Wyoming Elk — Hunt Area 49
Otter Creek
Wyoming Hunt Area 49 covers 792,270 acres and lies 24 miles south-east of Worland and 36 miles north-east of Thermopolis. 69% of it is public land, mostly BLM (61%) and state land (8%). In 2025, 824 people hunted elk here and took 400 — 49% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 80 nonresident tags here for 24 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Hunt Area 49, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
6% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
-
8% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 80% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% Undersubscribed 67% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49-1 ↗ Any elk | 6% Point builder | 0% | 10 +1 since 2021 | 16 / 103 | Regular | Oct 9–31, 2026 |
| 49-1 ↗ Any elk | 8% Point builder | 0% | 7 −1 since 2021 | 12 / 49 | Special | Oct 9–31, 2026 |
| 49-1 ↗ Any elk | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 0 steady since 2024 | 42 / 20 undersubscribed | Landowner | Oct 9–31, 2026 |
| 49-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% Undersubscribed | 80% | 0 steady since 2023 | 12 / 4 undersubscribed | Regular | Sep 1 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 49-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 6 / 0 | Special | Sep 1 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 49-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 12 / 0 | Landowner | Sep 1 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 49-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% Undersubscribed | 67% | — | 47 / 41 undersubscribed | Reduced price | Oct 9–31, 2026 |
| 49-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 48 / 1 undersubscribed | Landowner reduced price | Oct 9–31, 2026 |
| 49-7 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 80 / 24 undersubscribed | Reduced price | Nov 7 – Dec 21, 2026 |
| 49-7 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 80 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Nov 7 – Dec 21, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Wyoming lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular license | $707 | $15 | $728.50 |
| Special license | $1,965 | $15 | $1,986.50 |
| Reduced price license | $303 | $15 | $324.50 |
| Landowner license | $15 | $15 | $36.50 |
| Landowner reduced price license | $15 | $15 | $36.50 |
Application window: opens Jan 2, closes Feb 2, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 482,416 ac · 61%
- Private 244,758 ac · 31%
- State land 61,969 ac · 8%
- Bureau of Reclamation 1,548 ac · 0%
- County or city land 1,095 ac · 0%
- Other public 410 ac · 0%
- National Forest 72 ac · 0%
Source: BLM WY Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)
How the hunting has gone
What Wyoming Game and Fish Department publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. 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.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 824 | 400 | 49% | 17.8 |
| 2024 | 1,020 | 373 | 37% | 20.6 |
| 2023 | 843 | 366 | 43% | 19.7 |
| 2022 | 967 | 324 | 34% | 22.3 |
| 2021 | 995 | 355 | 36% | 18.3 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 27 · 7%
- Firearm 373 · 93%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 247 taken · 467 hunters
- Nonresident 153 taken · 357 hunters
Boundary: Elk Hunt Areas (Wyoming Game and Fish Department)
Harvest: Elk 2025 Harvest Report
Harvest: Elk 2024 Harvest Report
Harvest: Elk 2023 Harvest Report