Wyoming Elk — Hunt Area 78

Wilson

Wyoming Hunt Area 78 covers 45,416 acres and lies 6 miles north-west of Jackson and 28 miles north of Alpine. 38% of it is public land, mostly national forest (32%) and state land (3%). In 2025, 233 people hunted elk here and took 106 — 46% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 28 nonresident tags here for 19 first-choice applicants.

Nonresident tags (2026):89 Applicants:55 Hunter success (2025):46% Public land:38% Size:45,416 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Hunt Area 78, 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

78-1 Any elk valid off national forest 6 tags · 22 applicants · needed 3 pts · Regular

6% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
78-1 Any elk valid off national forest 4 tags · 4 applicants · needed 0 pts · Special

100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
78-1 Any elk valid off national forest 9 tags · 0 applicants · Landowner

100% No first-choice applicants
78-2 Any elk valid on private land 5 tags · 9 applicants · needed 4 pts · Regular

25% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
78-2 Any elk valid on private land 3 tags · 1 applicants · needed 0 pts · Special

100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
78-2 Any elk valid on private land 6 tags · 0 applicants · Landowner

100% No first-choice applicants
78-6 Cow or calf valid off national forest 28 tags · 19 applicants · Reduced price

100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
78-6 Cow or calf valid off national forest 28 tags · 0 applicants · Landowner reduced price

100% No first-choice applicants

Hunt	Your odds (0 pts)	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	License	Season
78-1 ↗ Any elk valid off national forest	6% Point builder	0%	3 −6 since 2021	6 / 22	Regular	Aug 15 – Sep 25, 2026
78-1 ↗ Any elk valid off national forest	100% Undersubscribed	33%	0 −8 since 2021	4 / 4 undersubscribed	Special	Aug 15 – Sep 25, 2026
78-1 ↗ Any elk valid off national forest	100% No first-choice applicants	—	—	9 / 0	Landowner	Aug 15 – Sep 25, 2026
78-2 ↗ Any elk valid on private land	25% Long shot	0%	4 +3 since 2021	5 / 9	Regular	Aug 15 – Oct 31, 2026
78-2 ↗ Any elk valid on private land	100% Undersubscribed	100%	0 −3 since 2021	3 / 1 undersubscribed	Special	Aug 15 – Oct 31, 2026
78-2 ↗ Any elk valid on private land	100% No first-choice applicants	—	—	6 / 0	Landowner	Aug 15 – Oct 31, 2026
78-6 ↗ Cow or calf valid off national forest	100% Undersubscribed	100%	—	28 / 19 undersubscribed	Reduced price	Aug 15 – Sep 25, 2026
78-6 ↗ Cow or calf valid off national forest	100% No first-choice applicants	—	—	28 / 0	Landowner reduced price	Aug 15 – Sep 25, 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

Hunt Area 78 within Wyoming

Hunt Area 78 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

Private 27,938 ac · 62%
National Forest 14,686 ac · 32%
State land 1,204 ac · 3%
Other public 645 ac · 1%
BLM 512 ac · 1%
National Wildlife Refuge 218 ac · 0%
County or city land 133 ac · 0%
National Park Service 78 ac · 0%

Source: BLM WY Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)

Nearby areas

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.