Bighorn Sheep · Area 17 · Type 7
Showing:
Purple hatch = WGFD limitation-area polygon (where this hunt is valid) — “Valid 17-1 (Sep. 1-14), 2 (Sep. 1-14), 7”. Black outline = this hunt area; thin gray = neighbouring hunt areas.
Hunt-area boundaries: WGFD BighornSheepHuntAreas GIS layer. Limitation polygon: WGFD LimitationAreas2026_Final, downloaded 2026-11-03. Basemap © OpenFreeMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. GIS overview only; the WGFD regulation text governs.
Part of area only WGFD limitation (exact text):
“Ewe or lamb valid within the Sand Creek drainage”
Season dates (2026)
| Special archery dates | Regular season dates | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 15 – Aug. 31 | Oct. 1 – Nov. 15 | Ewe or lamb valid within the Sand Creek drainage |
Commission quota: 15 (total licenses for this hunt set in regulation; WGFD’s draw reports split licenses across resident / nonresident / special pools, so per-pool draw numbers on this site will not add up to this total in a simple way). Source: WGFD Commission Regulation Ch. 9, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat Hunting Seasons (2026), PDF p. 2. Last checked 2026-11-03.
Draw odds (2026, first choice)
- Nonresident regular · ewe/lamb: 2 licenses for 33 first-choice applicants — roughly 6% estimate.
- Resident regular · ewe/lamb: 13 licenses for 144 first-choice applicants — roughly 9% estimate.
Applicants & licenses (2026)
| Pool | Licenses | 1st choice | 2nd | 3rd | Ratio estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nonresident · regular · all · Ewe/lamb | 2 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 6.1% | WGFD PDF |
| resident · regular · all · Ewe/lamb | 13 | 144 | 0 | 0 | 9.0% | WGFD PDF |
Draw odds PDFs: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33780/download?inline · https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33781/download?inline
Trend & 2027 outlook
Estimate based on past WGFD draw results, not a WGFD prediction. Straight-line fit through every year with data (needs 3+ years). 2027 quotas are not set yet; quota changes and new regulations can change everything.
Nonresident · regular · ewe/lamb
- → Odds: 6% (2023) → 5% (2024) → 2% (2025) → 6% (2026), 4 yrs · 2027: likely about 6%
- 1st-choice applicants: 18 (2023) → 21 (2024) → 42 (2025) → 33 (2026); licenses: 1 (2023) → 1 (2024) → 1 (2025) → 2 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 1 → 2 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.
Resident · regular · ewe/lamb
- → Odds: 10% (2023) → 5% (2024) → 6% (2025) → 9% (2026), 4 yrs · 2027: likely about 9%
- 1st-choice applicants: 41 (2023) → 113 (2024) → 142 (2025) → 144 (2026); licenses: 4 (2023) → 6 (2024) → 9 (2025) → 13 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 9 → 13 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.