Wyoming Hunt Area 97 (Boysen) pronghorn hunting

Licence
Limited quota — drawn
Open public land
13%
Elevation
4,700–5,900 ft
Terrain
Gentle

Hunt area 97 is low, rolling country between 4,700 and 5,900 feet, with typical ground around 5,300 feet. The terrain slopes gently—98% of it is gentle ground with a mean slope of 1.7 degrees—and lies mostly open to sagebrush, grass, and other low cover. Much of the area is under agricultural production, split into small private holdings rather than large ranches. Away from cropland, the country opens into arid grass and shrub uplands. Pronghorn concentrate in the northern portion of the hunt area, and most of them move between private and public ground through the season. Access is the chief constraint here: private land covers about 20% of the area, and while roughly 13% is dependably open public ground, much of it lies scattered in parcels that require planning to reach.

Getting onto the area means working with a patchwork of ownership. The state Wildlife Management Areas and Bureau of Reclamation lands along Muddy Creek in the eastern part of the hunt area are contiguous and accessible by road. Walk-in areas in Fremont County offer foot access during their open periods, though enrollment varies annually. Boysen State Park lies within the hunt area, but an entrance fee applies. Much of the better hunting, though, sits on private land, and access to it requires permission from landowners. The Wind River Reservation crosses parts of the area, and those lands are closed to state licence holders; trespassing across the Reservation to reach other ground is illegal. A hunter planning this area should scout access carefully before the season.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 97 (Boysen) 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 18Regular September 19 – October 31
  • Type 2 · Any antelope valid in Area 97 south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, and in all of Area 117
    Regular August 15 – October 31
  • Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid in Area 97 south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, and in all of Area 117
    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)

Type 1 hunts any antelope across the full hunt area during a split season—archery from mid-August to mid-September, then rifle from mid-September through October. During the archery window, pronghorn are establishing fall territories and beginning the primary rut, temperatures run warm with highs near 86°F, and the country remains dry. The rut peaks during the rifle season's opening week, then fades through late September and early October as herds begin to gather; September highs cool into the mid-70s and October brings a sharp drop to near 60°F, with the first measurable snowfall appearing late in the month. Access to public land—the Wildlife Management Areas and Bureau of Reclamation parcels—remains straightforward. Walk-in areas may be available depending on annual enrollment. The licence is valid across the entire hunt area and allows the take of any antelope.

Type 2 — Any antelope valid in Area 97 south… (August–October)

Type 2 hunts any antelope in a restricted zone—the southern portion of hunt area 97 south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, plus all of the adjacent hunt area 117—during a single rifle season from mid-August through October. Pronghorn are establishing territories when the hunt opens, peak in rut early in September, and begin aggregating into fall groups as September advances into October; temperatures fall steadily from August highs near 86°F through September's mid-70s to October's near 60°F, with October bringing the first snow. Much of the restricted zone is private land, so access is constrained; a hunter must secure permission on private ground or rely on the scattered public parcels that fall within it. The licence allows the take of any antelope within the defined area boundary.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid in Area 97 south… (August–October)

Type 7 hunts does and fawns only in the same southern restricted zone and adjacent hunt area 117, from mid-August through October on a rifle season. Pronghorn are in the territory-formation and primary-rut phases early in the hunt, transitioning to late-rut behavior and fall grouping as the season progresses; the weather cools from August's near 86°F to September's 70s and October's near 60°F, with October typically carrying the first snow. Access to the southern zone is dominated by private land, requiring negotiation with landowners or use of scattered public parcels. This licence is restricted to the harvest of female antelope and fawns and is valid only within the defined area boundary.

Land and access

  • unclassified ownership67%
    Ownership unclassified
  • private land20%
    Private
  • State Wildlife Areas12%
    Generally open to public hunting

    • About 13% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 54 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. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. 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.

    Habitat and cover

    Across the unit

  • Sagebrush52%
  • Other cover35%
  • Grass and meadow8%
  • Riparian6%

    • 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
    January33°F9°F2.1 in
    February38°F13°F2.7 in
    March50°F23°F0.8 in
    April58°F31°F0.6 in
    May68°F40°F0 in
    June79°F48°F0 in
    July88°F55°F0 in
    August86°F53°F0 in
    September75°F44°F0 in
    October60°F32°F0.8 in
    November45°F20°F1.3 in
    December33°F10°F2.8 in

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

    Common questions

    Can a hunter draw a licence for hunt area 97 without preference points?
    Both residents and nonresidents may draw a licence for this hunt area. Residents draw randomly with no preference-point system for pronghorn. Nonresidents compete in a points-based draw where three quarters of the licences go to the highest-point applicants and a quarter go to a random draw; nonresidents therefore benefit from holding points.
    What walk-in areas are open to pronghorn hunting in hunt area 97?
    Fremont County Walk-In Area 18 and Fremont County Walk-In Area 34 are enrolled for antelope hunting. These areas may be walked during their open periods without a permission slip. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so a hunter should confirm access before the season.
    Does hunting in Boysen State Park require anything beyond a pronghorn licence?
    An entrance fee is required to access Boysen State Park in addition to a valid pronghorn licence for the hunt area. A hunter should budget for this cost when planning a hunt here.
    Where are most pronghorn found in hunt area 97?
    Most antelope in this hunt area concentrate in the northern portion. The southern portion of the hunt area, south of U.S. Highway 26 or Wyoming Highway 134 and east of Eight Mile Road, has lower pronghorn density and is the focus of the area-restricted hunts Types 2 and 7.
    Can a hunter legally cross Wind River Reservation lands to access other hunting ground in hunt area 97?
    No. The Wind River Reservation lies within the hunt area, and state pronghorn licences are not valid there. It is illegal to trespass across Reservation lands to reach other parts of the hunt area.

    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