Elk Hunt Area 120: Buffalo Creek
In the 2026 draw for the Type 1 any elk license, nonresidents needed about 13 preference points, and residents' first-choice odds were about 21%.
- Herd unit
- South Bighorn (322)
- Size
- 1,451 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Western
- License types drawn
- 3
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 12 licenses. Everyone with 13 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 15 4 100% just under 15 2 100% 14 3 100% 13 3 100% just under 13 126 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 3 licenses, 126 first-choice applicants (about 2%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 8 licenses. The draw ran out at just under 13 points: 50% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 14 4 100% 13 3 100% just under 13 2 50% 12 or fewer 33 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 2 licenses, 33 first-choice applicants (about 6%).
- Resident: 123 licenses, 584 first-choice applicants (about 21%).
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 12 licenses. The draw ran out at 0 points: 66.7% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 7 1 100% 4 2 100% just under 4 2 100% 1 1 100% 0 9 66.67% - Nonresident, random draw: 3 licenses, 2 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 6 licenses. Nobody applied for it as a first choice.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 1 license, 0 first-choice applicants.
- Resident: 84 licenses, 41 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Type 6 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 16 licenses, 66 first-choice applicants (about 24%).
- Resident: 83 licenses, 239 first-choice applicants (about 35%).
Nearby elk areas
- Area 7: Laramie Peak
- Area 19: Muddy Mountain
- Area 23: Rattlesnake
- Area 33: Middle Fork
- Area 48: Upper Nowood
- Area 122: Pine Ridge
- Area 128: Muskrat
- 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.