Wyoming Unit 98 Elk Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 98 elk hunting draws attention from both resident and nonresident hunters looking for a unit that combines general-season accessibility with genuine backcountry elk country. Spanning nearly 1.24 million acres with elevations ranging from 6,267 feet up to 12,429 feet, this unit offers the kind of vertical relief and habitat diversity that lets elk herds move between high alpine basins and lower desert fringe country as seasons change. With 93% public land, Unit 98 is about as DIY-friendly as it gets in Wyoming, giving hunters legitimate access to the vast majority of the landscape without needing to negotiate private land permission.

This is a general-season unit for elk, which is an important distinction for hunters comparing it to Wyoming's strictly limited-quota units elsewhere in the state. General-season hunts here include antlered and either-sex opportunities, meaning residents can typically buy a general license over the counter and hunt bulls without going through a draw at all. On top of that, Unit 98 also offers limited-quota draw hunts that include antlered and either-sex animals, giving hunters — particularly nonresidents who must draw regardless — a second avenue into the unit with potentially different season structures and pressure levels.

With 8% of the unit classified as wilderness, most of Unit 98 falls outside Wyoming's mandatory outfitter requirement for nonresidents, though hunters heading into that wilderness fraction should plan accordingly. The bulk of the unit is open to unguided nonresident hunters willing to put in the scouting and physical effort this high-elevation country demands.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 98 Worth Applying For?

The harvest numbers out of Unit 98 tell a story of a solid, dependable general elk unit rather than a sleeper trophy destination. Success rates have run between 28% and 40% over the past four years — 33% in 2025 (392 harvested out of 1,182 hunters), 40% in 2024 (446 of 1,120), 39% in 2023 (404 of 1,029), and 28% in 2022 (284 of 1,002). That's a meaningful range, but even the low year clears one in four hunters tagging out, and three of the last four seasons have landed at or above one in three. For a unit with this much public access and a general-season component, that's a healthy, consistent success rate that most Western elk hunters would be glad to see.

The wildlife survey data adds a note of caution, however. The average bull:cow ratio across four survey years (2021-2024) sits at 27:100, which is on the lower end for elk herds and suggests bull numbers relative to cows are being kept in check — likely a byproduct of consistent hunting pressure and general-season opportunity rather than a herd being managed for trophy age structure. This is not unusual for a general unit with strong access and solid success rates, but it does shape expectations: hunters should come to Unit 98 expecting a fair shot at a bull, not a unit engineered to produce mature, heavily pressured-free bulls.

Trophy history in the counties overlapping Unit 98 is moderate — there is some record-book pedigree here, but it's not among Wyoming's standout trophy factories. Given the county-level nature of that data (shared with neighboring units, not exclusive to Unit 98), hunters should treat the trophy angle as a bonus rather than the primary draw. The real appeal of this unit is opportunity: high success rates, enormous public acreage, and a general-season structure that doesn't force nonresidents and residents alike into a long-term points game just to get boots on the ground.

For a hunter whose priority is filling a tag on public land with a fair year-over-year success rate, Unit 98 is worth serious consideration. For a hunter chasing a wall-hanger above all else, this unit's data doesn't support that as the primary strategy — it's a solid, honest elk unit rather than a trophy unit.

Access & Terrain

Unit 98 covers nearly 1.24 million acres, and with 93% of that public, access is about as open as it gets in elk country. The elevation range — from 6,267 feet at the low end to 12,429 feet at the high end — spans desert-fringe country up through true high alpine terrain, which explains the seasonal elk movement hunters report in this unit: bulls holding in high country early, then working down toward lower desert and foothill habitat as the season progresses and weather pushes them.

The 8% wilderness designation means the vast majority of the unit is accessible without the added logistics of a wilderness-specific game plan, though that 8% represents real high-country habitat that likely holds elk earlier in the season before animals filter down. Wyoming law requires nonresidents to hire a licensed outfitter when hunting in designated wilderness, so nonresident DIY hunters planning to stay outside that 8% wilderness footprint can hunt the rest of the unit unguided — but should confirm before the season which drainages fall inside the wilderness boundary if their plan includes any high-elevation, early-season strategy.

Given the elevation swing of over 6,000 vertical feet, hunters should expect genuinely rugged, physically demanding terrain in the upper elevations and more open, arid country as they move toward the unit's lower fringes. This vertical diversity is part of what supports Unit 98's consistent harvest numbers — elk have room to move within the unit rather than being pushed entirely off it, and hunters willing to work the transition zones between high timber and lower desert edges put themselves in the path of that seasonal movement.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 98's harvest data over the last four years shows a unit that reliably produces for a meaningful share of its hunters:

• 2025: 1,182 hunters, 392 harvested, 33% success
• 2024: 1,120 hunters, 446 harvested, 40% success
• 2023: 1,029 hunters, 404 harvested, 39% success
• 2022: 1,002 hunters, 284 harvested, 28% success

Hunter numbers have climbed steadily over this window, from 1,002 in 2022 to 1,182 in 2025, while harvest totals have generally kept pace — with the exception of 2022, which posted the lowest success rate of the four years despite similar hunter pressure to 2023. That dip is worth noting for hunters trying to gauge year-to-year variability, but the broader trend across 2023-2025 shows success rates holding in the high-20s to high-30s percent range, which is respectable for a unit this size with this much public land and general-season pressure.

Trophy Quality

Trophy potential in Unit 98 is best described as moderate. The counties overlapping this unit carry a moderate history of trophy-class record entries, meaning there is some pedigree here, but it is not a unit that stands out as a consistent producer of elite bulls. Because record-book entries are logged at the county level and shared across all units within those county boundaries, hunters should not assume that any specific animal came from within Unit 98's boundaries specifically — the trophy history reflects the broader region, including neighboring units.

Combined with the survey data showing a bull:cow ratio of 27:100, the picture that emerges is a unit that produces a fair number of harvestable bulls but doesn't carry the age structure or genetic pedigree of Wyoming's premier trophy units. Hunters should set realistic expectations: Unit 98 is a good bet for hunters wanting a representative Wyoming bull on an accessible public-land unit, not a unit to prioritize if the primary goal is chasing a record-book animal.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The available survey data for Unit 98 spans four years (2021-2024) and shows an average bull:cow ratio of 27:100. This is a modest ratio by elk management standards and suggests a herd where bull numbers are being held down relative to cows, likely a natural consequence of the general-season harvest pressure this unit sees given its high hunter participation numbers. Without additional multi-year breakdowns beyond the four-year average, it's difficult to identify a clear upward or downward trend, but the ratio itself indicates a unit managed more for hunter opportunity than for producing a surplus of mature bulls.

Hunters should weigh this alongside the harvest success data — the two data sets tell a consistent story: Unit 98 is a working general elk unit with solid opportunity, not one being managed to stockpile trophy bulls behind restrictive quotas.

How to Apply

Unit 98 offers two distinct paths to a tag, and understanding the difference matters before hunters build a strategy around either one.

General season license: Because Unit 98 has general-season hunts that include antlered and either-sex elk, Wyoming residents can typically purchase a general elk license over the counter for this unit without going through the draw. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw even for the general license — Wyoming requires nonresidents to draw all big game tags regardless of season type.

Limited-quota draw hunts: Unit 98 also has limited-quota draw hunts covering antlered and either-sex elk. These operate through Wyoming's draw system, which for elk uses a preference pool where the highest point holders draw first, running alongside a separate points-blind random pool where points do not influence the odds. Wyoming residents do not accumulate preference points for elk — resident elk draws function differently than the state's deer, pronghorn, moose, and sheep points systems, so residents applying for Unit 98's limited-quota hunts should not expect a points strategy to factor in. Nonresidents drawing a limited-quota tag will use their accumulated preference points where applicable, and a successful draw consumes those points, resetting the count for future elk applications.

Given that 8% of Unit 98 is designated wilderness, nonresidents planning to hunt inside that wilderness boundary — whether on a general or limited-quota tag — are required by Wyoming law to hire a licensed outfitter. Nonresidents hunting the remainder of the unit outside wilderness can do so unguided.

Application dates, fees, and current draw statistics change every cycle. For the most current deadlines, license costs, and draw information for Unit 98, visit HuntPilot's Wyoming page at /states/wy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Wyoming Unit 98? Unit 98 spans a dramatic elevation range from 6,267 feet to 12,429 feet across nearly 1.24 million acres, meaning hunters encounter everything from lower desert-fringe country to true high alpine terrain. With 93% public land, most of that terrain is accessible to hunters without needing private land permission, though the vertical relief demands solid physical preparation, particularly for hunters targeting the upper elevations early in the season.

What is harvest success like in Unit 98? Success rates have ranged from 28% to 40% over the past four seasons, with 2025 coming in at 33% (392 of 1,182 hunters), 2024 at 40% (446 of 1,120), 2023 at 39% (404 of 1,029), and 2022 at 28% (284 of 1,002). That's a consistently solid success rate for a general elk unit with this much public land and hunter volume.

How big are the elk in Unit 98? Trophy potential is moderate. The counties overlapping this unit carry some history of trophy-class record entries, but this is not one of Wyoming's standout trophy-producing areas, and that record history is shared across neighboring units at the county level rather than being unit-exclusive. Survey data showing a bull:cow ratio of 27:100 also points toward a herd managed more for broad hunter opportunity than for producing a high volume of mature bulls.

Is Unit 98 worth applying for? For hunters prioritizing access and a fair shot at tagging an elk, yes — the combination of 93% public land, a general-season structure available to residents, and success rates consistently in the 30-40% range make this a dependable unit. For hunters whose main goal is a trophy-class bull, the moderate trophy history and modest bull:cow ratio suggest looking elsewhere or treating a big bull here as a bonus rather than the expectation.

Do nonresidents need a guide to hunt Unit 98? Only within the unit's designated wilderness, which makes up 8% of Unit 98's total acreage. Wyoming law requires nonresidents to hire a licensed outfitter when hunting in wilderness areas. Outside that wilderness footprint, nonresidents can hunt Unit 98 unguided, whether on a general or limited-quota license.