Elk Hunt Area 1: Black Hills
In the 2026 draw for the Type 1 any elk license, nonresidents needed about 17 preference points, and residents' first-choice odds were about 9%.
- Herd unit
- Black Hills (740)
- Size
- 101 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Eastern
- License types drawn
- 2
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 6 licenses. The draw ran out at 17 points: 80% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 18 2 100% 17 5 80% just under 17 374 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 1 license, 375 first-choice applicants (under 1%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 5 licenses. The draw ran out at 15 points: 62.5% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 15 8 62.50% just under 15 74 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 1 license, 77 first-choice applicants (about 1%).
- Resident: 83 licenses, 975 first-choice applicants (about 9%).
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 9 licenses. The draw ran out at 2 points: 71.4% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 3 1 100% just under 3 3 100% 2 7 71.43% just under 2 11 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 2 licenses, 13 first-choice applicants (about 15%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 4 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 1 license, 0 first-choice applicants.
- Resident: 63 licenses, 100 first-choice applicants (about 63%).
Nearby elk areas
How to read this
Odds are what happened in the 2026 draw, published by Wyoming Game and Fish. They are not a forecast; quotas and applicant numbers change every year. Preference-point odds are WGFD's own figures. For random and resident draws WGFD publishes licenses and applicant counts, so the percentage shown is the share of first-choice applicants there were licenses for, before second and third choices. Rows marked “just under” a number are applicants between two point levels, which happens when a party applies together and its points are averaged.
Sources: WGFD draw results and odds (2026) and the WGFD elk hunt area boundaries. Boundaries are for general location, not a survey. Check season dates and boundary descriptions in the WGFD regulations before you hunt.