Wyoming Elk 16-6
Cow or calf valid on private land in Hunt Area 16 — Shirley Mountain, any legal weapon, Aug 15 – Sep 30, 2026, Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026. 55% public land, mostly BLM. Type 6.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
Your odds · 2026 draw
48 tags for 212 first-choice applicants
Every applicant has the same chance each year: in 2026, 48 tags went to 212 first-choice applicants.
Points: none, same chance every year
- NR Tags
- 48
- Applicants
- 212
- Success
- 35%
First-choice nonresidents, reduced price draw. Success: Type 6 hunters, 2025.
Odds by Year, 2021–2026
Odds (tags ÷ applicants) ran from 19% to 29% across 2021–2026. Applicants per tag: 4.4:1 in 2021, 4.4:1 in 2026.
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 $288 nonresident cow/calf elk license (reduced price) is refunded if you miss.
- Opens
- Jan 2, 2027
- Closes
- Feb 1, 2027
- Results
- about May 20
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 cow/calf elk license (reduced price) · paid at application, refundable $288 WGFD 2026 License Fee List
Details
Odds in This Draw · 2026 Draw
| Who | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone | 23% | — | — |
Tags ÷ applicants. A dash means Wyoming Game and Fish Department did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, 16-6 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 1, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
Seasons, 2026
- Aug 15 – Sep 30, 2026 Cow or calf valid on private land; also valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3
- Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 Cow or calf valid in the entire area Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 3
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 6 | 263 | 92 | 35% |
| 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 reduced price draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48 | 212 | 4.4 | WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2025 | 47 | 246 | 5.2 | WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2024 | 48 | 165 | 3.4 | WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2023 | 48 | 168 | 3.5 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2022 | 47 | 250 | 5.3 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2021 | 47 | 208 | 4.4 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 1 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 16
- 16-1 Any elk Oct 1–31 · Regular · 14 tags · 602 applied <1%
- 16-2 Any elk Nov 1–30 · Regular · 12 tags · 430 applied <1%
- 16-4 Antlerless elk valid on private landPrivate land only — you need landowner access Aug 15 – Sep 30 · Regular · 40 tags · 56 applied 60%
- 16-7 Cow or calf Dec 1 – Jan 31 · 32 tags · 70 applied 46%
Odds for a first-choice nonresident, reduced price 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. 1 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 1 · 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 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 (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