Wyoming Elk 56-9
Any elk, archery only in Hunt Area 56 — Wapiti Ridge, archery only, Sep 1–30, 2026. 94% public land, mostly Forest Service. Type 9.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
no one below 2 points drew in 2026
You're 2 points below the 2026 cut of 2, which has risen from 0 to 3 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: 3 yrs (at least 3)
- NR Tags
- 3
- Applicants
- 10
- Success
- 32%
First-choice nonresidents, regular draw. Success: Type 9 hunters, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 0 to 3 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 2:1 in 2021, 3.3:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 4 → 1 → 4 → 4 → 2 points (2022–2026), +0.0 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 · 105 daysThe $15 nonresident big game application fee (per species applied for) is not refunded. Drawing adds the $72 nonresident archery license (required to hunt archery-only seasons/types). 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
- Nonresident archery license (required to hunt archery-only seasons/types) · paid if drawn $72 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 ← you | 0% (small sample) same at every level counted in one band: 2 points or fewer | 3 | 3 |
| 3–10 | 100% (small sample) 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, 56-9 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 16, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 9 | 25 | 8 | 32% |
| 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. 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 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 2 | 0 tags of 21 | WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 16 |
| 2025 | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 4 | 0 tags of 28 | WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 17 |
| 2024 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 0 tags of 51 | WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 15 |
| 2023 | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | 1 | 1 tag of 17 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 14 |
| 2022 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 4 | 0 tags of 53 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 13 |
| 2021 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 tag of 20 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 13 |
Tags left over after the main draws: 2026: 20 tags.
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 56
- 56-1 Any elk Nov 5–30 · 1 tag · cut 20 0% (small sample)
- 56-5 Antlerless elk valid off national forest Oct 1 – Dec 21 · 8 tags · cut 0 100%
- 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%
Odds at your points, nonresident, regular class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Sources 16
- WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 16 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 17 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 15 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 14 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 13 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 13 · 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. 9 · 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.
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 · All Wyoming elk hunts