorn in pre-rut movement and early rutting activity, with animals still using their summer and high-elevation ranges across open sagebrush. Daytime highs average 82°F and nighttime lows around 52°F with essentially no snow. Hunters can access public land and walk-in areas throughout this window, though the Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip; access on roads and trails applies normally. Type 1 allows any antelope. Regular hunting from September 25 to October 31 covers the peak rut and its recovery phase. Early-season temperatures reach into the low 70s during the last week of September before dropping steadily into the 50s by month's end; October temperatures continue cooling, with highs dropping to 57°F and October snowfall averaging 2 inches monthly, creating variable conditions. Pronghorn become less patterned and more active in response to rut pressure, moving across both public and private ground. Road conditions may deteriorate with snow, requiring caution. Type 1 allows any antelope throughout the extended season.

Type 2 — Any antelope (August–October)

Archery hunting from August 15 to September 24 encounters pronghorn in pre-rut territory formation and early rutting, with animals spread across open sagebrush on summer and high-elevation ranges. August weather brings highs near 82°F and lows around 52°F with no snow, while September sees highs dropping to the low 70s and lows near 43°F with trace snowfall; hunters have reliable access to public land, walk-in areas, and the Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area via permission slip. Type 2 allows any antelope. Regular hunting from October 5 to October 31 spans the late rut and post-rut grouping phase as animals become less predictable and begin shifting behavior. October temperatures cool from the mid-50s to the low 40s, and snowfall typically totals around 2 inches for the month; pronghorn move actively across all available ground. Road conditions can turn poor during and after snow events. Type 2 allows any antelope.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (August–October)

Archery hunting from August 15 to September 24 finds pronghorn in pre-rut movement and early rutting, still using summer and high-elevation sagebrush across the open country. August highs average 82°F with lows around 52°F and no snow; September temperatures drop to highs in the low 70s and lows near 43°F with minimal snowfall. Access to public land, walk-in areas, and the Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area (via printed permission slip) is straightforward. Type 6 restricts harvest to doe or fawn only. Regular hunting from September 25 to October 31 covers the peak rut and post-rut recovery, when does become highly active in response to rut dynamics. Late-September temperatures remain in the 50s, but October cooling brings highs dropping to 57°F and lows to 32°F, with around 2 inches of snow monthly; muddy or snow-covered roads require judgment about passability. Type 6 restricts harvest to doe or fawn.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on or within… (August–November)

Archery hunting from August 15 to September 24 encounters pronghorn in pre-rut territory formation and early rutting, with does and fawns distributed across open sagebrush and high-elevation ranges. August offers warm daytime temperatures averaging 82°F and cool nights around 52°F with no snow, while September sees highs in the low 70s and lows near 43°F with trace snow; hunters have access to public land, walk-in areas, and the Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area when armed with a printed permission slip. Type 7 restricts harvest to doe or fawn and remains valid only on irrigated land or within one-half mile of it—not across the whole hunt area. Regular hunting from September 25 to November 15 extends through peak rut, post-rut recovery, and into the fall grouping phase, with does staying active in response to rut pressure and later shifting toward winter grouping behavior. Late September brings highs in the 50s; October temperatures drop to 57°F highs and 32°F lows with typical snowfall of 2 inches monthly, while November cooling continues with highs near 42°F and lows around 22°F plus 4.1 inches of snow—conditions deteriorate significantly, and muddy or snowy roads may become impassable. Type 7 restricts harvest to doe or fawn and remains valid only on irrigated land or within one-half mile of it.

Land and access

private land44%

Private

BLM40%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land14%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 56% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 394 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 has 2 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. Both are 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. A Walk-In Area needs no permission slip — a hunter may walk in during the open period, subject to its posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where pronghorn are mapped

Winter Range34%

used in winter

Summer Range31%

used in summer

Yearlong Range27%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range25%

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 pronghorn are mapped, not where inside the area they are, and not when they move.

Habitat and cover

Lower elevations

Sagebrush83%

Other cover8%

Grass and meadow6%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow8%

Conifer4%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush79%

Conifer10%

Grass and meadow10%

Riparian1%

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	33°F	14°F	4.3 in
February	35°F	14°F	5.8 in
March	45°F	22°F	4.4 in
April	53°F	28°F	3.5 in
May	63°F	37°F	0 in
June	75°F	46°F	0 in
July	84°F	53°F	0 in
August	82°F	52°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	32°F	2 in
November	42°F	22°F	4.1 in
December	32°F	14°F	5.8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw this hunt area with a general or region pronghorn licence?: No. Hunt area 32 is a limited-quota hunt area drawn specifically for this area. Wyoming sells no general pronghorn licence and issues no region pronghorn licence for antelope. A hunter must draw a licence for this particular area or have no licence to hunt pronghorn here.
What preference points do Wyoming residents need for hunt area 32?: Wyoming residents do not earn, hold or use preference points for pronghorn hunts at all. The resident pronghorn draw for hunt area 32 is random, with no point requirement. Nonresident applicants for this area do use preference points; within the nonresident pool, three quarters of the licences go to the top point-holders in a preference-point draw, and the remaining quarter go to a random draw available to all nonresidents.
How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually hunt on?: About 56% of the area, roughly 394 square miles, is public land (BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest) where hunters can generally count on access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Two walk-in areas allow access to private ground during posted open periods without advance permission. The Muddy Mountain Hunter Management Area opens additional private ground to hunters who obtain a printed permission slip beforehand.
Can a hunter camp in this hunt area?: Primitive camping is available on accessible BLM lands within the hunt area. Groomed campsites are available nearby at Alcova Reservoir. Camping is not permitted on State Trust Land.
Which seasons in hunt area 32 hunt any antelope, and which hunt only doe and fawn?: Type 1 and Type 2 are any-antelope hunts running through October, with archery August 15 to September 24 and regular seasons September 25 to October 31 or October 5 to October 31 respectively. Type 6 hunts doe or fawn from August 15 to October 31. Type 7 hunts doe or fawn valid only on or within one-half mile of irrigated land, August 15 to November 15.

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