Wyoming Unit 58 Elk Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 58 sits in elk country with a reputation that draws serious attention from both resident and nonresident hunters, and the numbers back up why. Spanning 163,124 acres with elevations ranging from 4,826 to 11,240 feet, this unit offers the kind of vertical relief and habitat diversity that elk need to thrive across seasonal ranges. For hunters researching Wyoming Unit 58 elk hunting opportunities, the combination of recent harvest data, trophy history, and application requirements makes this a unit worth a hard look — with some important caveats.

This is grizzly country, according to hunters who have applied for and hunted this unit, and it sits near the Cody area based on forum discussion among applicants. That combination — rugged, high-elevation terrain and predator presence — shapes both the hunting experience and the quality of animals that survive to maturity here. With only 33% public land, access requires some planning, but the harvest trends over the past four seasons suggest hunters who draw a tag here are finding elk.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 58 Worth Applying For?

Based on data compiled by HuntPilot, Unit 58 presents a genuinely compelling case for hunters willing to invest points and effort. The headline number is harvest success, which has been strong and trending in a positive direction in terms of hunter participation. In 2025, 296 hunters harvested 168 elk for a 57% success rate — a notable jump in total hunter numbers from prior years while still maintaining a solid conversion rate. Go back further and the success rates get even more impressive: 67% in both 2023 and 2022, with 51% in 2024. Across all four years, more hunters are drawing tags and finding success far more often than not.

That said, hunters need to be honest about what those numbers mean before committing points to this unit. A 26:100 bull-to-cow ratio, averaged across four survey years from 2021 to 2024, is on the lower end for elk herds and suggests a bull population that's been under some hunting or predation pressure relative to the cow herd. This isn't a unit where hunters should expect to see bulls behind every tree — it's a unit where the harvest data says hunters who put in the effort connect, but the overall bull representation in the herd is modest.

The trophy picture adds nuance. The counties overlapping Unit 58 carry a strong history of trophy-class elk production, according to record-book data. That's an encouraging signal for hunters chasing a mature bull, but it comes with an important caveat: record-book entries are logged by county, not by unit boundary, so that trophy history is shared with neighboring units that fall in the same counties. A hunter drawing Unit 58 isn't guaranteed to be hunting the exact ground where a notable bull was taken, but the broader area has clearly produced quality animals over time.

Given 33% public land, DIY hunters need to go in with a plan. The majority of this unit's acreage is privately held, which means public-land access points, timing, and terrain knowledge matter enormously. Forum discussion from hunters who've applied here backs up the physical demands — the general sentiment is that success favors hunters in good physical condition who are willing to get away from roads and hunt the more difficult country other hunters skip. With elevations climbing to 11,240 feet, this isn't a unit for hunters expecting an easy pack-out.

Bottom line: Unit 58 is worth applying for if hunters value strong and improving harvest success, are comfortable navigating a unit that's roughly two-thirds private land, and have realistic expectations about bull quality driven by a bull:cow ratio that isn't posting big numbers. It is not a unit to chase purely for trophy potential without also accounting for the access and herd composition realities in the data.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 58's harvest numbers over the last four seasons show a unit that consistently rewards hunters who draw a tag:

• 2025: 296 hunters, 168 harvested, 57% success
• 2024: 203 hunters, 103 harvested, 51% success
• 2023: 155 hunters, 104 harvested, 67% success
• 2022: 95 hunters, 64 harvested, 67% success

The trend line is worth studying closely. Hunter participation has more than tripled since 2022, climbing from 95 hunters to 296 in 2025, while success rates have settled in the 51-57% range over the most recent two years after peaking at 67% when fewer hunters were in the field. This pattern is common in units that see rising popularity — more hunters spread across the same terrain typically means success rates moderate somewhat, even as total harvest numbers climb. Still, a 57% success rate in the most recent season is a strong figure by any western elk unit standard, and even the "low" year of 51% in 2024 means roughly half of all hunters in the unit tagged out.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data compiled by HuntPilot indicates that the counties overlapping Unit 58 have a strong history of producing trophy-class elk. This points to exceptional to strong trophy potential in the broader area, though hunters should understand that record-book entries are attributed at the county level rather than to a specific unit boundary — meaning that trophy history is shared with neighboring units whose boundaries fall within the same counties, and animals credited to those counties may have been taken anywhere within them, not necessarily inside Unit 58 itself.

That trophy pedigree, combined with the unit's rugged elevation range and lower hunter density relative to more accessible units, suggests real potential for a mature bull for hunters willing to work for it. However, the modest 26:100 bull:cow ratio recorded across recent surveys is a signal that bulls are not overly abundant relative to cows in this herd, which can make locating a genuinely mature bull more of a scouting and endurance challenge than a numbers game. Hunters chasing a trophy bull in Unit 58 should plan on covering serious ground, glassing extensively, and being prepared to pass on younger bulls early in the hunt in hopes of locating a mature animal later.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The wildlife survey data available for Unit 58 covers four survey years between 2021 and 2024, showing an average bull:cow ratio of 26:100. This is a relatively low ratio compared to many Wyoming elk units and suggests a herd where cows significantly outnumber bulls in the post-hunt population structure. There isn't year-by-year survey detail available to break out trend direction within that window, but the four-year average gives a reasonably reliable baseline for what hunters can expect from herd composition.

A ratio in this range typically means bulls face meaningful hunting pressure and/or natural mortality relative to the cow segment of the herd. It doesn't necessarily mean the unit lacks elk — the harvest numbers clearly show elk are present and being taken in good numbers — but it does suggest that mature, older-age-class bulls are a smaller slice of the overall bull population. Hunters should factor this into expectations: this is a unit where tag success is likely, but pulling a genuinely old, heavy-antlered bull out of the herd requires more selectivity and effort than raw success-rate numbers alone would suggest.

Access & Terrain

Unit 58 covers 163,124 acres with an elevation range from 4,826 feet up to 11,240 feet — a spread of more than 6,400 vertical feet that puts everything from lower sagebrush and foothill terrain to high alpine basins inside the unit boundary. That kind of vertical diversity typically means elk have room to move seasonally between lower-elevation transitional range and high-country summer range, and hunters can expect to encounter a real mix of terrain types depending on where and when they hunt.

Public land makes up just 33% of the unit, meaning the majority of Unit 58's acreage is privately held. This is a critical planning factor for any hunter, especially nonresidents unfamiliar with the area. With roughly two-thirds of the unit in private hands, DIY hunters need to identify accessible public parcels well before the season, understand boundary lines precisely, and potentially look into landowner permission or access programs to reach elk that may be using private ground for feeding or bedding. There is no wilderness acreage recorded for this unit, so nonresident hunters are not subject to Wyoming's outfitter-required wilderness access law here — DIY access is legally permitted across the public portions of the unit.

Forum accounts from hunters who've applied for or hunted Unit 58 consistently mention that this is rugged, physically demanding country, and that hunters willing to get away from roads and hike into more remote terrain tend to see better results. Given the elevation ceiling above 11,000 feet and the presence of grizzly bears noted by hunters familiar with the area, physical conditioning and situational awareness matter as much as marksmanship here.

How to Apply

For the 2028 draw cycle, Wyoming's application window opens January 5, 2028, with a deadline of March 1, 2028, according to the state's application calendar tracked by HuntPilot.

For the more immediate 2026 season, Wyoming has published detailed fee structures by license type:

• Nonresident special tag: $15 application fee, $1,950 tag fee, $52 point fee — applications open January 2, 2026, with a deadline of February 2, 2026, and a point deadline of November 2, 2026.
• Nonresident regular tag: $15 application fee, $692 tag fee, $52 point fee — same open date of January 2, 2026, deadline of February 2, 2026, and point deadline of November 2, 2026.
• Nonresident antlerless tag: $15 application fee, $288 tag fee, $52 point fee — same application window as above.
• Resident regular tag: $5 application fee, $57 tag fee — applications open January 2, 2026, with a deadline of June 1, 2026.
• Resident antlerless tag: $5 application fee, $43 tag fee — same application window as the resident regular tag.

Nonresident applicants should note the separate point deadline of November 2, 2026, which applies to preference point purchases independent of the main application. Wyoming's nonresident elk system requires careful tracking of these dates since the application deadline (February 2, 2026) falls well before the point deadline later in the year.

For current draw odds and point requirements specific to Unit 58, hunters should visit HuntPilot's unit page or Wyoming's state page directly, as draw statistics shift from year to year based on quota changes and applicant pool fluctuations.

Dates and fees are subject to change. Always verify current application details at the state wildlife agency website before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Wyoming Unit 58? Unit 58 spans a dramatic elevation range from 4,826 feet to 11,240 feet across 163,124 acres, meaning hunters encounter everything from lower sagebrush and foothill country to high alpine terrain within the same unit. With only 33% public land, much of the accessible hunting ground requires careful pre-season scouting to identify public parcels and understand adjacent private boundaries. Hunters describe the country as physically demanding, rewarding those willing to hike away from roads into more remote terrain.

What is harvest success like in Unit 58? Recent harvest data shows consistently strong success rates: 57% in 2025 (296 hunters, 168 harvested), 51% in 2024, and 67% in both 2023 and 2022. Hunter numbers have grown substantially in recent years, and even with more hunters afield, success rates have remained well above 50% in every recorded season.

How big are the elk in Unit 58? Trophy record data shows the counties overlapping Unit 58 have a strong history of producing trophy-class elk, though those records are attributed at the county level and shared with neighboring units in the same counties. Combine that trophy pedigree with a modest bull:cow ratio averaging 26:100 across recent surveys, and the picture is one where trophy bulls are present in the broader area but require patience and selective hunting rather than being abundant across the herd.

Is Unit 58 worth applying for? Based on the harvest and trophy data available, Unit 58 is a strong option for hunters who prioritize solid harvest success and are willing to work hard in rugged