Can a hunter draw a resident pronghorn licence in hunt area 78?

No resident can buy a pronghorn licence over the counter in Wyoming, and there is no regional pronghorn licence. Hunt area 78 is a limited-quota area drawn for that specific hunt area by residents through a random draw—if a resident's name is not selected, there is no alternative licence to obtain.

What preference points do nonresidents need for hunt area 78?

Wyoming nonresidents do not need a set number of preference points to be eligible. Instead, three-quarters of the nonresident licences are awarded by preference-point draw to the highest-point applicants, and one-quarter go to a separate random draw that all nonresidents enter. Points significantly improve a nonresident's odds but do not form a minimum cutoff.

How much of hunt area 78 is private land that a hunter cannot access?

Private land makes up 16% of the area. About 73% is public ground (BLM and State Trust Land) a hunter can generally count on, and another 11% includes enrolled walk-in areas and the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still affect how much ground is actually reachable.

Can a hunter walk into the enrolled areas in hunt area 78 without permission?

Yes. The 12 walk-in areas—which include Park County Walk In Area 1, Park County Walk In Area 3, and Big Horn County Walk In Area 2—need no permission slip or application. A hunter may walk in during the posted open period, subject to the rules posted at each area. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so enrolment is not guaranteed in future seasons.

When do the different pronghorn seasons run in hunt area 78?

The Type 1 hunt (any antelope) runs archery August 15–September 19 and regular September 20–October 31. Type 7 (doe or fawn valid on irrigated land) runs August 15–November 30. Type 8 (doe or fawn valid on irrigated land in Big Horn County) runs October 15–November 30. Only the Type 1 season allows bucks with horns on public land area-wide.

Wyoming Hunt Area 78 (McCullough Peaks) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

73%

Elevation

3,600–6,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 78 is fairly flat basin country with some rolling hills and steeper canyon terrain. It spans 3,600 to 6,500 feet, with typical ground around 4,400 feet. The landscape averages 4.1 degrees of slope, so walking and glassing are manageable across most of it. Sagebrush dominates the cover at roughly two-thirds of the area, interspersed with greasewood, riparian habitat along the creeks, and scattered grassy patches. Most roads turn nearly impassable when wet because of clay soils, so timing hunts between rains matters if a hunter plans to drive much.

About 73% of the area is public ground—BLM and State Trust Land—that a hunter can generally count on, roughly 681 square miles. Private land makes up 16% and tends to hold concentrations of pronghorn, especially near agricultural fields. Walk-in access includes 12 enrolled areas open during their posted seasons. The Yellowtail Hunter Management Area is also available with a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish. Widespread access to public land throughout the hunt area means roads and trailheads reach much of the country, though seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 78 (McCullough Peaks) 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
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on irrigated land
Regular August 15 – November 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn valid on irrigated land in Big Horn County
Regular October 15 – November 30

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 hunting from mid-August through mid-September overlaps the pre-rut and into the primary rut, when bucks are setting up territory and becoming more active. Temperatures during August are warm, dropping from highs around 85°F to the 50s at night, so early mornings and evenings offer the best hunting. September cools down, with highs around 74°F and nights in the 40s, without significant snow. Once the regular season opens in late September through October, the primary rut transitions into late rut and the early fall grouping phase; bucks are less concentrated but more willing to move, and pronghorn are seeking food and water. October highs around 59°F and harder nights in the 30s make the days pleasant for glassing. Access to public land throughout the hunt area works year-round, though wet clay soils can make roads difficult after rain. This season is valid for any antelope, allowing bucks anywhere in the area.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on irrigated land (August–November)

Doe and fawn hunting valid on irrigated land runs the long span from August through November, reaching across the pre-rut, primary rut, late rut, and into the fall grouping phase when pronghorn are shifting toward winter patterns. August brings warm days in the 80s and cool nights, September cools into the 70s and 40s, and October and November drop progressively into the 50s and 30s by late month, with October accumulating about 0.2 inches of snow and November around 1.3 inches. Pronghorn concentrate near irrigated agricultural ground during fall and winter because of green feed, so hunting near those fields is more productive than trying roadless public sagebrush. A hunter must have permission to enter private land where the irrigated ground sits, and the hunt is restricted to that setting—it does not allow doe hunting on public sagebrush country. Widespread access to public land and the enrolled walk-in and Hunter Management areas remain available outside the irrigated zone.

Type 8 — Doe or fawn valid on irrigated land… (October–November)

This late-season hunt for doe and fawn runs only in Big Horn County from mid-October through November, when late rut is transitioning to fall grouping and animals are settling into winter range use. October highs drop to around 59°F and November cools to the 40s with nights in the 20s, as snowfall climbs to 1.3 inches in November. Like Type 7, this hunt is valid only on irrigated land, restricting it to private ground near agricultural fields where pronghorn gather for green feed through the fall and early winter. A hunter must have permission from the private landowner. The Big Horn County restriction makes the hunt less widespread than Type 7 but targets the core period when doe and fawn concentration near water and food is strongest.

Land and access

BLM68%

Generally open to public hunting

private land16%

Private

unclassified ownership11%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 73% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 681 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 12 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. Both are 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. 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 Range83%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range5%

used in winter

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

Sagebrush65%

Other cover17%

Grass and meadow15%

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	33°F	9°F	2.4 in
February	37°F	13°F	2.6 in
March	50°F	23°F	0.8 in
April	58°F	31°F	0.3 in
May	68°F	41°F	0 in
June	78°F	49°F	0 in
July	87°F	55°F	0 in
August	85°F	53°F	0 in
September	74°F	44°F	0 in
October	59°F	32°F	0.2 in
November	44°F	20°F	1.3 in
December	33°F	11°F	1.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a resident pronghorn licence in hunt area 78?: No resident can buy a pronghorn licence over the counter in Wyoming, and there is no regional pronghorn licence. Hunt area 78 is a limited-quota area drawn for that specific hunt area by residents through a random draw—if a resident's name is not selected, there is no alternative licence to obtain.
What preference points do nonresidents need for hunt area 78?: Wyoming nonresidents do not need a set number of preference points to be eligible. Instead, three-quarters of the nonresident licences are awarded by preference-point draw to the highest-point applicants, and one-quarter go to a separate random draw that all nonresidents enter. Points significantly improve a nonresident's odds but do not form a minimum cutoff.
How much of hunt area 78 is private land that a hunter cannot access?: Private land makes up 16% of the area. About 73% is public ground (BLM and State Trust Land) a hunter can generally count on, and another 11% includes enrolled walk-in areas and the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still affect how much ground is actually reachable.
Can a hunter walk into the enrolled areas in hunt area 78 without permission?: Yes. The 12 walk-in areas—which include Park County Walk In Area 1, Park County Walk In Area 3, and Big Horn County Walk In Area 2—need no permission slip or application. A hunter may walk in during the posted open period, subject to the rules posted at each area. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so enrolment is not guaranteed in future seasons.
When do the different pronghorn seasons run in hunt area 78?: The Type 1 hunt (any antelope) runs archery August 15–September 19 and regular September 20–October 31. Type 7 (doe or fawn valid on irrigated land) runs August 15–November 30. Type 8 (doe or fawn valid on irrigated land in Big Horn County) runs October 15–November 30. Only the Type 1 season allows bucks with horns on public land area-wide.

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