Wyoming Elk 117-7
Cow or calf valid off national forest in Hunt Area 117 — South Black Hills, any legal weapon, Aug 15 – Jan 31, 2024. 23% public land, mostly Forest Service. Type 7.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
No longer drawn. The last draw was 2023.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department held its 2026 elk draw without 117-7. The odds, costs and history below are that record, not an offer.
Your odds · 2023 draw
117 tags for 253 first-choice applicants
Every applicant has the same chance each year: in 2023, 117 tags went to 253 first-choice applicants.
Points: none, same chance every year
- NR Tags
- 117
- Applicants
- 253
- Success
- 47%
First-choice nonresidents. Success: all hunters in Hunt Area 117, 2025.
Odds by Year, 2021–2023
Odds (tags ÷ applicants) ran from 46% to 47% across 2021–2023. Applicants per tag: 2.2:1 in 2021, 2.2:1 in 2023.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
The $15 nonresident big game application fee (per species applied for) is not refunded. Drawing adds the $21.50 conservation stamp (annual; required with any hunting license). The $288 nonresident cow/calf elk license (reduced price) is refunded if you miss.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Nonresident big game application fee (per species applied for) · paid at application $15 WGFD 2026 License Fee List
- Conservation stamp (annual; required with any hunting license) · paid if drawn $21.50 WGFD 2026 License Fee List
- Nonresident cow/calf elk license (reduced price) · paid at application, refundable $288 WGFD 2026 License Fee List
Details
Odds in This Draw · 2023 Draw
| Who | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone | 46% | — | — |
Tags ÷ applicants. A dash means Wyoming Game and Fish Department did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, 117-7 drew no one in 2023, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 3, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Hunt Area 117 | 1,417 | 664 | 47% |
Across every license type in Hunt Area 117, Wyoming Game and Fish Department counted 1,417 hunters and 664 elk taken in 2025, and 47% of them took an elk. Wyoming's figures are estimates from a voluntary post-season survey of license holders, extrapolated to every license issued — not a count of animals checked in. Source: WGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Report; WGFD 2024 Elk Harvest Report.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 3 draws
The reduced price draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 117 | 253 | 2.2 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2022 | 77 | 163 | 2.1 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2021 | 79 | 172 | 2.2 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 3 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 117
- 117-1 Any elk Oct 15 – Nov 30 · Regular · 35 tags · 248 applied 4%
- 117-2 Antlered elk five (5) points or less on either antler or antlerless elk Oct 15 – Jan 31 · Regular · 24 tags · 70 applied 12%
- 117-3 Spike or antlerless elk Oct 15 – Jan 31 · Regular · 52 tags · 18 applied 100%
- 117-4 Antlerless elk Oct 15 – Jan 31 · Regular · 14 tags · 6 applied 100%
- 117-6 Cow or calf Oct 15 – Jan 31 · 22 tags · 111 applied 20%
- 117-8 Cow or calf valid on private landPrivate land only — you need landowner access Aug 1 – Jan 31 · 1,597 tags · 40 applied 100%
Odds for a first-choice nonresident. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 21 on file for Wyoming elk
21 cartridges on file are legal for elk with a rifle in Wyoming (this license takes any legal weapon). Rules and sources: Wyoming hunting laws.
▸ Sources 13
- WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 3 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 3 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 3 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- WGFD 2026 Game and Fish Commission Chapter 44 draw rules, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2026 License Fee List fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2023 Chapter 7, p. 22 · seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2024 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2023 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2022 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2021 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2026 Elk Hunt Areas boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office 2026 BLM WY Surface Management Agency land ownership, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- wy_blm_sma_2026 map shading
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2023 draw, the latest on file, computed from Wyoming Game and Fish Department's published results (tags ÷ applicants). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
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We don't take applications: check Wyoming Game and Fish Department's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Wyoming Game and Fish Department's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Wyoming elk hunts