Elk Hunt Area 40: Horse Creek
In the 2026 draw for the Type 1 any elk license, nonresidents needed about 10 preference points, and residents' first-choice odds were about 36%.
- Herd unit
- North Bighorn (321)
- Size
- 462 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Western
- License types drawn
- 4
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 11 licenses. The draw ran out at 10 points: 85.7% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 17 1 100% 13 1 100% 11 1 100% just under 11 2 100% 10 7 85.71% just under 10 130 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 3 licenses, 131 first-choice applicants (about 2%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 8 licenses. Everyone with 9 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds just under 10 3 100% 9 5 100% just under 9 44 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 2 licenses, 44 first-choice applicants (about 5%).
- Resident: 147 licenses, 404 first-choice applicants (about 36%).
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 15 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident, random draw: 5 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 6 licenses. Nobody applied for it as a first choice.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 2 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
- Resident: 105 licenses, 70 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Type 6 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 20 licenses, 55 first-choice applicants (about 36%).
- Resident: 102 licenses, 213 first-choice applicants (about 48%).
Type 9 · Any elk, archery onl
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 6 licenses. Everyone with 12 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 14 1 100% 12 5 100% just under 12 34 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 1 license, 34 first-choice applicants (about 3%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 4 licenses. Everyone with 7 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 9 1 100% 8 1 100% 7 2 100% just under 7 9 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 1 license, 9 first-choice applicants (about 11%).
- Resident: 63 licenses, 99 first-choice applicants (about 64%).
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.