Wyoming Elk — Hunt Area 96
New Fork
Wyoming Hunt Area 96 covers 160,464 acres and lies 13 miles north of Pinedale and 36 miles north of Marbleton. 69% of it is public land, mostly national forest (56%) and state land (5%). In 2025, 647 people hunted elk here and took 155 — 24% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,600 nonresident tags here for 0 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Hunt Area 96, 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-
16% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% No first-choice applicants 60% 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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62% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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96-8 Cow or calf valid on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road 1,600 tags · 0 applicants · Reduced price100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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96-8 Cow or calf valid on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road 1,600 tags · 0 applicants · Landowner reduced price100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96-1 ↗ Any elk | 16% Long shot | 0% | 2 +1 since 2021 | 27 / 77 | Regular | Oct 1–31, 2026 |
| 96-1 ↗ Any elk | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | 0 steady since 2021 | 14 / 5 undersubscribed | Special | Oct 1–31, 2026 |
| 96-1 ↗ Any elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 33 / 0 | Landowner | Oct 1–31, 2026 |
| 96-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | 60% | — steady since 2024 | 18 / 0 | Regular | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 96-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 8 / 0 | Special | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 96-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 18 / 0 | Landowner | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 96-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 62% Real chance | 0% | — | 24 / 39 | Reduced price | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 96-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 24 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 96-8 ↗ Cow or calf valid on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 1,600 / 0 | Reduced price | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| 96-8 ↗ Cow or calf valid on private land west of the elk fence and south of the New Fork Lake Road | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1,600 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
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.
Other licenses valid in Hunt Area 96
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 89,726 ac · 56%
- Private 49,979 ac · 31%
- State land 7,347 ac · 5%
- BLM 6,825 ac · 4%
- Other public 6,500 ac · 4%
- County or city land 85 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 | 647 | 155 | 24% | 41.6 |
| 2024 | 744 | 215 | 29% | 27.0 |
| 2023 | 487 | 107 | 22% | 35.4 |
| 2022 | 678 | 240 | 35% | 22.0 |
| 2021 | 611 | 149 | 24% | 37.0 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 19 · 12%
- Firearm 136 · 88%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 96 taken · 447 hunters
- Nonresident 59 taken · 200 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