Elk · Area 56 · Type 7
Showing:
Purple hatch = WGFD limitation-area polygon (where this hunt is valid) — “Valid 56-7 (Jan.)”. Black outline = this hunt area; thin gray = neighbouring hunt areas.
Hunt-area boundaries: WGFD ElkHuntAreas 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 on some dates WGFD limitation (exact text):
“Cow or calf valid off national forest”
“Cow or calf valid off national forest south of the North Fork of the Shoshone River”
Season dates (2026)
| Special archery dates | Regular season dates | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 1 – Sep. 30 | — | Cow or calf |
| — | Sep. 1 – Dec. 21 | Cow or calf valid off national forest |
| — | Jan. 1 – Jan. 15 | Cow or calf valid off national forest south of the North Fork of the Shoshone River |
Commission quota: 200 (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. 8, 9. Last checked 2026-11-03.
Draw odds (2026, first choice)
- Nonresident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 30 licenses for 11 first-choice applicants — roughly 100% estimate.
- Resident regular · cow/calf (antlerless): 180 licenses for 39 first-choice applicants — roughly 100% estimate.
- Nonresident landowner · cow/calf (antlerless): 32 licenses for 2 first-choice applicants — roughly 100% estimate.
Applicants & licenses (2026)
| Pool | Licenses | 1st choice | 2nd | 3rd | Ratio estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nonresident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 30 | 11 | 18 | 0 | 100.0% | WGFD PDF |
| resident · regular · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 180 | 39 | 35 | 0 | 100.0% | WGFD PDF |
| nonresident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | WGFD PDF |
| resident · landowner · all · Cow/calf (antlerless) | 180 | 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 (2 yrs; need 3)
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2024) → 1 (2025) → 2 (2026); licenses: 24 (2024) → 32 (2025) → 32 (2026)
Nonresident · regular · cow/calf
- → Odds: 100% (2022) → … → 100% (2025) → 100% (2026), 5 yrs · 2027: likely about 100%
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2021) → 3 (2022) → 13 (2023) → 4 (2024) → 5 (2025) → 11 (2026); licenses: 8 (2021) → 16 (2022) → 16 (2023) → 24 (2024) → 31 (2025) → 30 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 31 → 30 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.
Resident · landowner · cow/calf
- Odds: not enough history (1 yr; need 3)
- 1st-choice applicants: 0 (2024) → 1 (2025) → 0 (2026); licenses: 140 (2024) → 173 (2025) → 180 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 173 → 180 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.
Resident · regular · cow/calf
- → Odds: 100% (2021) → … → 100% (2025) → 100% (2026), 6 yrs · 2027: likely about 100%
- 1st-choice applicants: 16 (2021) → 28 (2022) → 37 (2023) → 23 (2024) → 44 (2025) → 39 (2026); licenses: 50 (2021) → 86 (2022) → 83 (2023) → 140 (2024) → 172 (2025) → 180 (2026)
- ⚠ Quota changed 172 → 180 from 2025 to 2026 — a quota change can break the trend.