Can a hunter get a pronghorn license for hunt area 46 without applying to a draw?

No. Hunt area 46 is limited quota, drawn specifically for this area. Every resident and nonresident must enter the draw to hunt it, and there is no general over-the-counter pronghorn license or region license available in Wyoming as a fallback if the draw does not come through.

What preference points does a Wyoming resident need for a pronghorn draw in this area?

Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points at all. The resident pronghorn draw is random with no point requirement for any hunt area in the state. A nonresident, by contrast, does need points for most tags in this area: three quarters of nonresident licenses go to those with the highest preference points, while a quarter are drawn at random from the full nonresident pool.

How much of hunt area 46 is public land a hunter can access?

About 30% of the area—roughly 121 square miles out of 398—is public ground (BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas) that hunters can generally count on. The rest is private land. The public parcels are scattered in a checkerboard pattern, making them difficult to hunt without also securing adjacent private access.

What do hunters need to do to use the Hunter Management Areas in this hunt area?

Simpson Ridge and Medicine Bow River are Hunter Management Areas on private land enrolled through agreement with the landowner. A hunter must obtain a printed permission slip from the landowner before hunting on either HMA. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before applying.

When do the pronghorn seasons run on hunt area 46?

Three seasons are published for this area. Type 1 and Type 6 both run archery August 15–September 24 and regular September 25–October 31. Type 2 runs archery August 15–September 24 and regular October 5–October 31. Type 6 is limited to doe or fawn; the other two allow any antelope.

Wyoming Hunt Area 46 (Kyle) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

30%

Elevation

6,500–8,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 46 sits in high-desert plains of sagebrush and grass at 6,500 to 8,200 feet, with ground typically around 7,000 feet. The topography is deceptive: while the terrain averages just 3.2 degrees of slope, the country breaks into rocky ridgelines of sandstone and shale that rise above rolling hills and sagebrush valleys. Juniper grows on north-facing slopes, but trees are sparse; the dominant cover is sagebrush at 74%, with 19% grass and meadow and riparian growth along the Medicine Bow River and Rock Creek. The river cuts through the central portion of the area with saltbrush and greasewood, while Rock Creek in the south supports cottonwoods and willows. Pronghorn are well distributed throughout, though hunting pressure can concentrate where access is easiest.

Getting onto huntable ground is the main difficulty. Only about 30% of the area—roughly 121 square miles—consists of public land a hunter can generally count on, with the rest private. The public holdings fall in a checkerboard pattern where private parcels isolate public sections, and roads become nearly impassable when wet. Fall and winter bring extreme winds of 40 to 80 mph. Hunters serious about this area are best served by securing private land access before drawing a license. Two Hunter Management Areas—Simpson Ridge and Medicine Bow River—do offer opportunities, but hunting either requires a printed permission slip obtained in advance. The terrain and wind demand patience and the ability to cover distance on foot through rough country; this is not a walk-up hunt.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 46 (Kyle) 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

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)

Early archery and extended rifle hunting through late fall offer different strategies for stalking pronghorn in transition. The August 15–September 24 archery window covers the pre-rut and primary rut, when bucks are establishing and defending territory and females begin moving to join them; this period is shorter but more concentrated. Temperatures run from highs near 80°F in mid-August down to the low 70s by late September, with virtually no snow. The October rifle season from September 25 onward spans the tail end of the primary rut into the late rut and early fall grouping phase, with temperatures cooling from the 70s to the 50s and occasional snow beginning to fall in October. Access to public ground is limited and scattered; most hunters will need to scout and secure private land permission beforehand. Type 1 licenses allow the harvest of any antelope.

Type 2 — Any antelope (August–October)

This season delays the rifle component and compresses it into October, shifting the hunting to later rut and fall grouping. The archery window of August 15–September 24 mirrors Type 1, beginning in the pre-rut as bucks claim territory and running through the primary rut when competition peaks; weather is mild to warm, with highs dropping from near 80°F to low 70s. The rifle hunt from October 5–31 occurs during the late rut and fall grouping phase when herds consolidate; by early October, highs have fallen to the mid-60s, and October snowfall becomes frequent, with monthly totals around 2.4 inches. The later start favors hunters able to wait out the early-season rush and hunt when roads and terrain may be more challenging due to snow and mud. Licenses allow the harvest of any antelope.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (August–October)

Hunting for doe and fawn follows the same archery and rifle calendar as Type 1 but targets only female and juvenile animals. The August 15–September 24 archery phase coincides with the pre-rut and primary rut when females are responsive to distress calls and bucks are mobile; early-season conditions are warm and clear. The September 25–October 31 rifle season spans the tail end of the primary rut through fall grouping as females regroup after the rut; cooling temperatures and early snow in October add difficulty to the hunt. This season allows hunters to reduce pressure on bucks while still pursuing pronghorn, and it may allow for different tactics focused on does and young animals. Access constraints are identical to Type 1: public land is scattered, and private-land permission or Hunter Management Area slips are usually necessary.

Land and access

private land70%

Private

BLM17%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 30% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 121 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.

It also holds 2 Hunter Management Areas. 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.

Where pronghorn are mapped

Winter Range97%

used in winter

Yearlong Range51%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range47%

the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it

Summer Range3%

used in summer

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush74%

Grass and meadow19%

Other cover4%

Riparian4%

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	13°F	5.6 in
February	35°F	13°F	6.5 in
March	44°F	21°F	6.1 in
April	52°F	26°F	3.5 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.2 in
June	74°F	43°F	0 in
July	82°F	49°F	0 in
August	80°F	47°F	0 in
September	71°F	39°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	29°F	2.4 in
November	42°F	20°F	5.6 in
December	32°F	13°F	7.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter get a pronghorn license for hunt area 46 without applying to a draw?: No. Hunt area 46 is limited quota, drawn specifically for this area. Every resident and nonresident must enter the draw to hunt it, and there is no general over-the-counter pronghorn license or region license available in Wyoming as a fallback if the draw does not come through.
What preference points does a Wyoming resident need for a pronghorn draw in this area?: Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points at all. The resident pronghorn draw is random with no point requirement for any hunt area in the state. A nonresident, by contrast, does need points for most tags in this area: three quarters of nonresident licenses go to those with the highest preference points, while a quarter are drawn at random from the full nonresident pool.
How much of hunt area 46 is public land a hunter can access?: About 30% of the area—roughly 121 square miles out of 398—is public ground (BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas) that hunters can generally count on. The rest is private land. The public parcels are scattered in a checkerboard pattern, making them difficult to hunt without also securing adjacent private access.
What do hunters need to do to use the Hunter Management Areas in this hunt area?: Simpson Ridge and Medicine Bow River are Hunter Management Areas on private land enrolled through agreement with the landowner. A hunter must obtain a printed permission slip from the landowner before hunting on either HMA. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before applying.
When do the pronghorn seasons run on hunt area 46?: Three seasons are published for this area. Type 1 and Type 6 both run archery August 15–September 24 and regular September 25–October 31. Type 2 runs archery August 15–September 24 and regular October 5–October 31. Type 6 is limited to doe or fawn; the other two allow any antelope.

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