Wyoming Unit 118 Elk Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 118 is a limited-quota elk hunting unit that offers no general season option — every hunter who wants to chase elk here has to draw a tag first. That fact alone shapes everything about how hunters should approach this unit, from application strategy to expectations on the ground. Spanning 700,334 acres with 71% public land, Unit 118 sits at elevations between 6,484 and 8,065 feet, putting it in classic mid-to-high elevation elk country without the extreme alpine terrain found in some neighboring wilderness units.

Because there's no general season here, hunters shouldn't think of Unit 118 as a fallback or an "easy" unit to pick up a tag in during a given year. Every hunt code — including those for antlered and either-sex elk — runs through Wyoming's draw system. That makes this a unit where planning ahead, understanding the tag structure, and reading recent harvest trends matters far more than it would in a general-season area where hunters can simply buy a tag over the counter.

With zero percent wilderness designation, Unit 118 does not carry Wyoming's nonresident guide requirement that applies in wilderness areas elsewhere in the state. That opens the door for nonresident DIY hunters to hunt here without being forced into a guided arrangement, provided they draw a tag.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 118 Worth Applying For?

The harvest numbers coming out of Unit 118 make a reasonably strong case for this being a productive limited-quota unit, at least in terms of hunter success. According to data compiled on HuntPilot, the 2025 season produced a 58% success rate across 192 hunters, with 112 elk harvested. That's actually a meaningful jump from 2024, when the same 192 hunters posted a 49% success rate with 94 elk taken.

Going back further, the 2023 season saw just 118 hunters in the field but a 75% success rate — 89 elk harvested — and 2022 showed a similar pattern with 118 hunters and 67% success (79 harvested). Looking at these four years together, success rates have ranged from 49% to 75%, which is a solid band of outcomes for a limited-quota elk unit. Even in the "down" year of 2024, essentially half the hunters who drew a tag came home with an elk.

What's notable is the hunter count doubling from 118 to 192 between the 2022-2023 period and the 2024-2025 period, while success rates compressed somewhat but still stayed well above a coin flip. That suggests the unit can absorb more hunting pressure without collapsing success rates to unsustainable levels — a good sign for herd health and habitat carrying capacity, though it's worth noting that more hunters in the field also means more competition for the best spots during the season.

On the tag allocation side, Type 1 tags have held steady at 75 for both 2024 and 2025, with 75 projected again in 2026 — a stable, predictable allocation. Type 4 tags have likewise stayed flat at 50 across the same period. Type 6 tags, however, were cut by 25%, dropping from 100 tags in 2024 to 75 in 2025. That's a meaningful reduction and hunters relying on Type 6 tags should factor that into their expectations — fewer tags typically means tighter competition in the draw, even though HuntPilot doesn't publish draw percentages in this format and hunters should check the current unit page for up-to-date draw odds.

As for trophy potential, the counties overlapping Unit 118 carry a moderate history of trophy-class elk production. This isn't a unit with a standout trophy pedigree, but it isn't devoid of history either — hunters drawing a tag here should view it as a solid opportunity unit with occasional trophy-class potential rather than a unit built around chasing record-book bulls. Given that trophy entries are logged by county rather than by unit boundary, that moderate history is shared with neighboring units pulling from the same counties, so it reflects the broader area rather than being unique to Unit 118's exact footprint.

Taken together: Unit 118 is worth applying for if a hunter's priority is a genuine shot at filling an elk tag in a public-land-heavy unit with decent terrain access. It's not a unit to chase if the sole goal is a wall-hanger bull — the trophy data points to moderate, not exceptional, potential.

Access & Terrain

Unit 118's 700,334 acres break down to 71% public land, which gives DIY hunters plenty of room to work without needing to negotiate private land access for the bulk of their hunt. That's a solid majority-public unit, and hunters can plan a hunt built primarily around public ground.

Elevations in the unit run from 6,484 feet up to 8,065 feet — a moderate elevation band that avoids the extreme high-alpine basins found in some western Wyoming elk units, but still offers enough vertical relief to create distinct habitat zones from lower sagebrush and timber transition country up into higher mixed-timber terrain. This elevation range suggests hunters should expect a mix of accessible foothill terrain and more demanding higher country, without the brutal above-timberline conditions seen in true high-alpine units.

With 0% of the unit designated as wilderness, Unit 118 does not carry the access restrictions or guide requirements that apply in Wyoming's wilderness areas. That's a meaningful point for nonresident hunters: there's no state-mandated outfitter requirement here, meaning nonresidents who draw a tag are free to hunt the unit DIY if they choose, relying on the public land base to build their hunt plan. That said, with no wilderness buffer, hunters should expect a terrain profile accessible by roads and trails rather than deep backcountry pack-in country — a different experience than the guide-only wilderness units found elsewhere in the state.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 118's harvest data over the past four years tells a story of a unit that consistently rewards hunters who draw a tag, with the caveat that success has moved around year to year:

• 2025: 192 hunters, 112 harvested, 58% success
• 2024: 192 hunters, 94 harvested, 49% success
• 2023: 118 hunters, 89 harvested, 75% success
• 2022: 118 hunters, 79 harvested, 67% success

The clear trend is that success rates have been strong across the board, never dipping below roughly half of hunters tagging out even in the weakest of these four years. The 2023 season stands out as the high-water mark at 75% success, though it came with fewer hunters afield (118) compared to the 192 hunters in both 2024 and 2025. That pattern — lower hunter numbers correlating with higher success rates — is common in limited-quota units, since fewer hunters in the field generally means less pressure on elk and more opportunity per hunter.

The increase in hunter numbers from 118 to 192 between the 2022-2023 seasons and the 2024-2025 seasons didn't crater success rates, which is an encouraging sign. Success dropped from the mid-60s/70s range down into the high-40s/upper-50s range, which is a meaningful decline but still represents a unit where a majority or near-majority of hunters are filling tags. Hunters should view Unit 118 as a unit with strong baseline success odds, understanding that the specific year-to-year percentage will fluctuate with both hunter pressure and elk movement/weather conditions.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 118 reflect a moderate history of trophy-class elk production. This isn't a unit known for turning out a steady stream of elite, record-book bulls, but it does have some trophy history in its broader geographic footprint. Because these records are logged at the county level rather than tied precisely to unit boundaries, that trophy history is shared with neighboring units pulling from the same counties — it's a regional signal, not a Unit 118-exclusive statistic.

Practically speaking, hunters should set realistic expectations: Unit 118 can produce a quality bull, and with a healthy harvest success rate the odds of connecting on an elk at all are favorable, but hunters chasing a true trophy-class bull should treat any exceptional animal as a bonus rather than the expected outcome. The moderate trophy designation means this unit sits in the middle of the pack compared to units with either limited or exceptional trophy pedigrees — a reasonable opportunity unit rather than a destination trophy unit.

How to Apply

Unit 118 has no general season for elk — every hunt in the unit, including hunts for antlered and either-sex animals, runs exclusively through Wyoming's limited-quota draw system. There is no over-the-counter option here; hunters must apply and be drawn to hunt elk in this unit at all.

Wyoming's draw structure for elk works differently than many western states. Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, and the state's elk draw does not use a preference point system for residents — resident elk applications are evaluated without any point-based weighting, so there's no "building points" strategy to consider on the resident side. Nonresidents face a different structure: Wyoming runs a portion of nonresident tags through a preference pool where the highest point holders draw first, alongside a separate random pool where points do not influence the odds at all. Nonresidents should understand that drawing a tag through the preference pool consumes those accumulated points, requiring a rebuild from zero on subsequent applications.

Given that Unit 118 carries stable tag quotas for Type 1 (75 tags) and Type 4 (50 tags) hunts through at least 2026, but a 25% cut in Type 6 tags between 2024 and 2025 (100 down to 75), hunters should expect competition for Type 6 tags specifically to be tighter than it has been historically. HuntPilot does not publish draw percentage data in this format — hunters should check the current unit page for up-to-date draw odds before building an application strategy.

Because Unit 118 carries 0% wilderness designation, nonresidents who draw a tag are not subject to Wyoming's wilderness-area outfitter requirement and can hunt the unit DIY if they prefer.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wyoming Unit 118 worth applying for? Based on the harvest data, yes — success rates have ranged from 49% to 75% over the past four years, meaning roughly half to three-quarters of hunters who draw a tag go on to harvest an elk. Combined with 71% public land access and stable tag quotas on two of the three hunt types tracked, Unit 118 represents a solid opportunity unit for hunters prioritizing a realistic shot at filling a tag.

What is harvest success like in Unit 118? Harvest success has been strong and consistent: 58% in 2025, 49% in 2024, 75% in 2023, and 67% in 2022. Even in the lowest of these four years, nearly half of all hunters in the field harvested an elk, which is a favorable track record for a limited-quota unit.

How big are the elk in Unit 118? Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 118 point to a moderate history of trophy-class elk, shared with neighboring units in the same counties. This isn't a unit renowned for exceptional bulls, but it has produced trophy-class animals historically. Hunters should view Unit 118 as a solid opportunity unit rather than a dedicated trophy destination.

What is the terrain like in Unit 118? The unit spans elevations from 6,484 to 8,065 feet across 700,334 acres, with 71% of that land classified as public. This elevation range reflects moderate mid-to-high elevation elk habitat rather than extreme alpine terrain, and with 0% wilderness designation, the unit is accessible without the backcountry access challenges found in designated wilderness areas.

Do I need a guide to hunt elk in Unit 118 as a nonresident? No. Unit 118 carries 0% wilderness designation, so Wyoming's nonresident wilderness-guide requirement does not apply here. Nonresidents who draw a tag are free to hunt the unit on their own without hiring a licensed outfitter, though hiring one remains an option for those who want local knowledge of the terrain.

Can I hunt Unit 118 without going through the draw? No. Unit 118 has no general season for elk — every hunt, including those for antlered and either-sex elk, is limited-quota and requires a successful draw. There is no over-the-counter tag option in this unit.