Can a hunter drawn for hunt area 62 use a Wyoming general pronghorn licence?

No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited quota, drawn for that specific area. There is no general pronghorn licence sold over the counter and no regional fallback licence if the draw does not come through.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a pronghorn licence for this area?

No. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points at all, and the resident draw for any hunt area is random. Preference points are a nonresident concept only, and nonresidents drawn for this area face a system where three quarters of licences go to top-ranked preference-point applicants and a quarter to a random draw.

Can a hunter walk onto the Carbon County Walk In Areas without permission?

Yes. Walk-in areas require no application or permission slip—a hunter may enter during the open period subject to posted rules. Enrollment is negotiated yearly, so check before the season whether they remain open.

How much of hunt area 62 is dependably public and accessible?

About 59% of the area is public ground, but the checkerboard pattern in the southern half means much of that requires a road frontage or private crossing. The northern portion offers more dependable access for unguided hunters, and the two walk-in areas provide additional options.

When does the rut peak for pronghorn in hunt area 62?

Pronghorn rut intensifies through September and peaks around late September and early October. Archery seasons (August 15–September 18) span the pre-rut period into the primary rut, while regular seasons (September 19–October 31) bracket the primary rut through the post-rut recovery and early fall grouping.

Wyoming Hunt Area 62 (South Ferris) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

59%

Elevation

6,300–10,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 62 spans 729 square miles across elevations from 6,300 to 10,000 feet, with most ground typical around 6,700 feet. The country divides sharply: the southern portion is rocky, arid rims and mesas scattered with sagebrush and saltbush over alkaline flats, while the north rises into rolling sand hills mixed with open dunes before giving way to mountain foothills of the Ferris and Seminoe ranges. The terrain is graded gentle, with 90% of it at gentle slopes. Riparian meadows line the North Platte River, Seminoe Reservoir, and several major creeks, but sagebrush and other shrubland cover 93% of the area. Foot hunting is the standard hunt here—the country rewards glassing and stalking across open ground.

Getting onto public land requires care. About 59% of the area is public ground (BLM and State Trust Land), but much of the southern half sits in the checkerboard pattern, where private and public sections alternate. Public parcels that do not front a road or reach public access are often unavailable without crossing private ground. Large ranches dominate, and significant blocks are either closed entirely or open only to outfitted hunters or by trespass fee. The northern portion holds better public access and is the more dependable choice for unguided hunters. Two walk-in areas—Carbon County Walk In Area 10 and Carbon County Walk In Area 5—offer open-period access during the antelope seasons, subject to posted rules. Pronghorn tend to concentrate in the northern and eastern portions where habitat is lusher, but dry years push them into the lower alkaline flats. Roads become treacherous and nearly impassable after rain in parts of the checkerboard, though sandy areas often remain drivable after light precipitation.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 62 (South Ferris) 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 east of the Continental Divide and north of Wise Dugout Draw
Archery August 15 – September 18Regular September 19 – 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 hunters work from August 15 through September 18 during the pre-rut and primary rut phases, when bucks are territorial and more likely to be spotted in open country. August temperatures average highs near 82°F and lows around 51°F with virtually no precipitation, making for clear, often windy days; by late September, highs drop to the low 70s and lows to the low 40s, with trace snowfall possible but rare. The northern portions and walk-in areas offer the most reliable hunting access during archery season, though hunters should expect to cover ground on foot in sagebrush and across open flats. This license allows any pronghorn.

Regular seasons run September 19 through October 31 as the rut enters its primary phase and moves into late-rut recovery and early fall grouping. Early September still offers mild weather—highs in the low 70s—but October cooling is sharp, with temperatures falling from the upper 50s to near freezing by month's end, and snowfall averaging 1.6 inches across the month. Access limitations tighten considerably once the rut peaks and pronghorn movement becomes less predictable; hunters rely more on glassing from ridges and vantage points than on stalking. This license allows any pronghorn anywhere within the area. Type 2 hunters during the same regular-season window are restricted to ground east of the Continental Divide and north of Wise Dugout Draw—a substantial portion of the northern and eastern sections—and must understand their area boundary before the hunt.

Type 2 — Any antelope valid east of the… (August–October)

The Type 2 regular season (September 19–October 31) runs concurrent with Type 1 but applies only to pronghorn east of the Continental Divide and north of Wise Dugout Draw, encompassing the northern and eastern portions where access and animal densities tend to be better. October weather dominates this hunt: highs fall from the upper 50s to near 32°F by month's end, and snowfall climbs to 1.6 inches on average, affecting road passability and comfort on foot. Hunters must navigate the boundary carefully and stay within the restricted zone; review a detailed map before applying, as this limitation is not an area-wide any-pronghorn hunt. The northern portions and walk-in areas remain the stronger choice for unguided access. This license allows any pronghorn within its area restriction.

Land and access

BLM55%

Generally open to public hunting

private land38%

Private

State Trust Land5%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership3%

Ownership unclassified

About 59% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 431 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. 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 Range77%

used in winter

Yearlong Range53%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range24%

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

Summer Range20%

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

Sagebrush93%

Other cover3%

Grass and meadow2%

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	32°F	14°F	4.2 in
February	34°F	15°F	4.9 in
March	45°F	23°F	4.1 in
April	53°F	28°F	3.5 in
May	63°F	37°F	0 in
June	76°F	45°F	0 in
July	84°F	53°F	0 in
August	82°F	51°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	32°F	1.6 in
November	42°F	22°F	3.9 in
December	32°F	14°F	4.8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter drawn for hunt area 62 use a Wyoming general pronghorn licence?: No. Every pronghorn hunt area in Wyoming is limited quota, drawn for that specific area. There is no general pronghorn licence sold over the counter and no regional fallback licence if the draw does not come through.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a pronghorn licence for this area?: No. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points at all, and the resident draw for any hunt area is random. Preference points are a nonresident concept only, and nonresidents drawn for this area face a system where three quarters of licences go to top-ranked preference-point applicants and a quarter to a random draw.
Can a hunter walk onto the Carbon County Walk In Areas without permission?: Yes. Walk-in areas require no application or permission slip—a hunter may enter during the open period subject to posted rules. Enrollment is negotiated yearly, so check before the season whether they remain open.
How much of hunt area 62 is dependably public and accessible?: About 59% of the area is public ground, but the checkerboard pattern in the southern half means much of that requires a road frontage or private crossing. The northern portion offers more dependable access for unguided hunters, and the two walk-in areas provide additional options.
When does the rut peak for pronghorn in hunt area 62?: Pronghorn rut intensifies through September and peaks around late September and early October. Archery seasons (August 15–September 18) span the pre-rut period into the primary rut, while regular seasons (September 19–October 31) bracket the primary rut through the post-rut recovery and early fall grouping.

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