Can a hunter draw hunt area 55 if they are a Wyoming resident?

Yes. Hunt area 55 is a limited-quota hunt area drawn for this area specifically, and residents enter a random draw with an equal chance regardless of preference points. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference-point system; every resident pronghorn draw is purely random.

What preference points do nonresident hunters need to draw hunt area 55?

There is no single points requirement. Nonresidents compete in a preference-point pool where three quarters of the licenses go to applicants ranked by points (highest first) and one quarter go to a random draw open to everyone in the pool. A nonresident with more points has a better chance in the top-heavy draw, but points are not a hard cutoff, and anyone can draw in the random quarter.

How much of hunt area 55 can a hunter actually access?

About 58% of the area is public land, but much of it lies in a checkerboard of private ownership, and public ground not touching a road is typically closed without permission. The Carbon County Walk-In Area 1 in the north and a few additional walk-in sections (check the hunt planner map) offer reliable access to roughly 50 square miles total. Roads in wet conditions become nearly impassable, further limiting mobility.

When do the pronghorn seasons run on hunt area 55?

Archery runs August 15 through September 19, and regular firearm season runs September 20 through October 31. Both are part of a single Type 1 license for any antelope in the hunt area.

What is the terrain and cover like on hunt area 55?

The hunt area is dominated by sagebrush prairie and alkaline greasewood flats at 7,100 feet average elevation, with scattered rocky rims and mesas. Riparian meadows are rare and confined to a few creeks. The southeast corner rises into aspen and conifer on Atlantic Rim. Slope is very gentle—93% of the ground averages under moderate grade.

Wyoming Hunt Area 55 (Red Rim) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

58%

Elevation

6,600–8,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 55 spreads across 382 square miles of high desert and rolling prairie between 6,600 and 8,500 feet, with the majority of ground sitting around 7,100 feet. The country is predominantly arid sagebrush flats and alkaline greasewood lowlands, broken by scattered rocky rims and mesa tops. The southeastern portion rises into aspen and conifer cover on Atlantic Rim. Riparian vegetation is sparse—only a few major creeks support meadows. Slope averages 3.8 degrees, and 93% of the terrain is gentle ground. Pronghorn are spread throughout the hunt area, though in fall they tend to concentrate near reliable water and better forage; in dry years they make extensive use of the lower alkaline country. The rut typically peaks in late September and early October.

About 58% of the area—roughly 221 square miles—consists of public land a hunter can generally count on: BLM, State Wildlife Areas, and State Trust Land. However, the entire hunt area lies in a checkerboard pattern of alternating ownership, with every other square mile in private hands. Public land that does not touch a road is generally inaccessible without private permission. Ranches tend to be large, blocking off or restricting significant portions of the area. The Carbon County Walk-In Area 1 opens roughly 50 square miles of huntable ground on Department wildlife management land in the northern portion, and a few additional sections are enrolled in walk-in status—check the hunt planner map for current enrollment. Roads become nearly impassable when wet or muddy, a real constraint in fall. Many hunters rely on GPS to navigate the ownership pattern and stay legal.

Seasons on hunt area 55 run from August through October, beginning with archery in mid-August and continuing through regular firearm season into the end of October. Weather cools steadily across the hunt, from highs in the low 80s in August to the mid-50s by October, and snowfall increases from virtually none in August and September to around 1.6 inches monthly by October. Early-season archery coincides with pre-rut behavior and the rut's onset; the regular season spans the rut's peak through the transition into fall grouping. Cold snaps and snow are possible even in September.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 55 (Red Rim) 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 19Regular September 20 – 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)

Hunting in hunt area 55 from August through October spans the pronghorn's pre-rut buildup, peak rut, and early transition to fall grouping. The archery window in August and early September coincides with territory formation and the rut's onset, with pronghorn beginning to shift their movements and behavior; archery hunters work fresh conditions before the regular season opens, though September can already bring cold snaps and light snow despite warm daytime temperatures. The regular firearm season from late September through October covers the rut's intensity and its aftermath, when bucks are most visible but also most unpredictable, and when weather deteriorates sharply—temperatures drop into the 30s at night, snowfall increases to around 1.6 inches monthly by October, and muddy roads can trap a hunter miles from pavement. Access relies on the Carbon County Walk-In Area 1 and scattered walk-in enrollments in the north, plus any public BLM or State land a hunter can reach without crossing private ground; the checkerboard ownership pattern means most unconnected public land is out of reach without permission. The hunt is for any antelope—bucks, does, and fawns—within hunt area 55.

Land and access

BLM46%

Generally open to public hunting

private land42%

Private

State Wildlife Areas11%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 58% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 221 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 1 enrolled walk-in area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. 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 Range76%

used in winter

Yearlong Range62%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range24%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range14%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush96%

Other cover2%

Grass and meadow1%

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	14°F	6.7 in
February	34°F	15°F	5.4 in
March	44°F	22°F	3.7 in
April	53°F	28°F	2.4 in
May	63°F	36°F	0 in
June	75°F	45°F	0 in
July	83°F	52°F	0 in
August	81°F	50°F	0 in
September	71°F	42°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	32°F	1.6 in
November	41°F	22°F	4.9 in
December	31°F	14°F	7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw hunt area 55 if they are a Wyoming resident?: Yes. Hunt area 55 is a limited-quota hunt area drawn for this area specifically, and residents enter a random draw with an equal chance regardless of preference points. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference-point system; every resident pronghorn draw is purely random.
What preference points do nonresident hunters need to draw hunt area 55?: There is no single points requirement. Nonresidents compete in a preference-point pool where three quarters of the licenses go to applicants ranked by points (highest first) and one quarter go to a random draw open to everyone in the pool. A nonresident with more points has a better chance in the top-heavy draw, but points are not a hard cutoff, and anyone can draw in the random quarter.
How much of hunt area 55 can a hunter actually access?: About 58% of the area is public land, but much of it lies in a checkerboard of private ownership, and public ground not touching a road is typically closed without permission. The Carbon County Walk-In Area 1 in the north and a few additional walk-in sections (check the hunt planner map) offer reliable access to roughly 50 square miles total. Roads in wet conditions become nearly impassable, further limiting mobility.
When do the pronghorn seasons run on hunt area 55?: Archery runs August 15 through September 19, and regular firearm season runs September 20 through October 31. Both are part of a single Type 1 license for any antelope in the hunt area.
What is the terrain and cover like on hunt area 55?: The hunt area is dominated by sagebrush prairie and alkaline greasewood flats at 7,100 feet average elevation, with scattered rocky rims and mesas. Riparian meadows are rare and confined to a few creeks. The southeast corner rises into aspen and conifer on Atlantic Rim. Slope is very gentle—93% of the ground averages under moderate grade.

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