Wyoming Unit 6 Moose Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 6 is one of the state's premier moose hunting destinations, offering a combination of high harvest success, expansive public land access, and rugged, high-elevation terrain that defines classic Rocky Mountain moose country. For hunters chasing a Shiras moose tag in Wyoming, Unit 6 consistently ranks among the units worth serious consideration — provided they understand the point investment and terrain demands that come with it.

Spanning 798,265 acres with elevations ranging from 6,413 feet up to 13,769 feet, Unit 6 offers a dramatic vertical landscape that pushes from valley floors and riparian drainages up into alpine basins. With 91% of the unit in public ownership, access is not the limiting factor here — physical conditioning, scouting, and point accumulation are. This article breaks down what the data shows about Unit 6, and whether it deserves a spot on a serious moose hunter's application list.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 6 Worth Applying For?

Based on data compiled by HuntPilot, Unit 6 stands out as a strong option for hunters willing to commit to Wyoming's long-term point strategy for moose. The headline number is harvest success: over the last four seasons of available data (2022–2025), Unit 6 hunters have posted success rates of 100%, 100%, 80%, and 100%. That's about as good as moose hunting gets anywhere in the West. Sample sizes are small — five hunters per year in the data provided — but a unit that consistently converts drawn tags into harvested bulls at this rate tells hunters that once they draw, the odds of filling the tag are excellent.

The trade-off is access to the tag itself. Wyoming moose permits, especially in quality units like Unit 6, are notoriously difficult for nonresidents to draw and require years of point accumulation even for residents applying to limited-quota areas. Hunters should check HuntPilot's Unit 6 page for current draw odds and point-level breakdowns, since draw statistics shift year to year with quota and applicant changes.

Trophy potential in the counties overlapping Unit 6 is moderate — there is a documented history of trophy-class bulls coming from this area, but it isn't at the level of the state's very top-tier producers. Combined with the high public land percentage (91%) and significant wilderness acreage (45%), Unit 6 rewards hunters who are physically prepared to get into remote country and who value a near-certain harvest opportunity once they draw, over chasing the single biggest bull in the state.

The bottom line: Unit 6 is worth applying for if a hunter's priority is a high-probability, physically demanding, backcountry moose hunt on mostly public ground. It is less suited to hunters looking for an easy, low-elevation, drive-in experience, or those fixated purely on maximizing trophy score above all else.

Herd Health & Harvest Success Rates

The harvest data for Unit 6 is limited to small hunter numbers, which is typical for Wyoming moose units where permits are tightly controlled to protect herd numbers. Still, the trend is unmistakable:

• 2025: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
• 2024: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
• 2023: 5 hunters, 4 harvested — 80% success
• 2022: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success

Across these four years, only one hunter failed to fill a tag. This kind of consistency over multiple seasons is a strong signal — not a one-year anomaly — and it points to a healthy, huntable moose population supported by careful permit management. Wyoming Game and Fish limits moose tags deliberately to sustain herd health, and Unit 6's numbers reflect a population that, while not hunted heavily, produces results for those who do draw.

Hunters should keep in mind that small annual hunter numbers mean the difference between 80% and 100% success is just a single animal. That said, four consecutive years without a single season dropping below 80% success is a meaningful pattern for planning purposes, not statistical noise.

Trophy Quality

Trophy history in the counties overlapping Unit 6 shows moderate potential — meaning there is a real and documented history of trophy-class bulls coming from this general area, but it isn't among the elite handful of Wyoming units that dominate the record books. Hunters targeting Unit 6 should set realistic expectations: this is a unit where a mature, respectable bull is a realistic goal for a hunter who puts in the scouting time, but chasing a truly exceptional record-book-caliber bull will require patience, local knowledge, and likely more than one season of pattern-watching if a hunter is fortunate enough to draw more than once in a lifetime.

It's worth noting that record-book entries are tracked at the county level, not by hunt unit, so trophy statistics for the broader region are shared across Unit 6 and any neighboring units that fall within the same counties. This means the moderate trophy history reflects the wider area's potential rather than being unit-exclusive.

Access & Terrain

Unit 6's terrain profile is one of its defining characteristics. With an elevation range stretching from 6,413 feet to 13,769 feet, hunters can expect everything from lower-elevation riparian willow bottoms and aspen draws — prime moose feeding habitat — up to steep alpine terrain near treeline. This vertical relief means moose can be found across a wide range of elevation bands depending on the time of season, weather, and forage availability, and hunters should be prepared to adjust their glassing and stalking strategy as conditions change throughout the hunt.

The public land situation is excellent: 91% of Unit 6 is publicly accessible, which is well above the level needed for a true DIY hunt. This is a unit where an unguided, self-sufficient hunter can realistically plan an entire hunt on public ground without needing to negotiate private access or lease arrangements.

The wilderness factor, however, is significant. Unit 6 contains 45% wilderness acreage. For Wyoming hunts, this matters enormously: Wyoming state law requires all nonresident hunters to hire a licensed Wyoming outfitter or guide when hunting in designated wilderness areas. With nearly half of Unit 6 falling inside wilderness boundaries, nonresident hunters need to plan carefully. Any pursuit that takes a nonresident into that wilderness portion of the unit legally requires a licensed guide — there's no way around it. Nonresidents hunting the non-wilderness portions of the unit are not subject to this requirement, but given the terrain and the likelihood that quality moose habitat exists on both sides of the wilderness boundary, nonresident hunters should factor guide costs and logistics into their planning from the outset.

Wyoming residents are not affected by this guide mandate and can hunt the wilderness portions of Unit 6 without a guide, which gives residents considerably more flexibility in how they approach scouting and hunting the unit's more remote basins.

Given the elevation extremes and wilderness percentage, hunters — resident or nonresident with a guide — should expect a physically demanding hunt. This is not a roadside moose unit. Pack strategy, physical conditioning, and realistic expectations about the terrain's difficulty should factor heavily into any Unit 6 application decision.

How to Apply

Wyoming moose tags require hunters to navigate a structured application calendar with specific fees tied to residency status. Based on the data available:

For 2028 applications (all applicants): the application window opens January 5, 2028, with a deadline of March 1, 2028.

For 2026 Moose applications, the fee structure breaks down by residency:

• Nonresident: $15 application fee, $2,752 tag fee, $150 point fee. Applications open January 2, 2026, with a deadline of April 30, 2026. The point-only deadline (for hunters purchasing a preference point without applying for a tag) is November 2, 2026.
• Resident: $5 application fee, $152 tag fee, $7 point fee. Applications open January 2, 2026, with a deadline of April 30, 2026. The point-only deadline is also November 2, 2026.

Wyoming residents accumulate preference points for moose, and building points over multiple years is the standard strategy for improving odds on quality units like Unit 6. Nonresidents also accumulate points, but should understand that a successful draw consumes those accumulated points, meaning any future moose application effectively restarts from zero. Given the steep nonresident tag fee ($2,752) on top of the point and application fees, nonresidents should budget carefully and treat a Unit 6 moose tag as a significant, likely once-in-a-lifetime investment.

For current draw odds by point level, hunters should consult HuntPilot's Wyoming state page at /states/wy or the Unit 6 page directly, since draw statistics change from year to year based on quota adjustments and applicant volume.

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 6? Unit 6 features dramatic elevation change, from 6,413 feet at its lowest points to 13,769 feet at its highest peaks. This range includes lower-elevation riparian and aspen habitat favored by moose for feeding, as well as steep alpine terrain near treeline. With 45% of the unit designated wilderness, much of the highest-quality backcountry requires significant physical effort and, for nonresidents, a licensed guide to access legally.

What is harvest success like in Unit 6? Harvest success in Unit 6 has been strong in recent years, with success rates of 100% in 2025, 100% in 2024, 80% in 2023, and 100% in 2022. While the number of hunters drawing tags each year is small, this consistency over four seasons suggests that hunters who draw a Unit 6 moose tag have a very good chance of filling it.

How big are the moose in Unit 6? Trophy history in the counties overlapping Unit 6 shows moderate potential — there is a documented history of trophy-class bulls from the broader area, though it is not among Wyoming's top-tier trophy-producing regions. Hunters can reasonably expect a mature bull to be achievable with good scouting, but should temper expectations for chasing an exceptional record-book animal.

Is Unit 6 worth applying for as a nonresident? For nonresidents willing to commit to Wyoming's point system and budget for the $2,752 tag fee, Unit 6 offers a compelling combination of high harvest success and extensive public land (91%). The major consideration is the 45% wilderness coverage, which legally requires nonresidents to hire a licensed outfitter for any hunting done inside wilderness boundaries — a cost and logistics factor that should be built into the decision from the start.

Do Wyoming residents need a guide to hunt the wilderness portion of Unit 6? No. Wyoming's outfitter requirement for wilderness areas applies only to nonresident hunters. Wyoming residents can hunt the wilderness portions of Unit 6 without a guide, giving residents more flexibility to explore the unit's more remote, less-pressured basins on their own.