Wyoming Unit 11 Moose Hunting Guide
Wyoming Unit 11 moose hunting represents one of the most coveted big-game opportunities in the American West. Spanning 1,717,450 acres with 85% public land and elevations ranging from 4,018 to 12,394 feet, Unit 11 delivers the kind of high-country moose habitat that serious hunters dream about. The Shiras' moose country found here — dense willow flats, timbered drainages, and alpine transition zones — provides exactly the diverse terrain these animals require year-round. For hunters willing to invest the patience this draw demands, the payoff has been remarkable.
Unit 11 sits in a region of Wyoming that combines vast public access with genuinely challenging terrain. At 44% designated wilderness, this is not a unit where hunters simply drive a two-track and glass from the road. Much of the most productive moose habitat lies deep in country that rewards physical fitness and thorough pre-season planning. That wilderness percentage carries a critical implication for nonresident hunters: Wyoming law requires all nonresidents hunting in designated wilderness areas to be accompanied by a licensed Wyoming outfitter or guide. With nearly half the unit classified as wilderness, nonresident hunters pursuing a DIY approach will find their accessible terrain significantly constrained. Residents face no such restriction.
The harvest numbers tell a compelling story. From 2022 through 2025, Unit 11 has produced 100% harvest success across every recorded cohort — a remarkable consistency that reflects both the quality of the resource and the caliber of hunters who invest the points to draw this tag. Data tracked through HuntPilot confirms five hunters harvesting five moose in each of those four consecutive seasons, making this one of the most consistently productive limited-entry moose units in the state.
Harvest Success Rates
The harvest record for Wyoming Unit 11 is as clean as it gets in big-game hunting. According to HuntPilot data, the unit has recorded 100% harvest success in every season from 2022 through 2025:
- 2022: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
- 2023: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
- 2024: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
- 2025: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
The extremely limited tag allocation — five permits per season — is the defining characteristic of this hunt. These tags are extraordinarily rare, and that scarcity ensures the hunters who draw them are both motivated and well-prepared. A four-year streak of perfect harvest success is not coincidental. It reflects a combination of excellent moose density, high hunter commitment, and the focused effort that comes from waiting years for a once-in-a-lifetime tag.
For context, Shiras' moose are the smallest of the North American moose subspecies, but mature bulls in prime Wyoming habitat are still massive animals. The remote, roadless terrain in much of Unit 11 means successful hunters need a serious extraction plan — moose are notoriously difficult to pack out, and the wilderness topography amplifies that challenge considerably.
Trophy Quality
The counties overlapping Wyoming Unit 11 carry a moderate history of trophy-class moose production. This is not the state's elite trophy unit, but it is not without pedigree either. Hunters targeting a bull of genuine record-book caliber should temper expectations relative to the top-tier Wyoming moose units — but trophy-class animals have been documented from this region, and the consistent harvest success suggests the population supports mature bulls. The limited tag allocation inherently protects older age classes, which is a positive structural factor for trophy potential over time.
It is worth restating the county-level caveat: trophy records are logged by county rather than by hunt unit, and the counties overlapping Unit 11 are shared with neighboring units. Animals taken anywhere within those counties contribute to the same record pool, so attributing specific trophy pedigree exclusively to Unit 11 overstates the precision of available data.
Herd Health & Population Trends
The 2024 wildlife survey recorded a bull:cow ratio of 114:100 across Unit 11. This figure is flagged as unusually high — ratios above roughly 60:100 in wild moose populations almost always indicate a small survey sample size rather than a genuinely exceptional herd structure. Hunters should treat this single-year ratio with significant skepticism rather than interpreting it as evidence of an extraordinary population imbalance.
What the data does confirm is that bulls are present and that Wyoming Game and Fish continues to manage the unit at a conservative allocation of five tags annually. That conservatism is itself an indicator that wildlife managers view the population as one requiring careful stewardship rather than aggressive harvest pressure. For moose hunters, a low tag count paired with consistent 100% harvest success is a reliable signal that animals are findable and the population is stable enough to sustain annual take without declining.
Shiras' moose across Wyoming face ongoing habitat pressures from warming temperatures affecting willow and riparian corridors — the core of their diet and cover requirements. Unit 11's elevation range, extending from 4,018 feet up to 12,394 feet, provides moose with flexibility to shift across elevational bands in response to seasonal and climatic changes. That habitat diversity is a long-term asset for population resilience.
Access & Terrain
With 85% public land, Unit 11 offers exceptional access by Wyoming standards — and by virtually any western big-game standard. Hunters are not fighting a patchwork of private inholdings or burning days trying to secure landowner permissions. The vast majority of the unit is open and accessible.
The practical challenge is the terrain itself. Elevations ranging nearly 8,400 vertical feet — from sagebrush foothills at 4,018 feet to alpine peaks at 12,394 feet — mean that Unit 11 contains an enormous range of vegetation types and hunting conditions. Moose will be concentrated in the mid-elevation riparian zones and willow-choked drainages rather than at the highest and lowest extremes. Hunters should plan their scouting and camp placement around water features and timbered river bottoms within that middle elevational band.
The 44% wilderness designation is the critical access variable. For nonresident hunters, this means the most remote and typically most productive portions of the unit legally require a licensed Wyoming outfitter or guide. Nonresidents considering a DIY approach need to map their intended hunting area carefully against wilderness boundaries before committing to a strategy. For resident hunters, the wilderness is simply more country to hunt — and often the country that receives the least pressure.
Pack-in logistics for moose are non-trivial in wilderness terrain. Mature bulls can easily exceed 700–800 pounds of meat, and the absence of motorized equipment in wilderness areas means hunters need horses, mules, or a very capable team to execute a clean pack-out. Planning meat care and extraction before the hunt — not after a successful shot — is essential in this unit.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is Wyoming Unit 11 Worth Applying For?
The honest answer is yes — but only for hunters who understand what they are committing to. Wyoming Unit 11 moose is a multi-year, likely multi-decade point investment for most applicants, particularly nonresidents. Wyoming's preference point system for moose is one of the most competitive draws in the state, and Unit 11's consistent 100% harvest success and limited tag pool make it perennially attractive to high-point holders.
For residents, the economics are dramatically favorable: a $152 tag fee for one of the most exclusive moose hunts in North America is extraordinary value. For nonresidents, the $2,752 tag fee is steep but still compares favorably to guided hunts in Canada or Alaska — especially given the 85% public land base and the four-year perfect harvest record.
The unit's combination of factors — overwhelming public land access, genuine wilderness quality, consistent harvest success, and moderate trophy history — makes this a legitimate lifetime priority application for serious moose hunters. It is not a hunt for someone casually entering because they have a few points. It is a hunt to build toward deliberately and prepare for seriously once drawn.
Nonresidents must account for outfitter costs if planning to hunt wilderness sections, which can add several thousand dollars to the total investment. Residents hunting the non-wilderness portions DIY face lower logistical barriers but still need a solid extraction plan for a mature bull in remote country.
For current draw odds and point requirements, visit the HuntPilot Wyoming page — draw competitiveness changes annually as applicant pools shift, and current data is essential for making informed decisions about when and whether to apply.
How to Apply
Wyoming moose applications operate on a separate draw cycle from elk and deer, and the preference point system applies — accumulated points directly improve draw odds, and each year without drawing allows hunters to invest in another point.
2026 Application Details
Resident hunters:
- Application opens: January 2, 2026
- Application deadline: April 30, 2026
- Application fee: $5
- Tag fee (if drawn): $152
- License fee required to apply: $0.00
- Preference point fee: $7
- Point-only deadline: November 2, 2026
Nonresident hunters:
- Application opens: January 2, 2026
- Application deadline: April 30, 2026
- Application fee: $15
- Tag fee (if drawn): $2,752
- License fee required to apply: $0.00
- Preference point fee: $150
- Point-only deadline: November 2, 2026
2028 Application Details
- Application opens: January 5, 2028
- Application deadline: March 1, 2028
Hunters who do not draw in any given year should purchase a preference point before the point deadline to maintain their position in the draw. Missing the point purchase window resets accumulated points, which is a costly mistake in a system where points represent years of investment.
Wyoming's moose draw uses a preference point system — the highest-point applicants are drawn first before the random draw processes lower-point tiers. Unlike the deer and antelope draws, moose points in Wyoming are not subject to the same OTC-bypass dynamics, making the moose draw a pure preference point race to the top.
For complete application instructions, current point requirements, and draw statistics, visit huntpilot.ai/states/wy.
Dates and fees are subject to change. Always verify current application details at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the terrain like in Wyoming Unit 11 for moose hunting?
Unit 11 covers 1,717,450 acres of diverse high-country terrain ranging from approximately 4,000 to over 12,000 feet in elevation. Moose habitat is concentrated in the mid-elevation riparian corridors, willow flats, and timbered drainages that characterize the unit. With 44% of the unit designated as wilderness, much of the best country is roadless and requires a genuine backcountry commitment. The 85% public land base means access is not a gating issue — the terrain itself is the challenge, not private land barriers.
What is the harvest success rate in Wyoming Unit 11 moose hunting?
Unit 11 has recorded 100% harvest success in every season from 2022 through 2025, with five hunters harvesting five moose in each of those years. This four-year streak of perfect success reflects both strong moose density relative to tag allocation and the motivated, prepared hunters who invest the points to draw this limited-entry tag.
How big are the moose in Wyoming Unit 11?
The counties overlapping Unit 11 carry a moderate history of trophy-class moose production. While this is not Wyoming's top-tier trophy moose destination, mature bulls are present and the conservative tag allocation allows bull age classes to develop. Hunters targeting record-book bulls should approach with calibrated expectations, but the unit is capable of producing quality animals. Trophy records are indexed at the county level and shared with neighboring units, so attributing exact trophy pedigree to Unit 11 exclusively is not precise.
Is Wyoming Unit 11 worth applying for as a nonresident moose hunter?
Yes, for hunters who understand the investment involved. The 100% four-year harvest success rate, 85% public land base, and genuine wilderness moose habitat make Unit 11 a legitimate lifetime-priority application. The nonresident tag fee is $2,752, and the wilderness designation (44% of the unit) means most nonresidents will need a licensed Wyoming outfitter or guide for access to the best country. The draw is highly competitive — check current point requirements and draw odds at the HuntPilot Wyoming page before planning your application strategy.
Do Wyoming moose preference points carry over if I draw a tag in Unit 11?
No. A successful draw in Wyoming consumes your accumulated moose preference points — hunters restart at or near zero after drawing a tag. Wyoming moose is a once-in-a-lifetime type draw for most hunters, not a repeatable annual application strategy. Plan accordingly and treat the point investment as building toward a single, definitive hunt rather than cycling through tags every few years.