Can a hunter draw a general pronghorn licence for hunt area 50?

No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited-quota and must be drawn specifically for that area. Wyoming sells no general pronghorn licence over the counter and issues no regional fallback—a resident and nonresident alike must draw for hunt area 50 or they cannot hunt pronghorn there.

What do Wyoming residents need to know about preference points for pronghorn in hunt area 50?

Residents do not have pronghorn preference points. The resident pronghorn draw is entirely random, with no points, point cutoffs, or point advantage. Nonresidents do use preference points in a pronghorn draw, but residents never do.

How much public land can a hunter actually access in hunt area 50?

About 64% of the hunt area is public land or other ground a hunter can count on, roughly 759 square miles, primarily National Forest and BLM. However, roads become muddy and impassable when wet, seasonal closures apply, and private inholdings restrict access in many places. The northern third is checkerboard terrain with large ranches where much ground is unavailable; some areas are enrolled in Hunter Management Areas that require prior arrangement.

Does hunt area 50 contain any designated wilderness, and if so, what does that mean for nonresidents?

Yes, the area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt wilderness ground in hunt area 50 must arrange for a guide or hunt with a resident.

When do the pronghorn seasons run in hunt area 50?

Type 1 (any antelope) has archery August 15–31 and regular seasons September 16–October 31. Type 6 (doe or fawn) has archery August 15–31 and regular seasons September 16–October 31. Type 0 (any antelope, muzzle-loading firearms only) runs regular September 1–15.

Wyoming Hunt Area 50 (Elk Mountain) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

64%

Elevation

6,500–12,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 50 spans 1,187 square miles of topographically diverse country rising from 6,500 to 12,000 feet. The ground is predominantly gentle, averaging 5.9 degrees slope. Below 8,000 feet, sagebrush dominates a mix of rolling plains and grassland; at mid-elevations, sagebrush gives way to grass and scattered conifers; higher ground turns to conifer forest and alpine meadow. The North Platte River and associated creeks cut through the area with riparian meadow and irrigated hay ground. The Snowy Range Mountains in the south bring steep terrain, rugged canyons, and heavier timber—areas where pronghorn are uncommon. Elsewhere, sagebrush steppe, riparian, saltbush, and greasewood country hold pronghorn throughout most of the area.

Getting onto this ground is the main challenge. About 64% of the hunt area—roughly 759 square miles—is public land or other ground a hunter can count on, chiefly National Forest and BLM administered parcels, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas. The northern third, however, is a checkerboard of alternating public and private, and much of it is large-ranch country along the North Platte River where access is either unavailable or restricted to outfitted clients. Some tracts are enrolled in Hunter Management Areas and Walk-In Areas; these offer limited access but require prior arrangement, not simple walk-on entry. Pennock Mountain and the Wick/Beumee Wildlife Habitat Management Areas are managed for public hunting. Roads in many parts of the area become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, and seasonal closures affect public-land access. Pronghorn concentrate on irrigated cropland and riparian meadows, which are common along the North Platte and other major creeks; many animals use the northern edge of the area during hunting season, so Access Yes and Hunter Management Area opportunities there are worth investigating.

The hunt area contains designated wilderness where Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Early-season hunts (August and early September) occur as pronghorn begin claiming territory before the rut; weather is generally mild with highs in the 77–68°F range and little precipitation. As the rut builds through mid- to late September, temperatures cool to the upper 60s and early 50s, and September snow is light. October hunts coincide with the rut's tail end and transition to winter grouping; conditions become cold with highs near 54°F and snowfall averaging 3.6 inches for the month, and mud from melting or fresh snow can hamper travel.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 50 (Elk Mountain) 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 – August 31Regular September 16 – October 31
Type 6 · Doe or fawn
Archery August 15 – August 31Regular September 16 – October 31
Type 0 · Any antelope, muzzle-loading firearms only
Regular September 1 – September 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 and regular rifle seasons for any antelope span mid-August through October, opening as pronghorn are establishing territories before the rut. The archery window (August 15–31) runs early in that period, when temperatures are mild—highs around 77°F—and pronghorn are still scattered across their summer ranges, often concentrating on irrigated meadows and riparian ground along the North Platte and major creeks. The regular rifle season (September 16–October 31) covers the rut's primary phase and the transition into fall grouping; weather cools steadily from the upper 60s in September to the low 50s by October, and October snow—averaging 3.6 inches for the month—can arrive suddenly and muddy roads. Throughout both windows, public-land access is generally available, though muddy conditions may hamper travel; hunters working the northern third should investigate Hunter Management Area and Access Yes opportunities, where pronghorn concentrate during autumn.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (August–October)

The doe-or-fawn hunt mirrors the any-antelope season in timing and legal opportunity: archery August 15–31 and regular seasons September 16–October 31. Early archery hunting occurs when animals are forming territories before the rut peaks, pronghorn are spread across water and green feed on irrigated ground and riparian meadows, and temperatures remain mild. The rifle season carries hunters through the rut's main phase and into the transition period, with cooling temperatures from September's mid-60s highs to October's lows near 54°F, and increasing odds of wet conditions as snow and mud develop in October. This hunt is the only one on this area restricted to females and young, allowing selective harvest. Access to public land is generally available throughout both windows, though October's unpredictable weather and muddy roads can slow travel on some routes.

Type 0 — Any antelope, muzzle-loading… (September)

The muzzle-loading-only hunt for any antelope runs September 1–15, straddling the end of territory formation and the start of the primary rut. Pronghorn are beginning to concentrate before peak breeding, and weather is warm in early September with highs in the upper 60s, though cooling toward month's end; light snowfall—averaging 0.2 inches—is rare early but possible late. Public-land access is available during this window, and hunters can expect to find animals still tied to water and lusher ground along the North Platte and creeks. This is the shortest hunt on the area and the only one allowing any antelope with muzzle-loading firearms alone.

Land and access

National Forest44%

Generally open to public hunting

private land36%

Private

BLM12%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land5%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas3%

Generally open to public hunting

About 64% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 759 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 58% 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.

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 pronghorn are mapped

Winter Range26%

used in winter

Summer Range24%

used in summer

Yearlong Range14%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range12%

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

Sagebrush80%

Other cover11%

Riparian6%

Grass and meadow4%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush56%

Grass and meadow14%

Conifer12%

Other cover7%

Aspen5%

Riparian5%

Higher elevations

Conifer57%

Grass and meadow31%

Sagebrush6%

Aspen3%

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	31°F	12°F	11.1 in
February	33°F	13°F	12 in
March	42°F	19°F	10.6 in
April	50°F	25°F	6.6 in
May	60°F	33°F	0.6 in
June	72°F	41°F	0 in
July	79°F	47°F	0 in
August	77°F	46°F	0 in
September	68°F	38°F	0.2 in
October	54°F	29°F	3.6 in
November	40°F	19°F	9.6 in
December	31°F	12°F	13 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a general pronghorn licence for hunt area 50?: No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited-quota and must be drawn specifically for that area. Wyoming sells no general pronghorn licence over the counter and issues no regional fallback—a resident and nonresident alike must draw for hunt area 50 or they cannot hunt pronghorn there.
What do Wyoming residents need to know about preference points for pronghorn in hunt area 50?: Residents do not have pronghorn preference points. The resident pronghorn draw is entirely random, with no points, point cutoffs, or point advantage. Nonresidents do use preference points in a pronghorn draw, but residents never do.
How much public land can a hunter actually access in hunt area 50?: About 64% of the hunt area is public land or other ground a hunter can count on, roughly 759 square miles, primarily National Forest and BLM. However, roads become muddy and impassable when wet, seasonal closures apply, and private inholdings restrict access in many places. The northern third is checkerboard terrain with large ranches where much ground is unavailable; some areas are enrolled in Hunter Management Areas that require prior arrangement.
Does hunt area 50 contain any designated wilderness, and if so, what does that mean for nonresidents?: Yes, the area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt wilderness ground in hunt area 50 must arrange for a guide or hunt with a resident.
When do the pronghorn seasons run in hunt area 50?: Type 1 (any antelope) has archery August 15–31 and regular seasons September 16–October 31. Type 6 (doe or fawn) has archery August 15–31 and regular seasons September 16–October 31. Type 0 (any antelope, muzzle-loading firearms only) runs regular September 1–15.

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