Wyoming Unit 116 Elk Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 116 is a low-public-land elk unit that offers both general season and limited-quota draw opportunities, backed by a multi-year harvest record that shows real variability from year to year. For hunters weighing whether to spend an application or a point on this unit, the data tells a mixed but informative story — strong harvest numbers in some years, a sharp dip in others, and a public land base that will shape the entire hunt strategy before a single scouting trip happens.

Covering roughly 1.47 million total acres with elevations ranging from 3,113 to 6,625 feet, Unit 116 sits at the lower end of Wyoming's elevation spectrum for elk country, which typically means more open, rolling terrain mixed with lower-elevation timber and brush rather than high alpine basins. That terrain profile, combined with only 21% public land, makes this a unit where access planning matters as much as unit selection.

Hunt Structure: General Season and Limited-Quota Draw

Unit 116 operates with two distinct paths to an elk tag, and the distinction matters for how hunters should approach applying.

General season hunts are available here, including antlered and either-sex opportunities. This is important: Unit 116 is not a draw-only unit for antlered elk. Residents can pursue a general license here without needing to draw a limited-quota tag specifically for this unit. Nonresidents, however, must draw for every Wyoming big game license regardless of season type — Wyoming does not offer an over-the-counter option for nonresident hunters on any elk hunt, general season included. A nonresident wanting to hunt Unit 116's general season still has to successfully draw a general license through the state's application process.

Limited-quota draw hunts also exist in Unit 116, again covering antlered and either-sex animals. These draw tags typically offer more controlled hunting pressure and potentially better odds at mature bulls compared to the general season, since hunter numbers are capped by quota rather than open to all general license holders who choose this unit.

For residents, this means Unit 116 can be hunted on a general license most years without entering a separate draw, with the limited-quota option available as an alternative for those seeking a more controlled hunt. For nonresidents, every path into this unit — general or limited-quota — requires drawing first.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 116 has produced four consecutive years of trackable harvest data, and the trend is worth studying closely before committing to this unit.

• 2025: 1,418 hunters, 451 harvested, 32% success
• 2024: 1,100 hunters, 423 harvested, 38% success
• 2023: 967 hunters, 232 harvested, 24% success
• 2022: 835 hunters, 216 harvested, 26% success

The headline number here is the jump in both hunter participation and success between 2023 and 2024-2025. Success rates climbed from the mid-20s up to the high-30s in 2024 before settling back to 32% in 2025. At the same time, hunter numbers have grown steadily — from 835 hunters in 2022 to 1,418 in 2025, a 70% increase in participation over four seasons. More hunters in the field combined with an improving success rate suggests this unit has been producing well for both general season and limited-quota hunters in recent years, though the 2023 season is a reminder that success can swing significantly from year to year.

For planning purposes, hunters should treat the 32-38% range from the last two seasons as the more current benchmark, while recognizing that a sub-25% season like 2022 or 2023 remains within the realm of possibility depending on weather, elk movement, and hunting pressure that particular year.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 116 shows a limited history of record-book entries. This doesn't mean mature bulls aren't present — Wyoming consistently produces quality elk across many of its units — but the available record indicates this is not an area with a deep or consistent trophy pedigree compared to some of the state's more renowned elk country. Hunters targeting Unit 116 should go in with realistic expectations: this looks like a unit better suited to hunters prioritizing opportunity and the chance at a solid, mature bull rather than those chasing a specific record-book score. As with all Wyoming units, record-book entries are logged by county and shared across neighboring units, so any trophy history that does exist isn't necessarily unit-specific to begin with.

Access & Terrain

With only 21% public land across the unit's nearly 1.47 million acres, the majority of Unit 116 is privately held. This is a critical factor for any hunter planning a self-guided hunt here — DIY access will be limited to the public parcels available, and hunters need to identify exactly where those parcels sit relative to elk concentrations before the season starts. This is not a unit where a hunter can expect to find wide-open public access in every direction; careful pre-season mapping is essential.

The elevation range of 3,113 to 6,625 feet puts this unit on the lower, more rolling end of Wyoming's elk habitat, which generally translates to a mix of open sagebrush flats, lower-elevation drainages, and patches of timber rather than steep alpine terrain. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit, meaning Wyoming's nonresident wilderness guide requirement does not apply here — nonresidents are free to hunt the public portions of Unit 116 without being legally required to hire an outfitter, a genuine advantage compared to units with heavy wilderness designation. That said, given the low percentage of public ground, many hunters may still find a local guide or outfitter valuable simply for access to private land arrangements, even though it isn't legally mandated.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 116 Worth Applying For?

Based on the data available through HuntPilot, Unit 116 presents a reasonable case for hunters who prioritize harvest opportunity and are comfortable navigating a low-public-land unit. The recent harvest trend — two consecutive seasons in the 32-38% success range with rising hunter participation — is a genuinely strong signal. That's a meaningfully better success rate than many Wyoming elk units post, and it suggests elk density and huntability have been trending positively here.

The tradeoffs are real, though. At 21% public land, this unit demands serious pre-season work to identify accessible ground, and hunters without a plan for private land access may struggle to replicate the success rates reflected in the harvest data. Trophy quality also appears limited based on available record-book history, so hunters chasing a wall-hanger should look elsewhere or treat a mature bull here as a bonus rather than the expectation.

The general season availability is a meaningful point in this unit's favor for residents — the ability to hunt antlered elk without needing to win a limited-quota draw gives Wyoming residents a reliable, repeatable option. Nonresidents face the universal Wyoming requirement to draw regardless of season type, so this unit should be evaluated alongside other draw options based on how competitive the application pool looks in a given year — information best checked on HuntPilot's live Unit 116 page rather than assumed from harvest trends alone.

Overall: worth serious consideration for hunters who want solid, trending-upward harvest odds and are willing to do the access legwork, and worth skipping for hunters whose primary goal is a record-book bull.

How to Apply

Wyoming's elk licensing works differently depending on residency.

Residents can typically purchase a general elk license for areas like Unit 116 without entering a competitive draw, giving them access to the general season hunt described above. Residents who want to pursue the limited-quota draw hunt instead apply through Wyoming Game and Fish's standard application process for that specific hunt area. Note that Wyoming's resident elk draw system does not use a preference point mechanism — every application is evaluated on its own in the given cycle, so there's no points strategy to manage for residents applying for elk in this state.

Nonresidents must draw for any elk license in Wyoming, including a general license for Unit 116 — there is no over-the-counter path for out-of-state hunters here. Nonresidents apply through the same state draw system, selecting either the general license or the limited-quota hunt in Unit 116 as part of their application strategy. Wyoming's nonresident elk draw includes both a preference-pool structure (where high point holders draw first) and a separate random pool where points don't influence the odds — so nonresidents should understand which pool a given choice falls into before applying.

Application structure, deadlines, and fees change every cycle, so rather than relying on fixed numbers here, hunters should check HuntPilot's Wyoming state page at /states/wy for current application windows, costs, and draw odds specific to Unit 116's general and limited-quota hunts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wyoming Unit 116 a good unit for nonresident elk hunters? It can be, but nonresidents need to understand two things going in: every license here — general season or limited-quota — requires drawing first, and only 21% of the unit is public land. Nonresidents who draw a tag should have an access plan in place well before the season, whether that means identifying public parcels in advance or arranging access to private ground.

What is harvest success like in Unit 116? Recent harvest data shows meaningful improvement — success climbed from 24-26% in 2022-2023 up to 32-38% in 2024-2025, with hunter participation also rising sharply over that period. This is a stronger recent trend than many Wyoming elk units show, though hunters should be aware that success rates have fluctuated significantly year to year.

How big are the elk in Unit 116? Available trophy records for the counties overlapping this unit show a limited history of record-book entries, suggesting this isn't a unit known for producing trophy-class bulls with regularity. Hunters should approach Unit 116 with expectations centered on a solid, mature bull rather than a record-book trophy.

What is the terrain like in Unit 116? The unit ranges from 3,113 to 6,625 feet in elevation, putting it on the lower end of Wyoming's elk habitat — generally rolling, lower-elevation country rather than steep alpine terrain. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit, so nonresidents are not subject to Wyoming's guide requirement that applies in designated wilderness units elsewhere in the state.

Does Unit 116 require a draw to hunt antlered elk? Not for residents. Unit 116 has a general season covering antlered and either-sex elk that residents can access with a general license, no special draw required. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw regardless of whether they're pursuing the general season or the limited-quota hunt — Wyoming does not offer any over-the-counter elk option for out-of-state hunters.