Elk Hunt Area 116: North Black Hills
In the 2026 draw for the Type 1 any elk license, nonresidents needed about 7 preference points, and there were enough licenses for every resident who put it first.
- Herd unit
- Black Hills (740)
- Size
- 2,296 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Eastern
- License types drawn
- 2
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 7 licenses. The draw ran out at 7 points: 66.7% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 10 1 100% 8 2 100% 7 6 66.67% just under 7 99 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 2 licenses, 99 first-choice applicants (about 2%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 6 licenses. The draw ran out at 3 points: 50% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 6 1 100% 5 2 100% 4 2 100% 3 2 50% just under 3 14 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 1 license, 15 first-choice applicants (about 7%).
- Resident: 84 licenses, 78 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Type 8 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 1,600 licenses, 56 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
- Resident: 9,939 licenses, 66 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Nearby elk areas
- Area 1: Black Hills
- Area 117: South Black Hills
- Area 123: Black Thunder
- Area 126: Lost Springs
- Area 129: Non-Herd Unit
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.