Elk · Area 12 · Type 6
Showing:
Black outline = this hunt area; thin gray = neighbouring hunt areas.
Hunt-area boundaries: WGFD ElkHuntAreas GIS layer. Basemap © OpenFreeMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. GIS overview only; the WGFD regulation text governs.
Season dates (2026)
| Special archery dates | Regular season dates | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 1 – Sep. 30 | Oct. 1 – Dec. 31 | Cow or calf |
Commission quota: 300 (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. 7, Elk Hunting Seasons (2026), PDF p. 2. Last checked 2026-11-03.
Draw odds (2026, first choice)
- Nonresident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 48 licenses for 191 first-choice applicants — roughly 25% estimate.
- Resident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 252 licenses for 298 first-choice applicants — roughly 85% estimate.
Applicants & licenses (2026)
| Pool | Licenses | 1st choice | 2nd | 3rd | Ratio estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nonresident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 48 | 191 | 59 | 0 | 25.1% | WGFD PDF |
| resident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 252 | 298 | 97 | 0 | 84.6% | WGFD PDF |
| nonresident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | WGFD PDF |
| resident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 252 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | WGFD PDF |
Draw odds PDFs: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33772/download?inline · https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33773/download?inline · https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33891/download?inline · https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33892/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 · landowner · cow/calf
- Odds: not enough history (0 yrs; need 3)
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2024) → 0 (2025) → 0 (2026); licenses: 48 (2024) → 48 (2025) → 48 (2026)
Nonresident · regular · cow/calf
- → Odds: 26% (2021) → … → 32% (2025) → 25% (2026), 6 yrs · 2027: likely about 25%
- 1st-choice applicants: 120 (2021) → 96 (2022) → 134 (2023) → 147 (2024) → 152 (2025) → 191 (2026); licenses: 31 (2021) → 31 (2022) → 47 (2023) → 48 (2024) → 48 (2025) → 48 (2026)
Resident · landowner · cow/calf
- Odds: not enough history (0 yrs; need 3)
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2024) → 0 (2025) → 0 (2026); licenses: 252 (2024) → 252 (2025) → 252 (2026)
Resident · regular · cow/calf
- ↑ Odds: 76% (2021) → … → 89% (2025) → 85% (2026), 6 yrs · 2027: likely 85–96%
- 1st-choice applicants: 220 (2021) → 229 (2022) → 259 (2023) → 237 (2024) → 284 (2025) → 298 (2026); licenses: 167 (2021) → 168 (2022) → 251 (2023) → 252 (2024) → 252 (2025) → 252 (2026)