Wyoming Elk 16-2
Any elk in Hunt Area 16 — Shirley Mountain, any legal weapon, Nov 1–30, 2026, Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027. 55% public land, mostly BLM. Type 2.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
about 1 in 140, from the random pass
You're 18 points below the 2026 cut of 18, which has risen from 13 to 18 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: 30+ yrs
- NR Tags
- 12
- Applicants
- 430
- Success
- 69%
First-choice nonresidents, regular draw. Success: Type 2 hunters, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 13 to 18 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 6.5:1 in 2021, 36:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 16 → 15 → 17 → 18 → 18 points (2022–2026), +0.5 points/yr (range +0.0 to +2.0). Years to draw project that pace (the median of the last five draws, capped at 2 points/yr); the agency sets quotas and demand sets the cut.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes Feb 1 · 106 daysThe $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 $692 nonresident elk license (regular), includes fishing privileges is refunded if you miss. A nonresident elk preference point is $52, bought separately.
- Opens
- Jan 2, 2027
- Closes
- Feb 1, 2027
- Results
- about May 20
- Point Only
- $52, Jul 1 – Nov 1
Next application window: Open Jan 2 – Feb 1, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until Wyoming Game and Fish Department publishes 2027.
▸ 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 elk license (regular), includes fishing privileges · paid at application, refundable $692 WGFD 2026 License Fee List
- Nonresident elk preference point · bought separately, not counted above — an unsuccessful applicant gets no point without it $52 WGFD 2026 Game and Fish Commission Chapter 44
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–17 ← you | <1% random pass only counted in one band: 17 points or fewer | 419 | 0 |
| 18 | 50% the cut | 4 | 2 |
| 19 | 100% | 5 | 5 |
| 20–21 | 100% same at every level | — | — |
Points pass + random pass, from published pools. A dash means Wyoming Game and Fish Department did not publish a count for that level: it prints exact counts around the cut and folds the rest into a band. Wyoming runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, 16-2 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 3, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
Seasons, 2026
- Sep 1–30, 2026 Archery only. Needs a $72 archery license on top. Special archery season (archery license required): Any elk Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3
- Nov 1–30, 2026 Any elk Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3
- Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 Antlerless elk Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 2 | 102 | 70 | 69% |
| All of Hunt Area 16 | 990 | 562 | 57% |
Across every license type in Hunt Area 16, Wyoming Game and Fish Department counted 990 hunters and 562 elk taken in 2025, and 57% of them took an elk. The first rows are hunters holding this license type; the rest of the area's hunters held something else. 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 6 draws
The regular draw for nonresidents, one row per year. Wyoming runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Random Pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 430 | 35.8 | 18 | 3 tags of 522 | WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2025 | 9 | 459 | 51 | 18 | 2 tags of 538 | WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 191 | 27.3 | 17 | 1 tag of 269 | WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2023 | 7 | 139 | 19.9 | 15 | 1 tag of 226 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 266 | 66.5 | 16 | 1 tag of 342 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 3 |
| 2021 | 6 | 39 | 6.5 | 13 | 1 tag of 103 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 3 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 16
- 16-1 Any elk Oct 1–31 · 14 tags · cut 18 <1%
- 16-4 Antlerless elk valid on private landPrivate land only — you need landowner access Aug 15 – Sep 30 · 40 tags · cut 0 60%
- 16-6 Cow or calf valid on private landPrivate land only — you need landowner access Aug 15 – Sep 30 · Reduced price · 48 tags · 212 applied 23%
- 16-7 Cow or calf Dec 1 – Jan 31 · Reduced price · 32 tags · 70 applied 46%
Odds at your points, nonresident, regular class where offered. * 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 16
- WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 3 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 3 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 3 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 3 · earlier draws, 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, fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2026 License Fee List fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3 · 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 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Wyoming Game and Fish Department's published results (points pass + random pass, from published pools). 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