Can a hunter in hunt area 79 buy a general pronghorn licence over the counter?

No. Hunt area 79 is limited-quota and must be drawn for this specific area by both residents and nonresidents alike. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn licence over the counter and has no regional fallback licence. If a hunter does not draw this hunt area, no alternative licence is available for antelope here.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points for pronghorn in hunt area 79?

No. Wyoming residents do not earn or use preference points for pronghorn hunting. The resident draw for hunt area 79 is random and does not favor accumulated points. Nonresidents do use preference points, with three-quarters of nonresident licences awarded by points and one-quarter by random draw, but residents have no points system at all.

How much of hunt area 79 can a hunter generally count on accessing?

About 81% of the area—roughly 1,000 square miles—is public land or walk-in ground a hunter can depend on: BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas, and National Forest. The remaining 18% is private land. However, public access still depends on roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and avoiding private inholdings.

Can a hunter use a Type 1 or Type 7 licence anywhere in hunt area 79?

No. Type 1 and Type 7 licences are both restricted to within one-half mile of irrigated land and are not valid area-wide. A hunter must find irrigated lands and obtain permission to be on private ground near them to legally hunt those seasons. This restriction makes private access and landowner permission critical for these hunts.

Which seasons run when in hunt area 79?

Type 9 (archery only) runs August 15–September 30. Type 1 (any antelope, rifle) runs October 1–15. Type 0 (muzzle-loading) runs October 1–31. Type 7 (doe or fawn, rifle) runs September 1–November 30.

Wyoming Hunt Area 79 (Big Horn) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

81%

Elevation

3,600–9,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 79 is mostly rolling sagebrush-covered hills, ridges, and draws at elevations between 4,000 and 8,000 feet, with slope averaging 7.5 degrees and about three-quarters of the ground gentle. The country is arid desert terrain in its middle and western portions, becoming more mixed with scattered private farmland. Pronghorn distribution is uneven: the southern half of the area holds most of the animals, while northern sections and much of the public land support only low densities. A hunter covers a lot of ground looking. The area is 81% dependably open public land—BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas, and National Forest—alongside private holdings; getting onto that ground requires finding trailheads, navigating seasonal closures, and recognizing inholdings.

Six walk-in areas are enrolled within hunt area 79, giving hunters access to private ground during posted seasons without needing permission. The Yellowtail Hunter Management Area also lies within the hunt area, though it requires a printed permission slip from WGFD before hunting. Much of the scattered private land along stream bottoms holds lower pronghorn densities, but proximity to irrigated lands on private ground concentrates animals where landowner permission is most valuable. A hunter's access and success depend heavily on where they can get permission to hunt.

Seasons here are shaped by the proximity-to-irrigated-land restrictions on two hunt types. Type 1 and Type 7 hunts are both limited to ground within one-half mile of irrigated land, making those seasons dependent on private access—they are not area-wide hunts. Type 9 is an archery-only season spanning late summer and early fall. Type 0 runs as a muzzle-loading hunt in October. The split between seasons and license types means a hunter's opportunity depends on which license is drawn and what ground that license can legally reach.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 79 (Big Horn) 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 valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Regular October 1 – October 15
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Regular September 1 – November 30
Type 9 · Any antelope, archery only
Regular August 15 – September 30
Type 0 · Any antelope, muzzle-loading firearms only
Regular October 1 – 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 valid on or within… (October)

The Type 1 hunt in October is restricted to ground within one-half mile of irrigated land and requires permission from private landowners to access the best pronghorn habitat. During October, the rut is winding down into its final phase and pronghorn are beginning to regroup for winter, with animals concentrating in predictable areas. Weather cools from the 50s into the 30s and 40s, and light snow may dust the ground late in the month. Success on this hunt hinges on finding irrigated private land where pronghorn occur and securing access to hunt it.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on or within… (September–November)

The Type 7 hunt for doe or fawn is valid within one-half mile of irrigated land across the long September-through-November window, making landowner permission essential for any legal hunting. September and early October catch pronghorn during the rut when bucks are territorial and visible; as the season progresses into late October and November, animals bunch up for winter. Weather begins warm in September, cools sharply through October, and turns cold and snowy by November, with average November snowfall around 2.6 inches per month. This hunt rewards persistence and knowledge of where irrigated lands concentrate pronghorn on private ground.

Type 9 — Any antelope, archery only (August–September)

Archery hunters have the full August 15–September 30 window, with late August temperatures in the low to mid-80s cooling to the 70s as September progresses. The season spans the transition from summer groups into the pre-rut and through the primary rut, when bucks are most active and visible on the landscape. No snow normally falls during this hunt. Archery hunting in heat and drought conditions requires finding water sources and hunting where low densities of pronghorn use the terrain; the lack of snow means the country stays dry and open.

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

The Type 0 muzzle-loading season runs through all of October on any antelope and is not restricted by irrigated-land proximity—it can be hunted area-wide. The hunt spans the late rut and the beginning of fall grouping, when pronghorn are transitioning from breeding behavior into winter patterns. Weather can shift from the 50s to the low 30s and occasionally includes light snow. Hunters using muzzle-loaders have the advantage of an area-wide hunt and the additional hunt days into October, though hunting with such gear in open sagebrush country demands precision.

Land and access

BLM72%

Generally open to public hunting

private land18%

Private

State Trust Land5%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 81% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas and National Forest, roughly 1,008 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 75% 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 has 6 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 Range62%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range14%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

Summer Range6%

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush55%

Grass and meadow30%

Other cover12%

Riparian3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush66%

Grass and meadow28%

Other cover4%

Conifer1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush63%

Grass and meadow20%

Conifer17%

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	34°F	10°F	4 in
February	38°F	13°F	4.1 in
March	50°F	23°F	1.7 in
April	58°F	31°F	0.8 in
May	67°F	40°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	75°F	43°F	0 in
October	59°F	32°F	0.7 in
November	45°F	21°F	2.6 in
December	34°F	11°F	4.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in hunt area 79 buy a general pronghorn licence over the counter?: No. Hunt area 79 is limited-quota and must be drawn for this specific area by both residents and nonresidents alike. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn licence over the counter and has no regional fallback licence. If a hunter does not draw this hunt area, no alternative licence is available for antelope here.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for pronghorn in hunt area 79?: No. Wyoming residents do not earn or use preference points for pronghorn hunting. The resident draw for hunt area 79 is random and does not favor accumulated points. Nonresidents do use preference points, with three-quarters of nonresident licences awarded by points and one-quarter by random draw, but residents have no points system at all.
How much of hunt area 79 can a hunter generally count on accessing?: About 81% of the area—roughly 1,000 square miles—is public land or walk-in ground a hunter can depend on: BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas, and National Forest. The remaining 18% is private land. However, public access still depends on roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and avoiding private inholdings.
Can a hunter use a Type 1 or Type 7 licence anywhere in hunt area 79?: No. Type 1 and Type 7 licences are both restricted to within one-half mile of irrigated land and are not valid area-wide. A hunter must find irrigated lands and obtain permission to be on private ground near them to legally hunt those seasons. This restriction makes private access and landowner permission critical for these hunts.
Which seasons run when in hunt area 79?: Type 9 (archery only) runs August 15–September 30. Type 1 (any antelope, rifle) runs October 1–15. Type 0 (muzzle-loading) runs October 1–31. Type 7 (doe or fawn, rifle) runs September 1–November 30.

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