Wyoming Elk 8-1
Any elk in Hunt Area 8 — Boulder Ridge, any legal weapon, Oct 1 – Jan 31, 2027. 23% public land, mostly BLM. Type 1.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
about 1 in 8, from the random pass
You're 2 points below the 2026 cut of 2, which is back at 2 points, where it was in 2021.
Years to draw on points: 3 yrs (at least 2)
- NR Tags
- 15
- Applicants
- 35
- Success
- 49%
First-choice nonresidents, regular draw. Success: Type 1 hunters, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut is back at 2 points, where it was in 2021. Applicants per tag: 4.6:1 in 2021, 2.3:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 2 → 2 → 1 → 1 → 2 points (2022–2026), +0.2 points/yr (range +0.0 to +1.0). 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 $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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 ← you | 13% random pass only counted in one band: 1 point or fewer | 23 | 0 |
| 2 | 100% the cut | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | 100% | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 100% | 1 | 1 |
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, 8-1 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 1–30, 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. 2
- Oct 1 – Jan 31, 2027 Any elk Wyoming Game and Fish Commission 2026 Chapter 7, p. 2
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | 134 | 66 | 49% |
| All of Hunt Area 8 | 377 | 189 | 50% |
Across every license type in Hunt Area 8, Wyoming Game and Fish Department counted 377 hunters and 189 elk taken in 2025, and 50% 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 | 15 | 35 | 2.3 | 2 | 3 tags of 43 | WGFD 2026 Demand Report, p. 1 |
| 2025 | 15 | 43 | 2.9 | 1 | 3 tags of 46 | WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 2 |
| 2024 | 15 | 35 | 2.3 | 1 | 3 tags of 47 | WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 2 |
| 2023 | 12 | 30 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 tags of 28 | WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 2 |
| 2022 | 13 | 35 | 2.7 | 2 | 3 tags of 41 | WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 2 |
| 2021 | 9 | 41 | 4.6 | 2 | 2 tags of 44 | WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 2 |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunt Area 8
- 8-6 Cow or calf Aug 15 – Jan 31 · Reduced price · 31 tags · 40 applied 78%
- 8-7 Cow or calf valid on private landPrivate land only — you need landowner access Aug 15 – Jan 31 · Reduced price · 31 tags · 2 applied 100%
- 8-8 Cow or calf Aug 1 – Jan 31 · Reduced price · 1,600 tags · 15 applied 100%
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. 1 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2025 Demand Report, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2024 Demand Report, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2023 Demand Report, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2022 Demand Report, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WGFD 2021 Demand Report, p. 2 · 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. 2 · 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