Elk Hunt Area 49: Otter 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 72%.
- Herd unit
- South Bighorn (322)
- Size
- 1,237 sq mi
- WGFD region
- Western
- License types drawn
- 4
Type 1 · Any elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 16 licenses. The draw ran out at 10 points: 50% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 19 1 100% 16 1 100% 15 1 100% 12 2 100% just under 12 4 100% 11 3 100% just under 11 2 100% 10 4 50% just under 10 85 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 5 licenses, 87 first-choice applicants (about 6%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 12 licenses. Everyone with 7 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 10 1 100% 9 2 100% 8 4 100% just under 8 2 100% 7 3 100% just under 7 37 0% - Nonresident special, random draw: 3 licenses, 37 first-choice applicants (about 8%).
- Resident: 255 licenses, 353 first-choice applicants (about 72%).
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 12 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident, random draw: 4 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
- 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: 92 licenses, 24 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Type 6 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 47 licenses, 41 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
- Resident: 256 licenses, 53 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Type 7 · Cow or calf
- Nonresident: 80 licenses, 24 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
- Resident: 476 licenses, 47 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Nearby elk areas
- Area 33: Middle Fork
- Area 34: Upper Powder River
- Area 45: Paint Rock Creek
- Area 47: Copper Mountain
- Area 48: Upper Nowood
- Area 64: Owl Creek
- Area 66: Basin
- Area 127: Crowheart Butte
- 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.