Wyoming Elk — Hunt Area 86
Monument Ridge
Wyoming Hunt Area 86 covers 74,106 acres and lies 25 miles east of Star Valley Ranch. 97% of it is public land, mostly national forest (97%). In 2025, 723 people hunted elk here and took 227 — 31% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 24 nonresident tags here for 77 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Hunt Area 86, 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-
31% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 31% Long shot | 0% | — | 24 / 77 | Reduced price | Sep 26 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 86-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 24 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Sep 26 – Nov 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduced price license | $303 | $15 | $324.50 |
| 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
- National Forest 71,930 ac · 97%
- Private 2,176 ac · 3%
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 | 723 | 227 | 31% | 18.9 |
| 2024 | 718 | 242 | 34% | 20.4 |
| 2023 | 587 | 191 | 33% | 15.5 |
| 2022 | 433 | 133 | 31% | 18.8 |
| 2021 | 439 | 109 | 25% | 22.6 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 33 · 15%
- Firearm 194 · 85%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 93 taken · 425 hunters
- Nonresident 134 taken · 298 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