Wyoming Hunt Area 80 (Badger Basin) pronghorn hunting

Licence
Limited quota — drawn
Open public land
47%
Elevation
3,600–11,000 ft
Terrain
Gentle

Hunt area 80 spans rolling sagebrush hills and arid basins across 1,384 square miles of country that climbs from 3,600 feet to over 11,000 feet, with typical ground around 4,700 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle—80% slopes under 9 degrees—and the land cover shifts with elevation: lower elevations run to sagebrush with scattered other vegetation, grass, and riparian draws, while mid elevations are heavily sagebrush with some conifers appearing at higher elevations. Public lands in the western, central, and eastern portions consist of BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land, accounting for about 47% of the area. Access is rated fair overall; roads, trailheads, and private inholdings complicate entry even on public ground. Private land makes up 43% of the area and includes irrigated fields on lower ground where pronghorn densities can run higher than on the arid public lands.

Early-season pronghorn distribution tends to scatter across the western portions near the National Forest boundary on public land. As the season progresses, or if winter weather arrives, pronghorn move into larger groups and concentrate in the sagebrush flats of the central portions; few animals occupy the extreme eastern reaches north of Lovell. Private land near irrigated fields can hold pronghorn through the season, but access to that ground is variable and requires either walk-in enrollment or permission from the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area. The Park County Walk-In Area 4 and Big Horn County Walk-In Area 2 offer access to open periods without a permission slip, subject to posted rules, though enrollment shifts year to year and is never guaranteed.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 80 (Badger Basin) 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 2 · Any antelope valid on private land east of Wyoming Highway 120
    Archery August 15 – September 19Regular September 20 – October 31
  • Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on private land
    Archery August 15 – September 19Regular September 20 – November 15
  • Type 8 · Doe or fawn valid on private land east of Wyoming Highway 120
    Archery August 15 – September 19Regular September 20 – November 15

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 this area starts with archery from mid-August through mid-September, when territory formation and the primary rut are under way and highs reach the low 70s to mid-80s with cool nights. Rifle hunting runs from late September through October 31 as the rut peaks and then tails off into the fall grouping phase, with highs dropping from the low 70s through the 50s and an inch or so of snow possible by month's end. Public land in the western and central portions holds pronghorn early on, though animals shift toward the sagebrush flats of the central basin as the season progresses. Access to public ground is fair; private land holds animals near irrigated fields, though access there is variable and requires walk-in or Yellowtail HMA permission.

Type 2 — Any antelope valid on private land… (August–October)

Hunting any antelope valid on private land east of Wyoming Highway 120 follows the same two-window calendar: archery August 15 through September 19, then rifle September 20 through October 31. The rut unfolds from territory formation through late recovery during this span, with temperatures cooling from the low 70s to the 50s and occasional early snow arriving by autumn's end. This restriction confines the hunt to private ground east of the highway, where pronghorn densities can be higher near irrigated fields; huntable private land access is variable and requires either walk-in enrollment or Yellowtail HMA permission.

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

Doe or fawn hunting on private land valid through November 15 begins with archery August 15 through September 19 during territory formation and the primary rut. Rifle season extends from September 20 through mid-November, carrying pronghorn behavior through the late rut and into fall grouping and winter transition as the herd concentrates and temperatures drop from the low 50s through the low 40s into November, with snowfall building from trace amounts in early fall to over an inch per month by late autumn. Access to huntable private ground is variable and requires walk-in enrollment or Yellowtail HMA permission; public land in this hunt area is not open for this license type.

Type 8 — Doe or fawn valid on private land… (August–November)

Doe or fawn hunting valid on private land east of Wyoming Highway 120 through November 15 opens with archery August 15 through September 19 as the rut is forming and peaking, then continues through rifle season September 20 through mid-November into the late-rut and winter-transition phases as temperatures cool steadily from the 70s into the 40s and snow begins to accumulate toward an inch or more monthly in November. This hunt is restricted to private land east of the highway and requires walk-in enrollment or Yellowtail HMA permission; public land is not available for this license type. Pronghorn concentrate in the central and eastern sagebrush flats as the season progresses and weather tightens.

Land and access

  • private land43%
    Private
  • BLM28%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • National Forest15%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • unclassified ownership9%
    Ownership unclassified
  • State Trust Land5%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • National Park Service1%
    Public land closed to hunting

    • About 47% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 652 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. 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 Range33%
    the only layer that means year-round use
  • Summer Range10%
    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

  • Sagebrush65%
  • Other cover24%
  • Grass and meadow7%
  • Riparian4%

    • Mid elevations

  • Sagebrush78%
  • Other cover18%
  • Grass and meadow3%
  • Riparian1%

    • Higher elevations

  • Sagebrush68%
  • Conifer26%
  • Grass and meadow4%
  • Other cover2%

    • 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

    MonthAvg highAvg lowSnowfall
    January36°F13°F1.8 in
    February39°F15°F1.9 in
    March50°F24°F1.1 in
    April57°F31°F0.5 in
    May66°F41°F0 in
    June76°F49°F0 in
    July85°F55°F0 in
    August84°F53°F0 in
    September73°F44°F0 in
    October59°F33°F0.4 in
    November45°F22°F1.2 in
    December36°F14°F1.5 in

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

    Common questions

    Can a hunter draw a general or region pronghorn license to hunt this area?
    No. Hunt area 80 is limited quota and drawn for this specific area only. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn license and no region pronghorn license for any hunt area. If the draw does not come through, there is no alternative license to fall back on.
    Do Wyoming residents need preference points for pronghorn in this hunt area?
    No. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points at all. The resident pronghorn draw for this area is random and requires no points. Nonresidents, by contrast, enter a draw where three quarters of the licenses go to preference-point holders ranked by points and a quarter go to a random draw.
    How much of this hunt area can a hunter generally count on accessing?
    About 47% of the area—roughly 652 square miles—is public land (BLM, National Forest, or State Trust Land) where a hunter can generally plan to be, though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings still apply. Walk-in areas and the Yellowtail Hunter Management Area provide additional private ground access during their open periods.
    What do the walk-in areas in this hunt area require?
    Park County Walk-In Area 4 and Big Horn County Walk-In Area 2 require no permission slip or application. A hunter may walk in during posted open periods subject to the area's rules. Enrollment is renegotiated each year, so neither area's availability for any coming season is guaranteed.
    When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 80?
    Archery runs August 15 through September 19 across all four license types. Rifle seasons vary by license type: Types 1 and 2 (any antelope) run September 20 through October 31, while Types 7 and 8 (doe or fawn) extend through November 15. Type 2 and Type 8 are valid only on private land east of Wyoming Highway 120.

    Sources

    Seasons, licence types and boundaries change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.

    All Wyoming pronghorn hunt areas