Elk Hunt Area 38: Tongue
In the 2026 draw for the Type 1 any elk license, nonresidents needed about 12 preference points, and residents' first-choice odds were about 32%.
- Herd unit
- North Bighorn (321)
- Size
- 564 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Western
- License types drawn
- 4
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 29 licenses. The draw ran out at 12 points: 46.1% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 17 1 100% 16 1 100% 15 9 100% 14 3 100% just under 14 3 100% 13 6 100% 12 13 46.15% just under 12 353 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 9 licenses, 360 first-choice applicants (about 3%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 20 licenses. Everyone with 11 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 14 3 100% just under 14 2 100% just under 13 2 100% 12 6 100% just under 12 4 100% 11 3 100% just under 11 97 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 6 licenses, 97 first-choice applicants (about 6%).
- Resident: 334 licenses, 1,049 first-choice applicants (about 32%).
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 59 licenses. The draw ran out at just under 1 point: 66.7% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 11 1 100% just under 8 2 100% 5 1 100% just under 4 4 100% 3 1 100% 2 5 100% just under 2 9 100% 1 20 100% just under 1 24 66.67% 0 or fewer 47 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 19 licenses, 53 first-choice applicants (about 36%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 27 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 9 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
- Resident: 459 licenses, 489 first-choice applicants (about 94%).
Type 6 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 16 licenses, 37 first-choice applicants (about 43%).
- Resident: 84 licenses, 211 first-choice applicants (about 40%).
Type 9 · Any elk, archery onl
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 18 licenses. The draw ran out at 15 points: 93.3% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 16 4 100% 15 15 93.33% just under 15 413 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 6 licenses, 413 first-choice applicants (about 1%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 12 licenses. The draw ran out at 14 points: 15% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 15 9 100% 14 20 15% just under 14 127 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 4 licenses, 144 first-choice applicants (about 3%).
- Resident: 210 licenses, 1,047 first-choice applicants (about 20%).
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.