How is a hunting license for hunt area 87 obtained?

Hunt area 87 is a limited-quota area drawn specifically for this hunt area. Residents enter a random draw; nonresidents compete in a draw where three quarters of the licenses go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw. A license cannot be purchased over the counter, and there is no regional or general pronghorn license to fall back on if the draw does not come through.

Do nonresidents need preference points to hunt pronghorn in this area?

Preference points matter significantly for nonresidents in this hunt area. Within the nonresident pool, three quarters of the licenses go to those with the most points, while a quarter are awarded by random draw. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for pronghorn; the resident draw is random with no point requirement.

How much of hunt area 87 is public land that a hunter can actually get onto?

About 82% of the hunt area—roughly 1,068 square miles—is ground where a hunter can generally count on access: National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 18% is private land, much of it in the river valleys and southern Mesa country. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.

What seasons are available for pronghorn hunting in hunt area 87?

Two seasons are offered in this area. Type 1 runs archery August 15–September 9 and regular hunting September 10–October 31. Type 2 also opens for archery August 15–September 9 but runs regular season September 25–October 31. Both are for any antelope, and a hunter must draw the specific area to hunt either one.

Does the nonresident need a guide in the wilderness within hunt area 87?

Yes. Designated wilderness exists within this hunt area, and Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide while hunting there. A nonresident planning to hunt wilderness in this area must arrange professional guidance or hunt with a resident guide.

Wyoming Hunt Area 87 (Pinedale) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

82%

Elevation

6,800–13,700 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Hunt area 87 spans the headwaters of the Green River and a wide elevation span from roughly 6,800 to 13,700 feet, with much of the ground around 8,600 feet. The northern border runs along the Gros Ventre range and the eastern side follows the Wind River mountains; the country grades from high rock and alpine terrain down through coniferous forest, then aspen, and into rolling sagebrush foothills that drop to private agricultural grasslands along the main river valleys. Slope averages 9.1 degrees and most of the ground is gentle, but the terrain is genuinely broken — 67% is gentle, 25% moderate slope, and significant shares are steep or rugged enough to shape a hunt. Land cover changes markedly with elevation: lower country is mostly sagebrush with patches of other cover, riparian, and conifers; mid elevations are half conifer and half sagebrush with aspen and meadow; higher ground is a mix of sagebrush, grass and meadow, and conifer. Pronghorn are distributed across this whole terrain, using sagebrush on public land in the north and east, agricultural land along the river drainages, and the sagebrush flats in the southern Mesa country.

Getting onto this ground is possible but not guaranteed. Public land accounts for about 82% of the area, roughly 1,068 square miles of National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas where a hunter can generally count on access. Private land holds about 18% and includes the best forage in the river valleys and some of the Mesa. Roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply even on public ground; a hunt here requires checking current conditions and planning entry carefully. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, which means any nonresident hunter must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in those zones.

Pronghorn shift seasonally through this area. A general south-moving migration occurs in fall as animals move toward winter range in the southern portion of the hunt area and beyond; significant October snowstorms can trigger early movement and affect where animals can be found mid-season. The Mesa in the south has seen heavy industrial energy development, which changes the character of that part of the hunt area substantially.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 87 (Pinedale) 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 9Regular September 10 – October 31
Type 2 · Any antelope
Archery August 15 – September 9Regular September 25 – 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)

Archery hunting opens August 15 and runs through September 9, then regular rifle hunting begins September 10 and continues through October 31, making Type 1 a full-season option spanning pre-rut, primary rut, late rut and into fall grouping. In mid-August pronghorn are in pre-rut behavior and scattered across their range as temperatures peak near 72 degrees; by early September the primary rut arrives and bucks become more visible, though September also brings cooling toward the upper 50s and the first small snowfalls. October accelerates that cooling trend, with highs dropping to the upper 40s and snowfall ramping to nearly 4 inches by month's end—significant snow can trigger pronghorn migrations earlier than normal. Public land throughout the hunt area, particularly sagebrush habitat on national forest in the north and foothills on the east, offers the steadiest access; pronghorn also use private agricultural lands along the river valleys, but permission is required there. This season allows the take of any antelope.

Type 2 — Any antelope (August–October)

Archery season opens the same window as Type 1 (August 15–September 9), but regular hunting shifts to September 25–October 31, condensing the rifle portion into late-rut and fall-grouping phases. Archery hunters face pre-rut and primary-rut behavior in warm early-September conditions, but the regular season begins as the primary rut peaks around late September and pushes into post-rut recovery and herd regrouping—behavior that can differ significantly from early-season activity. October weather cools rapidly, with temperatures dropping from the low 60s to the upper 40s and snowfall reaching nearly 4 inches by month's end; early significant snow can shift pronghorn southward toward winter range before the season fully opens. Access mirrors Type 1, with widespread opportunity on public land where sagebrush habitat dominates, though some pronghorn occupy private agricultural drainages and river valleys where access depends on permission. This season allows the take of any antelope.

Land and access

National Forest66%

Generally open to public hunting

private land18%

Private

BLM13%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 82% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 1,068 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 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

Summer Range31%

used in summer

Winter Range10%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

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

Sagebrush68%

Other cover14%

Riparian11%

Conifer5%

Grass and meadow2%

Aspen1%

Mid elevations

Conifer51%

Sagebrush37%

Aspen4%

Grass and meadow4%

Riparian3%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush36%

Grass and meadow32%

Conifer24%

Other cover8%

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	29°F	8°F	14.9 in
February	32°F	7°F	14.4 in
March	39°F	14°F	12.7 in
April	46°F	21°F	8 in
May	54°F	30°F	1.3 in
June	64°F	37°F	0 in
July	73°F	43°F	0 in
August	72°F	41°F	0 in
September	62°F	34°F	0.2 in
October	49°F	25°F	3.9 in
November	36°F	15°F	12.5 in
December	28°F	8°F	16.7 in

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

Common questions

How is a hunting license for hunt area 87 obtained?: Hunt area 87 is a limited-quota area drawn specifically for this hunt area. Residents enter a random draw; nonresidents compete in a draw where three quarters of the licenses go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw. A license cannot be purchased over the counter, and there is no regional or general pronghorn license to fall back on if the draw does not come through.
Do nonresidents need preference points to hunt pronghorn in this area?: Preference points matter significantly for nonresidents in this hunt area. Within the nonresident pool, three quarters of the licenses go to those with the most points, while a quarter are awarded by random draw. Wyoming residents do not use preference points for pronghorn; the resident draw is random with no point requirement.
How much of hunt area 87 is public land that a hunter can actually get onto?: About 82% of the hunt area—roughly 1,068 square miles—is ground where a hunter can generally count on access: National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 18% is private land, much of it in the river valleys and southern Mesa country. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply.
What seasons are available for pronghorn hunting in hunt area 87?: Two seasons are offered in this area. Type 1 runs archery August 15–September 9 and regular hunting September 10–October 31. Type 2 also opens for archery August 15–September 9 but runs regular season September 25–October 31. Both are for any antelope, and a hunter must draw the specific area to hunt either one.
Does the nonresident need a guide in the wilderness within hunt area 87?: Yes. Designated wilderness exists within this hunt area, and Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide while hunting there. A nonresident planning to hunt wilderness in this area must arrange professional guidance or hunt with a resident guide.

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