For those wishing to hunt Wyoming there are six species of big game in which you may apply that we cover at Toprut. Those species include elk, mule deer, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat. Known for it's thriving population of antelope, Wyoming alsoprovides a wide range of quality elk and mule deer opportunities for the nonresident hunter. The trophy moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat are available in Wyoming as well but nearly all of the hunting opportunites for these species take 15+ years to draw.

To be eligible to apply for the first time in Wyoming, each applicant must first go online and enter their personal information. At this time, the applicant will be issued a Sportsmans ID number that will be theirs going forward to apply for permits, as well as, to access their information online. After receiving a Sportsmans ID, applicants can still use their personal information to apply, but using ones Sportsmans ID makes it unnecessary to keep entering your personal information online.

A hunter education certificate is required for all hunters born on or after January 1, 1966.

The minimum age to take big game in Wyoming is 12 years old. Applicants may be 11 years old when they apply for a hunt, but must turn 12 years old before they can hunt.

Wyoming has several different application periods. For 2020, they are as follows:

Wyoming only accepts online applications and all application periods end at midnight MT on the deadline date. Visa, MasterCard or Discover must pay tag fees, non-refundable $15 application fee and 2.5% processing fee in full when the application is submitted.

When applying as a party, the party is considered as a single application. In regards to points, Wyoming takes the average of the group’s points and round them to the fifth decimal. People must be aware that applying with applicants with fewer points than you significantly reduces the odds of drawing in some units. Wyoming will issue tags past the quota. What this means is, if only one tag remains and your group is drawn, they will issue the whole group tags. Up to six people may apply in a party for elk, deer and antelope. Party applications are not accepted for trophy species.

Wyoming changed things up quite a bit for 2020. For elk, deer and antelope they are not publishing season information or tag numbers for this fall until May. For deadlines that take place before that, applicants are to reference the 2019 regulations. They will publish the final season information on May 1, with time for applicants to make changes to their applications if they so wish. Tentative season dates for 2020 are available on the Hunter Planner portion or Trophy species.

Non-resident tag quotas vary by species. For elk, 84% of the tags go to residents and 16% go to non-residents. For sheep and goat, 75% go to residents and 25% go to non-residents. For deer and antelope, approximately 20% of the permits go to non-residents, with the remainder going to resident applicants.

Wyoming also has a unique “regular” and “special” drawing for species like deer, elk and antelope. 60% of the tags are issued in the regular drawing and 40% are issued in the special drawing. The special drawing cost considerably more money, but typically, you will draw your tag sooner if you are willing to make the investment. For example in 2020, the regular elk price is $692, while the special is $1268.

Wyoming also has hunts and issues tags for different hunt “types”. When applying, applicants need to be aware of these to make sure they are applying for the correct hunt they want within their desired unit. Types are as follows:

In the draw, you may put down a second choice hunt, but applicant’s second choices are not considered until every applicant’s first choice has been considered. Drawing a second choice does not use the applicant’s preference points and they are eligible to purchase another point that year.

There is another drawing that takes place in the summer after all the initial drawing. These hunts do not take into consideration preference points or residency. Each applicant has the same odds as everyone else. You also do not lose your points if you draw a permit in the leftover draw. Typically, there are quite a few tags in the second drawing, but they are often times wilderness hunts or areas with a lot of private land.

For residents, a preference point system is in place for moose and bighorn sheep only.

There are no preference points for Mountain Goat in Wyoming.

Wyoming has a preference point system for non-resident applicants. 75% of available licenses in each hunt area and license type are given to the preference point drawing. Applicants are ranked in pools by the number of preference points they have. Applicants with the highest percentage point ranking will receive priority in the preference point drawing. In this system an applicant will not draw in the preference point drawing unless there are tags left over after everyone with more points than them have drawn.

The remaining 25% of the tags go into a completely random drawing. The random drawing does not take into account preference points.

If a person fails to either apply or purchase a preference point for two consecutive years all accumulated points will be lost.

You may purchase preference points in Wyoming if you were not successful drawing your 1st choice in the draw, or if you did not actually apply for a tag. The points only window to purchase preference points is typically July 1-Oct 31.

Wyoming does not have seperate youth only seasons, but they do offer discounted tag fees and bonus points for youth deer, elk and antelope.

There are no waiting periods for elk, deer and antelope tags. For Sheep and moose there is a 5-year wait period after you draw a tag before you can apply again or start building points. Mountain goats are a once in a lifetime draw.

Wyoming has a unique law in place where they cannot hunt in a designated wilderness without a professional guide or a Wyoming resident. There are plenty of areas without wilderness, but you should be aware of this regulation when applying for tags.

All non-resident tags are issued through the drawing in Wyoming. In some areas, there is an opportunity to purchase left over tags after the drawing. Be aware that many of these areas have a high percentage of private land.

Unsuccessful applicants will not receive a refund check. Instead, credit will be applied back to the credit card used to apply.

Generally, tags cannot be returned, but there are rare circumstances where a refund or a rain check may be issued. The only time this happens is due to a serious illness, death in the family or a military deployment. All of these will be considered on a case-by-case basis and they are not guaranteed.

As far as elk hunting goes, Wyoming has something for everyone. There are general elk tags that take a point or two and top tier draw tags that take max points to draw.

Terrain varies as much as the time it takes to draw different tags. There is rugged high country and flat sagebrush country and everything in between.

Wyoming produces some giant bulls annually with most coming from max point units. However, one never can tell where the next big bull will be harvested.

Most hunts take place in September, October and November. With most tags, those wishing to bowhunt can purchase the archery permit and hunt September during the rut before their rifle hunts open.

Those who draw a general elk tag have a long list of general elk units that they can hunt.

Wyoming has always been a top mule deer hunting destination. Although it does not generally produce the giant bucks that states like Colorado are known for, there have been many trophy bucks taken in the Cowboy state.

The state is broken up into regions for General hunting and then there are many unit specific draw tags. Some of these draw tags can be good hunts, but most will argue that most of the best mule deer hunting takes place in the General hunts like Region G and H in the western part of the state.

Hunts typically take place in the months of September, October and November. Those wishing to bowhunt can purchase an archery permit and hunt bucks in early September before the rifle hunts.

Wyoming is the antelope-hunting mecca! There are dozens of great antelope hunting units and nearly all of them provide great hunting with success rates typically close to 90%.

Units that take little or no points typically have more private land, and limited access is the reason for easier draw odds. For the self-guided hunter, there are plenty of units that only take a few points to draw.

Top units that are known for producing bigger bucks on a regular basis can take 10+ points to draw. Most units have the potential to produce some nice bucks and a giant buck can pop up in any unit, you will just have to sort through many antelope to find that next level of bucks.

Most seasons take place in September and October. In most areas, those who draw a permit can then purchase an archery permit and bowhunt in August if they desire.

Although there are not near the numbers of moose or moose tags that there used to be, there are still plenty of moose and moose tags in the state of Wyoming. There are still some great bulls harvested every year in top units.

We must heavily caution applicants though, if you do not have close to 20 or more preference points, your odds of drawing are slim. Even in the worst units, it will take having points in the high teens to have a chance to draw in the preference point draw.

There are a few random tags every year, but as expected, the odds of drawing one are very low.

The moose seasons take place in the months of September, October and November.

Wyoming offers a good amount of tags in many units to non-residents, but if you are not sitting on close to 20 points, your odds of drawing a tag are minimal. There are a few tags issued each year in the random drawing, but the odds of drawing one are very long.

As far as quality there are always a few 180” caliber rams harvested most years, but a nice 150-170” ram is a more reasonable goal in most units.

The majority of the sheep seasons take place in September and October, but there are a few units with August openers.

Unlike other species in Wyoming, there is no point system in place for mountain goats. Even though the odds are still long, it is worth applying for+ if a mountain goat is on your bucket list. With 25% of the mountain goat tags going to non-residents, there are several tags drawn by lucky non-residents each year.

Hunts take place in September and October and those that hold tags can bowhunt in late August if they purchase an archery permit.