Wyoming Elk — Hunt Area 98
Boulder
Wyoming Hunt Area 98 covers 1,236,900 acres and lies 23 miles south-east of Marbleton and 34 miles south of Pinedale. 93% of it is public land, mostly BLM (72%) and national forest (10%). In 2025, 1,089 people hunted elk here and took 392 — 36% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,600 nonresident tags here for 1 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Hunt Area 98, 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-
7% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
-
38% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
100% Undersubscribed 71% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
59% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98-1 ↗ Any elk | 7% Point builder | 0% | 5 +3 since 2021 | 25 / 136 | Regular | Sep 20 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 98-1 ↗ Any elk | 38% Long shot | 0% | 3 +2 since 2021 | 18 / 34 | Special | Sep 20 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 98-1 ↗ Any elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 42 / 0 | Landowner | Sep 20 – Oct 31, 2026 |
| 98-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% Undersubscribed | 71% | 0 steady since 2021 | 15 / 5 undersubscribed | Regular | Sep 20 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 98-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 6 / 0 | Special | Sep 20 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 98-4 ↗ Antlerless elk | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 15 / 0 | Landowner | Sep 20 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 98-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 59% Real chance | 0% | — | 48 / 81 | Reduced price | Sep 20 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 98-6 ↗ Cow or calf | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 48 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Sep 20 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 98-8 ↗ Cow or calf valid on private land | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 1,600 / 1 undersubscribed | Reduced price | Nov 1–30, 2026 |
| 98-8 ↗ Cow or calf valid on private land | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1,600 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Nov 1–30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 888,215 ac · 72%
- National Forest 128,428 ac · 10%
- Private 83,046 ac · 7%
- Bureau of Reclamation 79,463 ac · 6%
- State land 43,897 ac · 4%
- Other public 10,423 ac · 1%
- National Wildlife Refuge 3,401 ac · 0%
- County or city land 52 ac · 0%
- Tribal 23 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 | 1,089 | 392 | 36% | 21.0 |
| 2024 | 1,117 | 446 | 40% | 19.2 |
| 2023 | 899 | 404 | 45% | 18.0 |
| 2022 | 917 | 284 | 31% | 25.9 |
| 2021 | 867 | 242 | 28% | 29.9 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 21 · 5%
- Firearm 371 · 95%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 331 taken · 947 hunters
- Nonresident 61 taken · 142 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