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Wyoming non resident elk hunting... Is it possible with no points?

Kevrod3

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I would like to get around not having to use the Special license. What are the chances of drawing a general season archery tag? I'm use to hunting Montana where if you don't draw your limited draw unit you get a general tag for open general areas. Looks like Wy is different. We aren't able to go to MT this year so we are looking else where to hunt more open country. We like more spot and stalk areas rather than dark timbe hunting. Any help I'd be much obliged!
 
Click on this link and you can look at the Regular Price PP draw odds for elk in Wyoming:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Hunting/Drawing Odds/DRAW_ELK_PP_NONRES_2016.pdf

Wyoming has Type 1 Limited Quota licenses that are good for one particular unit. There is also a General tag that if drawn allows hunting in over 50 different units, as well as Type 9 archery tags that are only good for one unit during the archery season. If a Type 1 or General tag is drawn and you want to hunt the early season with archery equipment you then buy a $35 archery permit. Most units allow that, although there are a few like 38, 39, and 40 in the Big Horn Mountains that don't. If you draw a Type 1 or General tag and don't fill the tag in the archery season, you are then allowed to return and hunt the later rifle season with any type of legal equipment. In 2016 there were very few units that didn't need at least 1PP to draw a tag. Even the General tag is getting harder to draw each year without some PPs. In the Regular PP Draw <2PPs was a 100% draw, but with 1PP it went way down to only 8.02%. In the Random Draw where no PPs are used and the draw you would be in for 2017 if you apply there were 614 tags issued, but there were 3699 first choice applicants, along with 622 that had it as a second choice and 167 that had it as their third choice. You may want to look at trying to buy a Type 6 cow tag this year and next that doesn't use PPs and get familiar with a unit while buying a $50 PP each of the next two years during the application period (7/1-10/31) to have a shot at drawing a bull tag in 2019.
 
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Since you didn't specify, I'll guess you are talking about hunting bulls and not cows. If that is the case, there are a few limited entry units you will have a chance to draw with no points. There are usually a couple of units in the western part of the state that have left over tags sometimes, but those units have a lot of wilderness areas and grizzly's you may or may not be comfortable with.
 
I have 3 PP myself but my hunting partner doesn't have any. I'm saving my points to hunt with my son in 7 years. Was hoping to just get my hands on any general bull tag I could. Looks we'll have to check out Idaho or Colorado.
 
I have 3 PP myself but my hunting partner doesn't have any. I'm saving my points to hunt with my son in 7 years. Was hoping to just get my hands on any general bull tag I could. Looks we'll have to check out Idaho or Colorado.

Yep, as you would need to be very careful and not draw anything on your first choice if you entered the main draw or you'd lose those 3PPs. You're looking at getting a tag as a second choice in the initial draw or as a leftover after the first draw to keep them in Wyoming.
 
I've been pretty lucky drawing the general. I've only applied for it twice,2012 and 2013 and drew it both times with 0 points. If I remember right drawing odds ranged from 18-20%. Actually not to bad in this day and age.
 
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