Wyoming Elk 56-5
Antlerless elk valid off national forest in Hunt Area 56 — Wapiti Ridge, any legal weapon, Oct 1 – Dec 21, 2021. 94% public land, mostly Forest Service. Type 5.
No longer drawn. The last draw was 2021.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department held its 2026 elk draw without 56-5. The odds, costs and history below are that record, not an offer.
Your odds at 0 points · 2021 draw
6 first-choice applicants for 8 tags
6 first-choice applicants for 8 tags in 2021, so every first-choice applicant drew and 2 tags went to the leftover draw. The 100% reflects low demand that year, and a code like this can flip the year demand catches up.
Years to draw on points: —
- NR Tags
- 8
- Applicants
- 6
- Success
- 32%
First-choice nonresidents, regular draw. Success: all hunters in Hunt Area 56, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw
One draw on file (2021), so there is no trend to chart yet.
Insufficient history (1 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years.
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 $692 nonresident elk license (regular), includes fishing privileges is refunded if you miss. A nonresident elk preference point is $52, bought separately. Wyoming prices a license by its type number, not by the animal it takes: Type 5 is a full-price license, while the reduced-price licenses (Types 6, 7 and 8) take the same antlerless animal for $288, in a drawing of their own.
▸ 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 · 2021 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 ← you | 100% the cut | 6 | 6 |
| 1–10 | 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.
Draw results: WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 13, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
As a Lower Choice
Tags left after higher choices ÷ applicants at this choice: 2 tags left after higher choices. Points do not help a lower choice.
Seasons, 2021
- Sep 1–30, 2021 Archery only. Needs a $72 archery license on top. Special archery season (archery license required): Antlerless elk valid off national forest Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2021 Chapter 7, p. 9
- Oct 1 – Dec 21, 2021 Antlerless elk valid off national forest Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2021 Chapter 7, p. 9
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Hunt Area 56 | 661 | 212 | 32% |
Across every license type in Hunt Area 56, Wyoming Game and Fish Department counted 661 hunters and 212 elk taken in 2025, and 32% 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 1 draw
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 | 6 | 0.8 | 0 | 2 tags of 4 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 13 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 56
- 56-1 Any elk Nov 5–30 · 1 tag · cut 20 0% (small sample)
- 56-6 Cow or calf Oct 1 – Dec 21 · Reduced price · 31 tags · 46 applied 67%
- 56-7 Cow or calf Sep 1–30 · Reduced price · 30 tags · 11 applied 100%
- 56-9 Any elk, archery only Sep 1–30 · 3 tags · cut 2 0% (small sample)
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 11
- WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 13 · draw results, 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 2021 Chapter 7, p. 9 · seasons, retrieved Sep 1, 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 2021 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.
Report an error on this page
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