Can a hunter draw hunt area 72 without preference points?

Residents draw randomly without preference points for pronghorn in Wyoming, so a resident need not hold any points to be entered in the draw for this area. Nonresidents, however, compete in a draw pool where three quarters of licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter are awarded randomly; nonresidents without points may draw in the random quarter but face steeper odds overall.

How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 72?

About 293 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land make up roughly 47% of the hunt area. However, public ownership does not guarantee access: roads, seasonal closures, trailheads and inholdings all create barriers to reaching some parcels. Six walk-in areas allow entry onto private land during their posted seasons without a separate permit.

When do the antelope seasons run in hunt area 72?

Hunt area 72 has two licence types, both spanning August 15 through October 31. Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) each offer archery from August 15 through September 14, then regular firearms seasons from September 15 through October 31.

Does this hunt area cover one license type or both kinds of antelope?

Type 1 allows hunting any antelope during its season. Type 6 is restricted to doe or fawn only and does not permit harvest of bucks. Both seasons run the same dates and both require drawing specifically for hunt area 72.

What is the country like to hunt in hunt area 72?

The hunt area is rolling sagebrush country with gentle terrain—93% of it slopes less steeply than 9 degrees. Pronghorn occupy the open sage habitat of rolling benches and flats at lower elevations, avoiding rough and timbered country but moving to high open hillsides at times in fall. This is foot country where a hunter works sage benches rather than navigates steep timber.

Wyoming Hunt Area 72 (West Poison Spider) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

47%

Elevation

5,500–8,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 72 lies in rolling sagebrush country between 5,500 and 8,200 feet, with typical elevation around 6,100 feet. The ground is overwhelmingly gentle—slope averages 3.9 degrees, and 93% of it is graded gentle terrain. Sagebrush dominates the plant community at 87%, mixed with 10% grass and meadow and small patches of conifer and other cover. Pronghorn favor the open rolling habitat of lower elevations and avoid the rougher, timbered country at higher elevation, though some do move to high open hillsides in summer and fall. This is foot country for much of the season: a hunter covers ground on foot across sage flats and rolling benches rather than in heavy timber or canyon country. Roads in the upper terrain can become treacherous during rain or snow, and a hunter should exercise caution on excessively muddy or snowy surfaces.

About 47% of the hunt area is BLM and State Trust Land—roughly 293 square miles of ground a hunter can generally count on. The remainder is private land. Public ownership alone does not guarantee entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and inholdings all create obstacles to reaching some public parcels. The area has a Fair access rating overall. Six walk-in areas are enrolled here, allowing hunters to access private land during their open periods without permission slips. Casper lies nearby, bringing hotels, restaurants and gas stations within driving distance, and primitive camping is permitted on BLM lands in the area.

The hunt area spans different pronghorn use patterns across the seasons. Yearlong range covers 88% of the area, meaning that portion supports pronghorn year-round. Winter range covers 83%, reflecting the antelope's concentration in lower, more-sheltered country from December onward. Crucial winter range—the most confined seasonal layer—occupies only 10% of the area. Summer range covers just 2%, showing that pronghorn are widely distributed across the hunt area's rolling sage terrain rather than tightly concentrated on summer grounds.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 72 (West Poison Spider) 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 14Regular September 15 – October 31
Type 6 · Doe or fawn
Archery August 15 – September 14Regular September 15 – 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 any antelope in hunt area 72 spans August 15 through October 31, divided between archery (August 15–September 14) and regular firearms (September 15–October 31). During the archery window, pronghorn are in their pre-rut phase through early September, then transition into the primary rut around mid-September. August brings warm days (highs near 83°F) and cool nights, with virtually no precipitation; September cools gradually as the month progresses, with highs sliding toward 72°F and the rut at its most intense mid-month. The firearms season carries the primary rut into late September and early October, where pronghorn begin the post-rut phase and fall grouping, while October grows distinctly colder—highs dropping toward 57°F and light snowfall appearing late in the month. Throughout the season, public lands provide access where they are reachable from roads, and six walk-in areas allow hunters to access private ground during their open windows. Any antelope means a hunter may take a buck of any age or a doe or fawn.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (August–October)

Hunting doe or fawn in hunt area 72 runs on the same dates as the any-antelope season: archery from August 15 through September 14, then firearms from September 15 through October 31. Pronghorn movement mirrors the any-antelope hunt—pre-rut and primary rut during the earlier weeks, transitioning into post-rut and fall grouping as October arrives. Temperature and weather conditions are identical: warm August days cooling into a crisp October with light snow possible late in the month. Access to public land and walk-in areas operates the same way throughout. This licence is restricted to doe or fawn harvest and does not permit taking a buck.

Land and access

private land53%

Private

BLM38%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 47% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 293 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 6 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

Yearlong Range88%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range83%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

Summer Range2%

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

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow10%

Conifer1%

Other cover1%

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	3.9 in
February	35°F	14°F	4.2 in
March	46°F	23°F	3.6 in
April	54°F	29°F	2.3 in
May	64°F	38°F	0 in
June	76°F	46°F	0 in
July	85°F	53°F	0 in
August	83°F	52°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0 in
October	57°F	32°F	0.9 in
November	43°F	22°F	2.7 in
December	33°F	14°F	4.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw hunt area 72 without preference points?: Residents draw randomly without preference points for pronghorn in Wyoming, so a resident need not hold any points to be entered in the draw for this area. Nonresidents, however, compete in a draw pool where three quarters of licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter are awarded randomly; nonresidents without points may draw in the random quarter but face steeper odds overall.
How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 72?: About 293 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land make up roughly 47% of the hunt area. However, public ownership does not guarantee access: roads, seasonal closures, trailheads and inholdings all create barriers to reaching some parcels. Six walk-in areas allow entry onto private land during their posted seasons without a separate permit.
When do the antelope seasons run in hunt area 72?: Hunt area 72 has two licence types, both spanning August 15 through October 31. Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) each offer archery from August 15 through September 14, then regular firearms seasons from September 15 through October 31.
Does this hunt area cover one license type or both kinds of antelope?: Type 1 allows hunting any antelope during its season. Type 6 is restricted to doe or fawn only and does not permit harvest of bucks. Both seasons run the same dates and both require drawing specifically for hunt area 72.
What is the country like to hunt in hunt area 72?: The hunt area is rolling sagebrush country with gentle terrain—93% of it slopes less steeply than 9 degrees. Pronghorn occupy the open sage habitat of rolling benches and flats at lower elevations, avoiding rough and timbered country but moving to high open hillsides at times in fall. This is foot country where a hunter works sage benches rather than navigates steep timber.

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