Can a hunter draw this hunt area without preference points if they are a resident of Wyoming?

Yes. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points and the resident draw is random, with no points required or advantageous for any hunt area in the state. Residents must still be drawn for this limited-quota area; there is no general or regional pronghorn licence available over the counter.

What preference points do nonresident hunters need to draw hunt area 91?

Three quarters of the nonresident licenses are awarded to the preference-point draw in top-down order by points, and one quarter go to a random draw where all nonresidents enter regardless of points. There is no single point cutoff; competition for the top three quarters of the pool depends on the full field each year. Consult the current draw odds before applying.

Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in this area without a guide?

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange for a guide in advance.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 91?

Archery is August 15 through September 9, and rifle is September 10 through October 31 for both Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 2 (any antelope valid near irrigated land in Sweetwater County). Type 7 (doe or fawn near irrigated land in Sweetwater County) runs by rifle only, August 15 through October 31.

Wyoming Hunt Area 91 (Dry Sandy) pronghorn hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

89%

Elevation

6,600–13,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 91 is a large, gently rolling country rising from sagebrush foothills around 7,200 feet to alpine rock along the Continental Divide at 13,200 feet. Mean slope averages 4.1 degrees, with 90% of the ground gentle and 9% moderate; high elevations in the north support conifer and aspen forests and see little pronghorn use, but the broad sagebrush steppe across the lower and mid elevations holds pronghorn throughout most of the hunting season. The country is cut by major drainages including the Big Sandy and Eden Rivers, which concentrate both water and pronghorn during dry years. Primary access follows Highway 28, the unpaved but improved Lander and Farson cutoff roads, and multiple spur roads; some of the secondary roads become difficult after rain and snow. About 89% of the hunt area is public ground—BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land totaling roughly 612 square miles—interspersed with private holdings mostly along riparian corridors and near Farson in the southwestern corner.

Public lands dominate the hunt area, but access to them requires careful route planning: roads, seasonal closures, trailheads, and private inholdings all constrain where a hunter can reliably get afoot. This hunt area contains designated wilderness, and Wyoming law requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide there. Pronghorn are found fairly evenly distributed across the sagebrush and grassland through most of the season, but may concentrate around permanent water in dry conditions. As fall advances, pronghorn generally migrate south toward winter range in the southern portion of the hunt area, making the later part of the season different from its opening.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 91 (Dry Sandy) 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 valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land within Sweetwater County
Archery August 15 – September 9Regular September 10 – October 31
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land within Sweetwater County
Regular August 15 – 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 for any pronghorn runs August 15 through September 9, then rifle hunting for any antelope continues September 10 through October 31. Early archery coincides with pre-rut territory formation, when bucks are establishing and holding ground, then transitions into the primary rut in early September when activity peaks. Rifle season spans the primary rut into late rut and post-rut recovery, carrying into fall grouping and winter transition as temperatures cool steadily from highs near 79°F in August to the 50s in September and into the low 50s by October, with October precipitation averaging 2.3 inches. Pronghorn are fairly evenly distributed across the sagebrush steppe for most of this span, though in dry years they concentrate near permanent water; as the season progresses into October, animals begin moving south toward winter range. Public lands are the primary access, though private land near Farson and along riparian corridors also holds pronghorn where landowner access is possible.

Type 2 — Any antelope valid on or within… (August–October)

Archery hunting for any antelope valid on or within one-half mile of irrigated land in Sweetwater County runs August 15 through September 9, then rifle hunting continues September 10 through October 31. This restricted hunt follows the same rut cycle as Type 1—pre-rut territory formation through primary rut in archery, then into late rut, post-rut recovery and fall grouping in rifle season—but is limited to the narrow band near irrigation developments in the southwestern part of the hunt area. Early season temperatures are mild, cooling from August highs near 79°F through September and into October lows around 27°F, with increasing precipitation later in the season. Pronghorn concentrate near reliable water sources through this period, making irrigated land a draw during dry years. Access here relies on public lands near the Farson area and on private land where access is negotiated with landowners.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on or within… (August–October)

Doe and fawn hunting valid on or within one-half mile of irrigated land in Sweetwater County runs by rifle only, August 15 through October 31. This season spans the entire period from pre-rut territory formation through fall grouping and winter transition, tracking the rut cycle across three months of cooling temperatures—from August highs around 79°F through September's 60s and into October lows near 27°F—with snowfall increasing in October to an average of 2.3 inches. Female and young pronghorn are typically found near water and good forage, often in areas adjacent to irrigated land where vegetation remains green. This hunt is also restricted to the southwestern portion of the area near irrigation developments and depends on access via public lands or negotiated permission on private holdings near Farson.

Land and access

BLM69%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest14%

Generally open to public hunting

private land8%

Private

State Trust Land6%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership3%

Ownership unclassified

About 89% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 612 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 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

Winter Range46%

used in winter

Summer Range44%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range34%

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

Yearlong Range12%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush90%

Other cover7%

Riparian3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush97%

Grass and meadow2%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush54%

Conifer28%

Grass and meadow10%

Riparian4%

Aspen4%

Other cover1%

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	6°F	9.2 in
February	32°F	7°F	10 in
March	41°F	17°F	7.6 in
April	50°F	24°F	5 in
May	61°F	33°F	0.6 in
June	72°F	41°F	0 in
July	81°F	48°F	0 in
August	79°F	46°F	0 in
September	69°F	38°F	0.3 in
October	54°F	27°F	2.3 in
November	39°F	15°F	9.5 in
December	29°F	7°F	12.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw this hunt area without preference points if they are a resident of Wyoming?: Yes. Wyoming residents have no pronghorn preference points and the resident draw is random, with no points required or advantageous for any hunt area in the state. Residents must still be drawn for this limited-quota area; there is no general or regional pronghorn licence available over the counter.
What preference points do nonresident hunters need to draw hunt area 91?: Three quarters of the nonresident licenses are awarded to the preference-point draw in top-down order by points, and one quarter go to a random draw where all nonresidents enter regardless of points. There is no single point cutoff; competition for the top three quarters of the pool depends on the full field each year. Consult the current draw odds before applying.
Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in this area without a guide?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange for a guide in advance.
How much of this hunt area is public land a hunter can actually get onto?: About 89% of hunt area 91 is public ground—BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land—but public ownership does not guarantee easy access. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings constrain where a hunter can reach on foot, so scouting the specific public access points before the season is important.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run in hunt area 91?: Archery is August 15 through September 9, and rifle is September 10 through October 31 for both Type 1 (any antelope) and Type 2 (any antelope valid near irrigated land in Sweetwater County). Type 7 (doe or fawn near irrigated land in Sweetwater County) runs by rifle only, August 15 through October 31.

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