The Cowboy State has wide-open spaces, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park, and the world’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful. The history of the United States’ westward expansion is found in Wyoming’s museums.
The state is also the No. 1 place, ahead of South Dakota, as the best state to take a pronghorn. With so many other outdoor opportunities, a visit here should be on every outdoorsman’s bucket list.
The state offers a hunt planner to help you iron out the details for the trip of a lifetime to the Cowboy State. A good way to plan a hunt is to start with the Drawing Odds page. This lists all the lottery permits. It tells you how many permits are available and how many people apply. Cross-reference this with the hunting units and you can maximize your odds of both getting a license and getting your intended animal.
Wyoming Hunts
PRONGHORN
“For bowhunters, two states shine as top places for a public-land pronghorn hunt. The first-place honor goes to Wyoming, and here’s a spoiler: Wyoming is also the best state for a firearm hunt. The Cowboy State has more pronghorns than residents, and 50 percent of the state is in public ownership. Focus your efforts on Bureau of Land Management holdings and look to the southwest corner of the state for record-book trophies. If you don’t want to wait several years for preference-point support, the central part of the state brims with public-land units offering a higher percentage of success. Both the northeast and southeast regions also offer great hunting, but there are fewer public-land opportunities,” says Outdoor Life.
Expect to spend a lot of time glassing herds to find the right buck. Bowhunters especially can expect long stalks and a lot of laying flat on the ground to avoid being spotted. You’ll have greater success with a rifle, especially one capable of reaching 500 yards or more.
BISON
Also called the American Buffalo, hunting wild bison is limited to a few states, Wyoming being one. Bagging a wild bison can be a hard hunt. A wild herd that has experience with hunters is wary. Give them an excuse and they will relocate to the next county. Slow, careful stalks are required. Also, use enough gun. Bison can hit 1,000 pounds and they have a huge chest with massive bones. Use big cartridges throwing big projectiles.
Given how much these herds move and what it takes to pack one out, Wyoming hunting guides and outfitters both maximize your chance of a buffalo hide and give you extra muscle to get the animal out.
DEER
Mule deer and whitetail are found throughout the state. Mulies are mostly found in the mountainous region in the west and the hills in the southeast. You’ll spend a lot of time stalking and scanning with a spotting scope to bring home a trophy. Whitetails are most common in the northeast and in the farmlands across the state. Both species are hunted with bow, muzzleloaders, and rifles.
ELK
Realtree ranks Wyoming as the No. 3 state for getting a Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young elk. Best of all, “it won’t cost you your retirement and 20 years to draw a decent tag,” the website says.
MOOSE
While not a top location for moose, Wyoming does have a huntable population of swamp donkeys. “The greatest numbers are found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest region south of Jackson. Moose are also found in the Bighorn National Forest in north-central Wyoming and the Medicine Bow Forest in southeast Wyoming,” the state says.
MOUNTAIN GOAT
Mountain goat permits are hard to come by; it can take years. The state reports, if you get a permit, your chances of filling that tag approach 100 percent; how many of these hunts are guided is not stated. Regardless, Wyoming hunting guides and outfitters maximize your already good chances of filling this tag. You need good binoculars to spot the goats at a distance and a rifle capable of reaching out hundreds of yards. Mid-sized to large bullets are recommended because a mature billy can top out at more than 300 pounds.
BIGHORN
Bighorn sheep permits are also hard to come by. Hunting bighorns is a passion only equaled by the pursuit of the wild turkey. It requires being in really good shape too because chasing these animals means hiking through the mountains. Your weapons must be big-game suitable because these sheep are tough animals.
Wyoming Hunting Trips
Looking to make the most of your Wyoming hunting trip? At HuntAnywhere.com, we are hunt ready. We have the guides who can make your trip of a lifetime exactly what you want.