Wyoming Unit 106 Elk Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 106 sits in a category that a lot of elk hunters overlook when scanning for their next application: a high-volume, moderate-success unit that offers real opportunity without the years-long point wait attached to the state's marquee wilderness units. Spanning 468,276 acres with elevations running from 6,551 to 9,773 feet, Unit 106 gives hunters a mix of lower-elevation sagebrush and foothill country climbing into higher timbered ground. For hunters researching Wyoming Unit 106 elk hunting specifically, the numbers tell a story of consistent harvest, growing tag allocations, and a unit that rewards hunters who understand what they're getting into.

This is not a unit built around trophy mystique. It's a unit built around access to a tag and a fair shot at putting an elk on the ground. That distinction matters, and it's the foundation for how hunters should approach applying here.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 106 has produced remarkably stable harvest numbers over the past four seasons, which is valuable information for hunters trying to gauge realistic expectations before they apply.

• 2025: 1,641 hunters, 625 harvested, 38% success
• 2024: 3,354 hunters, 1,252 harvested, 37% success
• 2023: 2,824 hunters, 1,057 harvested, 37% success
• 2022: 2,887 hunters, 986 harvested, 34% success

Success rates have held in a tight band between 34% and 38% across four straight seasons, according to data compiled by HuntPilot. That consistency is notable — it suggests a unit where elk numbers and hunter pressure have reached something of an equilibrium rather than a unit experiencing wild swings tied to weather or herd crashes. The hunter count itself has fluctuated significantly, with 2024 seeing more than double the hunters of 2025, yet success rates barely moved. That's a sign the unit can absorb pressure without success rates collapsing, which is a meaningful data point for hunters weighing a crowded-unit trade-off against a near-40% chance of tagging out.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data for Unit 106 shows an average bull:cow ratio of 20:100 across three survey years (2021-2024), based on a single survey. A ratio in this range is on the low end for elk herds generally, and it signals a unit with a bull population skewed heavily toward younger age classes relative to cows — likely a reflection of the high hunter volume and harvest totals seen in the data above. Hunters should treat this figure as one data point rather than a definitive verdict on herd structure, since it's drawn from limited survey coverage, but it aligns with what the harvest numbers already suggest: this is a unit that produces meat tags in volume, not a unit managed to stockpile mature bulls.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 106 shows a limited history of record-book entries. That doesn't mean mature bulls don't exist here — it means the unit hasn't built a track record of producing trophy-class animals with any regularity. Combined with the bull:cow ratio data above, hunters chasing a genuine trophy hunt should recalibrate expectations. Unit 106 is much better suited to hunters prioritizing a tag in hand and a solid chance at an elk on the ground than to hunters holding out for a wall-hanger. That's a legitimate strategy for a lot of hunters — it's just a different strategy than the one built around units with deeper trophy pedigrees.

Access & Terrain

Public land in Unit 106 sits at 25%, which means the majority of this unit — roughly three-quarters of it — is privately held. This is a critical planning factor. DIY hunters cannot treat this as a wide-open public-land unit; access will require either landowner permission, leased access, or careful use of the public parcels that do exist, concentrated likely in the higher-elevation ground given the 6,551–9,773 foot elevation range. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit (0%), so Wyoming's nonresident wilderness-guide requirement does not come into play here — nonresident hunters are free to hunt Unit 106 without being forced into a guided arrangement by that specific state law.

That said, with only a quarter of the unit in public hands, hunters should budget time well before the season to identify exactly which public parcels are accessible and how they connect to roads and trailheads. Hunters can use HuntPilot's public land mapping tools to identify boundaries and ownership patterns within the unit before committing to a hunt plan.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 106 Worth Applying For?

Unit 106 is a reasonable application for hunters who want a good chance at harvesting an elk and are not fixated on trophy class. The four-year harvest trend — 34% to 38% success — is one of the more dependable success bands a hunter will find in Wyoming's elk units, and that consistency alone makes it worth serious consideration for meat hunters, first-time Wyoming elk applicants, or hunters who want a realistic season without gambling years of points on a low-odds trophy unit.

The tag quota trends reinforce that this unit is expanding opportunity rather than tightening it. Type 7 tags jumped from 350 in 2024 to 700 in 2025, and climbed again to 800 in 2026 — a 14% increase in that single most recent year. Type 1 and Type 4 tags have held flat at 50 and 150 respectively across the same three years. That growth in Type 7 allocations signals wildlife managers are comfortable pushing more hunters into this unit, which likely explains why the 2024 season saw over 3,300 hunters compared to 1,641 in 2025 — quota and hunter turnout can vary meaningfully year to year even on a "stable" unit.

The trade-offs are real, though. With only 25% public land, DIY access is limited and requires real pre-season legwork. The bull:cow ratio of 20:100 and limited trophy record history both point toward a unit managed for volume rather than quality. Hunters should walk in with tag-in-freezer expectations, not a search for a record-class bull.

Bottom line: Unit 106 is worth applying for if a hunter's priority is a dependable shot at filling an elk tag, particularly given the growing Type 7 quota. It is not the right target for hunters chasing trophy genetics or expecting an unguided public-land free-for-all — the private land majority demands access planning regardless of residency.

How to Apply

Wyoming's application system requires hunters to plan around specific dates and fees that change annually, so precision matters here.

For the 2026 season, Wyoming's published fee structure breaks down by residency and tag type:

Wyoming nonresidents applying for elk are in a points-blind random draw pool for elk — points do not improve odds in that pool, and any successful draw consumes accumulated points, restarting a hunter's point total. Wyoming residents do not accumulate preference points for elk at all; resident elk applications are a straight random draw each year. Alternatively, check HuntPilot's Wyoming state page (/states/wy) for the latest updates.

Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Wyoming page at /states/wy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Unit 106? Unit 106 spans a wide elevation range, from 6,551 feet up to 9,773 feet, suggesting a mix of lower-elevation foothill and sagebrush terrain transitioning into higher, likely timbered country at the upper end of that range. With no wilderness acreage in the unit, none of this terrain falls under Wyoming's wilderness-guide requirement, meaning nonresidents can plan a self-guided hunt from an access standpoint — though private land ownership remains the bigger access hurdle discussed below.

What is harvest success in Unit 106? Harvest success has been remarkably consistent, running 38% in 2025, 37% in 2024, 37% in 2023, and 34% in 2022. This is a dependable success band by Wyoming elk standards, and it has held steady even as hunter numbers have swung from under 1,700 to over 3,300 across those same seasons.

How big are the elk in Unit 106? Available data points toward modest trophy potential rather than exceptional bull quality. The counties overlapping this unit show a limited history of trophy-class record entries, and the surveyed bull:cow ratio of 20:100 suggests a bull population weighted toward younger age classes. Hunters should expect a solid opportunity to harvest an elk rather than a realistic shot at a trophy-class bull.

Is Unit 106 worth applying for? For hunters prioritizing a tag and a strong chance of filling it, yes — the multi-year harvest success rate sitting consistently in the mid-to-high 30% range, combined with a growing Type 7 tag quota (350 tags in 2024 up to 800 in 2026), makes this a unit with expanding opportunity. For hunters specifically chasing trophy-class bulls, the limited trophy record history and low bull:cow ratio suggest looking elsewhere.

Is Unit 106 a good DIY option for nonresidents? Nonresidents can hunt Unit 106 without a mandatory guide since the unit carries 0% wilderness acreage, avoiding Wyoming's wilderness-guide law. However, with only 25% public land, the majority of the unit is privately held, and DIY hunters need to identify accessible public parcels well before season and potentially pursue landowner access agreements to hunt effectively.