Wyoming Unit 98 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Wyoming Unit 98 is a limited-quota pronghorn antelope unit covering 603,651 acres of public and private rangeland in southern Wyoming, with 79% of the unit open to public access. There is no general season here — every hunt in this unit, including those for antlered and either-sex animals, requires drawing a limited-quota tag. For hunters weighing whether to spend points or apply cold for Unit 98, the data tells a mixed but informative story about harvest trends, herd composition, and trophy potential.

This is a unit that rewards research. Harvest success has swung dramatically from year to year, the buck:doe ratio sits in a range worth examining carefully, and the surrounding counties carry a genuine trophy pedigree. None of that means Unit 98 is automatically a good fit for every hunter — it means hunters need to look at the specifics before committing points or planning a trip.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 98 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer is "it depends on the year and your expectations," and the harvest numbers explain why. In the 2025 season, 44 hunters harvested 38 animals for an 86% success rate — an excellent number on its face, but one pulled from a very small hunter pool. Compare that to 2024, when 285 hunters harvested 97 animals for a 34% success rate, and 2023, when 262 hunters harvested 94 for 36% success. The 2022 season sits in between, with 384 hunters harvesting 191 animals for a 50% success rate.

That spread — from the mid-30s to the mid-80s in percentage terms — signals that Unit 98 is not a unit where success is guaranteed by default. The small-hunter-pool year (2025) produced the eye-catching success rate, while the years with larger hunter numbers (2022-2024) show success settling into a more realistic mid-30s-to-50% band. Hunters should plan around that broader multi-year trend rather than anchor expectations to the most recent, smallest-sample year.

On trophy potential, the counties overlapping Unit 98 carry a strong history of producing trophy-class pronghorn. That's a meaningful data point for hunters specifically chasing record-class animals, though it comes with an important caveat: trophy entries are logged by county, not by unit, so that trophy pedigree is shared with neighboring units drawing from the same counties. It doesn't mean every buck taken in Unit 98 specifically is trophy-class — it means the surrounding landscape has a demonstrated capacity to produce them.

The buck:doe ratio across four survey years (2021-2024) averaged 53 bucks per 100 does. That's a healthy ratio by pronghorn standards and suggests a buck segment of the herd that isn't being over-harvested relative to the doe population — a reasonable sign of herd health when it holds up across multiple survey years rather than spiking in just one.

Given 79% public land, a multi-year trophy reputation in the surrounding counties, and a buck:doe ratio that supports herd health, Unit 98 is worth serious consideration for hunters willing to apply and wait out a limited-quota draw. It is not a unit to assume is an easy, high-odds tag — the hunt structure here is entirely draw-based, and success swings with hunter pressure and conditions year to year.

Harvest Success Rates

Looking at the four most recent seasons on record for Unit 98:

• 2025: 44 hunters, 38 harvested — 86% success
• 2024: 285 hunters, 97 harvested — 34% success
• 2023: 262 hunters, 94 harvested — 36% success
• 2022: 384 hunters, 191 harvested — 50% success

The pattern worth noting is the inverse relationship between hunter volume and success percentage. When hunter numbers were highest (384 in 2022), success landed at 50%. When hunter numbers dropped to the 260-290 range in 2023 and 2024, success rates actually fell into the mid-30s — suggesting that hunter numbers alone don't dictate outcomes; conditions, herd distribution, and tag allocation by hunt type all play a role. The 2025 season's 86% figure, drawn from only 44 hunters, is the outlier and should be treated as a small-sample data point rather than the new normal. Hunters building expectations for this unit should plan around the 34-50% range that dominates the three larger-sample years, understanding that any given season could outperform or underperform that band.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 98 shows a strong history of producing record-book pronghorn. This is a meaningful signal for hunters specifically targeting trophy-class bucks, though it comes with the standard caveat that county-level trophy records are shared across all units drawing from the same counties — the record animals noted in this data could have come from Unit 98 or from a neighboring unit pulling from the same county boundaries.

That said, a strong multi-decade trophy history in the surrounding landscape is a positive indicator. It suggests the habitat, genetics, and management in this part of Wyoming have consistently supported bucks capable of scoring in the upper tiers of record-book criteria. Hunters chasing a genuine trophy pronghorn should view Unit 98 as part of a broader trophy-producing region rather than assume every tag here guarantees a record-class encounter — most hunters harvesting pronghorn in any unit, including ones with strong trophy histories, take solid, representative bucks rather than record-book animals.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The buck:doe ratio in Unit 98 averaged 53:100 across the four survey years from 2021 to 2024. A ratio in this range is within normal, healthy bounds for pronghorn herds — not inflated by a small-sample anomaly, and not so low as to suggest a buck segment under heavy pressure. For context, pronghorn buck:doe ratios above roughly 40:100 start to raise questions about survey sample size, but a multi-year average sitting at 53:100 across four consecutive survey years reads as a stable, trackable trend rather than a one-off spike.

This consistency across four years is the more reliable signal than any single year's number would be. It suggests wildlife managers have kept doe harvest and buck harvest in a balance that maintains breeding-age bucks in the population, which aligns with the unit's reputation for trophy production in the surrounding counties. Hunters should view the herd as stable and well-structured heading into future seasons, based on the available survey record.

Access & Terrain

Unit 98 spans 603,651 acres with 79% public land, giving DIY hunters substantial room to roam without needing to negotiate private access. Elevation in the unit ranges from 6,059 to 10,496 feet, a spread wide enough to cover open sagebrush flats and rolling rangeland at the lower end up through higher, more rugged terrain near the top of that range. There is no designated wilderness in this unit (0%), which means no special guide requirements apply here for nonresident hunters — pronghorn hunters can pursue this unit DIY regardless of residency status.

Given the public land percentage, hunters willing to walk beyond the nearest access points should find ample room to spread out and avoid the pressure concentrated near easy-access areas. Pronghorn hunting in Wyoming's open country typically rewards hunters who glass widely and are willing to cover ground on foot once they've identified concentrations of animals — a pattern that fits well with a unit offering this much public acreage.

How to Apply

Every pronghorn hunt in Unit 98 is a limited-quota draw hunt — there is no general season or over-the-counter option here. That means both residents and nonresidents must apply through Wyoming's draw system to hunt this unit, and the hunt structure includes draw opportunities for antlered and either-sex animals, not just antlerless tags.

Wyoming residents accumulate preference points for pronghorn when they apply and don't draw, and those points factor into future draw cycles. Nonresidents also build preference points under a points-blind system that runs alongside a separate points-based pool — in Wyoming's structure, the highest point holders draw first in one pool, while a separate random pool gives every applicant, regardless of point total, equal footing. A successful draw consumes the points a hunter has accumulated for that species, so hunters should expect to rebuild from zero after drawing a tag here.

Nonresidents should also know that all Wyoming big game tags, including pronghorn, must be drawn — there is no over-the-counter path for nonresidents in this state. Residents may have access to leftover or reduced-price tags in some circumstances, but the core path into Unit 98 for both residencies runs through the draw.

Given the complexity of Wyoming's dual-pool draw system, hunters should treat the application process as a strategic decision — not just a formality. Application structure, point mechanics, and the specifics of how the random and preference pools interact can change hunters' odds significantly depending on their point total and which pool they're competing in.

Application dates and fees change every cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds for Unit 98, see HuntPilot's Wyoming page at /states/wy, which pulls the latest numbers directly from the state's published draw reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Wyoming Unit 98? Unit 98 covers elevations from 6,059 to 10,496 feet across 603,651 acres, spanning a mix of lower rangeland and higher terrain. With 79% public land, hunters have significant room to explore without relying on private access, and the unit carries no designated wilderness, meaning there are no special guide requirements for nonresidents.

What is harvest success like in Unit 98? Harvest success has varied significantly by year. In 2022, 384 hunters harvested 191 animals for a 50% success rate; in 2023 and 2024, success rates settled into the mid-30s (36% and 34% respectively) with hunter numbers in the 260-290 range. The 2025 season saw a much smaller hunter pool (44 hunters) post an 86% success rate, which should be read as a small-sample outlier rather than a new baseline. Hunters should plan around the broader 34-50% range shown across the larger-sample years.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 98? The counties overlapping Unit 98 have a strong history of producing trophy-class pronghorn, based on record-book data. That trophy pedigree is shared with neighboring units drawing from the same counties, so it reflects the region's overall potential rather than a guarantee for every tag holder in Unit 98 specifically. Most hunters here will take solid, representative bucks, with trophy-class animals being a realistic but less common outcome.

Is Unit 98 worth applying for? Based on the available data, yes — with realistic expectations. The unit offers substantial public access (79%), a buck:doe ratio that has held in a healthy range across four consecutive survey years, and a trophy reputation tied to the surrounding counties. Success rates vary meaningfully by year, so hunters should treat this as a solid, draw-worthy unit rather than an automatic high-odds tag.

What is the buck:doe ratio in Unit 98, and what does it mean for hunters? The average buck:doe ratio across four survey years (2021-2024) was 53:100, a healthy and consistent figure that suggests balanced management between buck and doe harvest. Because this average holds across multiple years rather than spiking in a single survey, it's a more reliable indicator of herd health than any single-year snapshot would be.