Can a hunter draw a region licence or a general pronghorn licence in Wyoming to hunt this area?

No. Hunt area 81 is limited quota, drawn specifically for that area. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn licence over the counter and no region pronghorn licence for any antelope hunt. A hunter must draw the specific limited-quota licence for hunt area 81 or have no licence to hunt pronghorn there.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points for pronghorn in this area?

No. Wyoming residents do not earn, hold or use preference points for pronghorn. The resident draw for hunt area 81 is random—no points, no cutoff, no advantage to an applicant who has been unsuccessful in prior years.

What preference points do nonresidents need to draw hunt area 81?

Nonresident preference-point requirements vary by season and shift from year to year. Three-quarters of the nonresident licences are awarded in a preference-point draw, top-down by points held, and a quarter are awarded by random draw to all nonresident applicants regardless of points. A nonresident should check the current draw summary to learn what points rank in a given year and season.

How much of hunt area 81 can a hunter actually access?

About 55 percent of the area is public ground (BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land) where a hunter can generally count on entry, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Two walk-in areas offer access without permission during their open periods. Two Hunter Management Areas provide additional hunting on private ground by printed permission slip. Private land makes up 29 percent of the area and requires negotiated access.

When does the archery season end and the regular rifle season begin in hunt area 81?

Archery runs August 15 through September 19. The regular season opens September 20 and runs through November 15 for both Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) hunts. The overlap allows a successful archery hunter to switch to rifle during the regular window if desired.

Wyoming Hunt Area 81 (South Fork) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

55%

Elevation

4,800–12,300 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 81 spreads across rolling sagebrush country that stiffens into steeper terrain and canyons at its higher reaches. Elevation runs from about 4,900 feet on the lower ground to over 12,000 feet where conifer takes hold, with most huntable country sitting around 6,000 feet. The terrain averages 8.9 degrees of slope and is dominantly gentle—nearly two-thirds of the area is walkable without steep climbing. Lower elevations are almost entirely sagebrush with scattered grass and riparian strips; as ground rises, sagebrush still prevails but conifer begins to mix in, especially above the mid-elevation band. The country holds both public land and private ground, including agricultural land woven through the sagebrush. Hunt area 81 contains designated wilderness, which means a nonresident must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting there.

About 55 percent of the area—roughly 340 square miles—is public ground (BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land) that a hunter can generally count on, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply. Private land makes up 29 percent. Walk-in access is available through Park County Walk In Area 9 and Park County Walk In Area 6, which need no permission and open during posted seasons. Two Hunter Management Areas—Greybull River and Carter Mountain—offer additional private ground accessed by printed permission slip. Pronghorn distribution shifts through the year: a large share of the herd summers on private and national forest ground but winters primarily on BLM lands, a pattern that shapes where a hunter's season will play out.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 81 (South Fork) 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 – November 15
Type 6 · Doe or fawn
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–November)

Archery hunting in the early season (August 15–September 19) arrives as pronghorn move into territory formation and enter the rut, making bucks responsive and scattered across the sagebrush. Heat is the main factor—highs in August reach around 80 degrees and cool gradually through September to near 70 degrees—but moisture is absent and snow is not a concern. Walk-in areas and public ground are fully accessible, and the Carter Mountain and Greybull River Hunter Management Areas are open with permission slips. This hunt is valid for any antelope. The regular season (September 20–November 15) carries straight through the peak rut and its decline, when bucks are still active but increasingly recover and group up in fall. Weather turns sharp: highs drop from September's low 70s to November's low 40s, and November snow climbs to a monthly average of 4.7 inches, which can stiffen access on rougher ground. All the same access options apply. Type 1 is any antelope.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (August–November)

Doe or fawn hunting follows the same calendar as Type 1. Archery runs August 15–September 19 as pronghorn rut, and the regular season spans September 20–November 15 through the rut's decline into fall grouping. The same weather window applies: heat through September cooling sharply into November, with November averaging 4.7 inches of snow. Walk-in areas, public ground and the two Hunter Management Areas are all accessible. This licence is restricted to does and fawns and does not allow the hunter to take a buck.

Land and access

private land29%

Private

BLM28%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest21%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership16%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land6%

Generally open to public hunting

About 55% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 340 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 2 Hunter Management Areas. 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.

This hunt area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where pronghorn are mapped

Yearlong Range71%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range7%

used in summer

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush79%

Other cover15%

Grass and meadow5%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow5%

Conifer3%

Other cover3%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush50%

Conifer41%

Grass and meadow6%

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

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Snowfall
January	36°F	14°F	4 in
February	37°F	14°F	5.5 in
March	46°F	21°F	4.1 in
April	52°F	27°F	2.9 in
May	61°F	35°F	0.3 in
June	72°F	41°F	0 in
July	81°F	47°F	0 in
August	80°F	46°F	0 in
September	69°F	39°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	30°F	2.1 in
November	43°F	21°F	4.7 in
December	34°F	14°F	5.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw a region licence or a general pronghorn licence in Wyoming to hunt this area?: No. Hunt area 81 is limited quota, drawn specifically for that area. Wyoming issues no general pronghorn licence over the counter and no region pronghorn licence for any antelope hunt. A hunter must draw the specific limited-quota licence for hunt area 81 or have no licence to hunt pronghorn there.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for pronghorn in this area?: No. Wyoming residents do not earn, hold or use preference points for pronghorn. The resident draw for hunt area 81 is random—no points, no cutoff, no advantage to an applicant who has been unsuccessful in prior years.
What preference points do nonresidents need to draw hunt area 81?: Nonresident preference-point requirements vary by season and shift from year to year. Three-quarters of the nonresident licences are awarded in a preference-point draw, top-down by points held, and a quarter are awarded by random draw to all nonresident applicants regardless of points. A nonresident should check the current draw summary to learn what points rank in a given year and season.
How much of hunt area 81 can a hunter actually access?: About 55 percent of the area is public ground (BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land) where a hunter can generally count on entry, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Two walk-in areas offer access without permission during their open periods. Two Hunter Management Areas provide additional hunting on private ground by printed permission slip. Private land makes up 29 percent of the area and requires negotiated access.
When does the archery season end and the regular rifle season begin in hunt area 81?: Archery runs August 15 through September 19. The regular season opens September 20 and runs through November 15 for both Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) hunts. The overlap allows a successful archery hunter to switch to rifle during the regular window if desired.

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