Wyoming Elk 40-6
Cow or calf valid off national forest in Hunt Area 40 — Horse Creek, any legal weapon, Sep 1 – Nov 4, 2026, Nov 5–30, 2026. 83% public land, mostly BLM. Type 6.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
Your odds · 2026 draw
20 tags for 55 first-choice applicants
Every applicant has the same chance each year: in 2026, 20 tags went to 55 first-choice applicants.
Points: none, same chance every year
- NR Tags
- 20
- Applicants
- 55
- Success
- 20%
First-choice nonresidents, reduced price draw. Success: Type 6 hunters, 2025.
Odds by Year, 2021–2026
Odds (tags ÷ applicants) ran from 18% to 46% across 2021–2026. Applicants per tag: 5.6:1 in 2021, 2.8:1 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 | 36% | — | — |
Tags ÷ applicants. A dash means Wyoming Game and Fish Department did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, 40-6 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
- Sep 1 – Nov 4, 2026 Cow or calf valid off national forest Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 7
- Nov 5–30, 2026 Cow or calf valid in the entire area Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 7
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 6 | 108 | 22 | 20% |
| All of Hunt Area 40 | 441 | 131 | 30% |
Across every license type in Hunt Area 40, Wyoming Game and Fish Department counted 441 hunters and 131 elk taken in 2025, and 30% 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 | 20 | 55 | 2.8 | WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2025 | 19 | 57 | 3 | WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2024 | 19 | 56 | 2.9 | WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2023 | 16 | 45 | 2.8 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2022 | 16 | 35 | 2.2 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2021 | 16 | 89 | 5.6 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 1 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 40
- 40-1 Any elk Oct 15 – Nov 4 · Regular · 14 tags · 142 applied 2%
- 40-4 Antlerless elk Oct 15 – Nov 30 · Regular · 20 tags · 14 applied 100%
- 40-5 Antlerless elk Oct 1–10 · Regular · 18 tags · 1 applied 100%
- 40-9 Any elk, archery only Sep 1–30 · Regular · 7 tags · 40 applied 3%
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. 7 · 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.
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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 · All Wyoming elk hunts