Understanding Wyoming's Big Game Drawing

Wyoming has by far the most confusing application rules when it comes to big game hunting.  License allotments add to the confusion as do the incredible number of pricing structures for big game licenses. My goal here is to make some sense of it all. For simplicity sake I’m going to focus on the big game drawings for limited quota elk, deer and antelope. If you’re interested in one of the other trophy species, drop me a line and we’ll get you squared away.

The first thing to understand about Wyoming is they operate on a hybrid preference point system for deer, elk and antelope. The preference point system is set up so that 75% of licenses are awarded to those with the most points and the remaining 25% are put into a random drawing pool. In addition, Wyoming puts 40% of their total non-resident license quota into a “special” drawing. In the special drawing (as you will see in the table below) the license fees are nearly twice that of the regular draw. In most cases the draw odds for the “special” licenses are better than the regular draw licenses.

Preference points are only accumulated by paying a preference point fee at the time you submit your application or, if you choose not to apply for a license, you can buy a preference point at a later date. All accumulated preference points are lost if a person fails to apply for a license (or buy points) for two consecutive years

Preference points for deer, elk and antelope are only available to hunters who apply for full-price licenses (see table below). This is where the confusion begins. For elk there are essentially two types of licenses you will likely apply for, Elk and Fishing for $591 or Special Elk and Fishing for $1,071. The license fee includes the $14 application fee but does not include the $50 preference point fee for elk. So, if you’re going to apply for full-price elk in Wyoming, and want a preference point, you will pay $641 ($577 license, $14 app. fee, $50 pref. point fee) for the regular license or $1,121 ($1,057 license, $14 app. fee, $50 pref. point fee) for the special license at the time of application. If you fail to draw a license you will be refunded only the license fee. Preference points are not available for reduced-price cow/calf licenses.

The license allotments for deer and antelope are the same as with elk and preference points are accumulated in the same manner. The application deadline for elk is January 31, 2011. Deadlines to apply for antelope and deer are March 15, 2011. Preference points for all three species can be purchased between July 31 and September 30, 2011. The preference point fees are $50 for elk, $40 for deer and $30 for antelope. The following two table show prices for deer and antelope licenses.

There are ample opportunities to hunt in Wyoming and in some units there are licenses left over after the drawings. These licenses are available on a first come, first served basis. Left-over Full price elk, deer and antelope licenses will go on sale July 6, 2011 at 8:00 am Mountain Time.

One final note for non-resident hunters in Wyoming. Wilderness areas are off limits for non-resident hunters without a guide. If you have questions about which areas are designated wilderness, give us a call!

Understanding Wyoming's Big Game Drawing