Elk · Area 16 · 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.
Part of area on some dates WGFD limitation (exact text):
“Cow or calf valid on private land; also valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land”
Season dates (2026)
| Special archery dates | Regular season dates | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| — | Aug. 15 – Sep. 30 | Cow or calf valid on private land; also valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land |
| — | Oct. 1 – Nov. 30 | Cow or calf valid in the entire area |
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. 3. Last checked 2026-11-03.
Draw odds (2026, first choice)
- Nonresident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 48 licenses for 212 first-choice applicants — roughly 23% estimate.
- Resident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 248 licenses for 607 first-choice applicants — roughly 41% estimate.
- Resident landowner · cow/calf (antlerless): 252 licenses for 4 first-choice applicants — roughly 100% estimate.
Applicants & licenses (2026)
| Pool | Licenses | 1st choice | 2nd | 3rd | Ratio estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nonresident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 48 | 212 | 63 | 0 | 22.6% | WGFD PDF |
| resident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 248 | 607 | 155 | 0 | 40.9% | WGFD PDF |
| nonresident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | WGFD PDF |
| resident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 252 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 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 (1 yr; need 3)
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2024) → 1 (2025) → 0 (2026); licenses: 48 (2024) → 48 (2025) → 48 (2026)
Nonresident · regular · cow/calf
- → Odds: 23% (2021) → … → 19% (2025) → 23% (2026), 6 yrs · 2027: likely about 23%
- 1st-choice applicants: 208 (2021) → 250 (2022) → 168 (2023) → 165 (2024) → 246 (2025) → 212 (2026); licenses: 47 (2021) → 47 (2022) → 48 (2023) → 48 (2024) → 47 (2025) → 48 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 47 → 48 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.
Resident · landowner · cow/calf
- → Odds: 100% (2024) → 100% (2025) → 100% (2026), 3 yrs · 2027: likely about 100%
- 1st-choice applicants: 3 (2024) → 4 (2025) → 4 (2026); licenses: 252 (2024) → 252 (2025) → 252 (2026)
Resident · regular · cow/calf
- ↓ Odds: 47% (2021) → … → 39% (2025) → 41% (2026), 6 yrs · 2027: likely 37–41%
- 1st-choice applicants: 528 (2021) → 547 (2022) → 593 (2023) → 636 (2024) → 638 (2025) → 607 (2026); licenses: 248 (2021) → 249 (2022) → 248 (2023) → 249 (2024) → 248 (2025) → 248 (2026)