2026 Wyoming Application Details
Putting a 2026 Wyoming hunt on the books? Learn the latest from Huntin’ Fool.
Editor’s Note: This reflects information available as of January 2026, with updates primarily focused on non-resident elk, since the deadline to apply is February 2, 2026. The article will be updated as additional information becomes available in May 2026 after the Commission’s April meeting.
Cost Overview
Wyoming charges a non-refundable application fee of $5 for residents and $15 for non-residents. There is also a non-refundable 2.5% processing fee.
From there, Wyoming hunting license fees vary depending on residency, species, sex, and license type (e.g. youth, special, landowner), and range from a couple of dollars for certain resident licenses to upwards of $6,000+ for non-resident licenses.
For any non-residents just beginning their research, to give a sense of pricing, most license fees fall in the hundreds of dollars. For example, non-resident antelope is currently $326, and non-resident elk is $692. A full list of hunting license fees is available on the Wyoming Game and Fish website. Unlike the application fee, Wyoming’s hunting license fees are refundable if you don’t draw a tag.
If you successfully draw, in addition to the relevant hunting license, you’ll also need a $21.50 conservation stamp. And, archery hunters need an archery permit (exception: type 9 archery-only tags), which costs $72 for adult non-residents and $16 for adult residents.
Application Dates
WYOMING DEADLINES
Non-Resident Elk
Moose, Sheep, Bison, & Mtn. Goat
Deer, Antelope, & Resident Elk
Leftover Draw
Points Only
The deadline to modify or withdraw your non-resident elk application is May 8, 2026. Finalized hunt structures, seasons, and potential license quotas will become publicly available on May 1, 2026, after the April Commission meeting.
Key Updates for 2026 (So Far)
- Wyoming continues to issue type 8 unlimited cow/calf elk licenses in several elk units throughout the state.
- New elk hunts, including some new type 9 archery licenses, are being recommended for 2026 to help spread out hunting pressure.
- More non-resident elk licenses were issued in 2025 between general elk licenses being split in three regions and unlimited type 8 cow/calf licenses issued in multiple units.
- There was one random draw bighorn sheep license in the 2025 drawing. Applicants with fewer than 25 sheep points had exactly 0% chance of drawing a sheep license, except for the random license.
Wyoming Draw Process Basics
- There is no point system for Wyoming residents applying for elk, deer, and antelope; tags are issued via a random draw.
- For elk, deer, and antelope, Wyoming uses a preference point system for non-residents. In Wyoming’s draw, preference point drawing accounts for 75% of available licenses in each hunt area. The remaining 25% go to a random draw, so it’s worth applying even if you haven’t been building points for years.
- Preference points are like a place in line—first in, first out. The applicants with the most preference points draw before applicants with fewer points.
- Non-residents buy species-specific preference points during an application window in the late summer; you do not buy points at the time of your tag application.
- You can’t buy preference points for a species if you successfully drew your first choice for that species in the same year.
- If you draw your first choice for your species, your preference points are purged back to zero.
- If non-residents fail to apply for or buy a preference point for a particular species for two consecutive years, they lose all accumulated preference points for that species.
