Wyoming · Deadlines
Wyoming application deadlines
Every date below was read off a Wyoming Game and Fish page or document on the verification date, and each row says which one. Where the department doesn't state something — including which year its own table describes — this page says so rather than filling the gap.
Application windows by species and residency
The booklet and the summary table both carry every row below, and they agree on all of them.
| Application | Opens | Closes | Modify / withdraw by | Tentative results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk — nonresident Regular and Special alike | Jan 2 | Feb 2 | May 8 | May 21 |
| Elk — resident no Special draw exists for residents | Jan 2 | Jun 1 | Jun 1 | Jun 18 |
| Deer — resident and nonresident Regular and Special alike | Jan 2 | Jun 1 | Jun 1 | Jun 18 |
| Antelope — resident and nonresident Regular and Special alike | Jan 2 | Jun 1 | Jun 1 | Jun 18 |
| Moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat resident and nonresident | Jan 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 30 | May 21 |
| Bison resident and nonresident | Mar 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 30 | May 21 |
Every row above: application booklet and dates and deadlines table.
Special and Regular share one deadline
This is the detail most often got wrong, and the department is explicit about it. The booklet lists Special Elk and Fishing on the same January 2 to February 2 window as the Regular nonresident elk licence, and does the same for Special deer and Special antelope on the June 1 window. There is no separate Special deadline, and no separate Special result date.
Special is a price and a draw pool, not a calendar. It is a choice a nonresident makes on the application, and once submitted it cannot be switched — the department's process page states you cannot change from Regular to Special or back. Residents have no Special option at all.
What each pool actually drew, at each point level, is on the elk, deer and antelope tables, which report Regular and Special separately.
The preference point period — Wyoming's own pages disagree
Three department sources give the point-only application period. Two say one thing and one says another, and the window is open as this page is verified.
- July 1 – November 22026 application booklet, resident and nonresident tables · dates and deadlines table
- July 1 – October 31Preference points page: “The application period is July 1-Oct. 31.” · news release of 28 July 2025
We are not going to pick one. Buying your point by October 31 satisfies both readings; that is arithmetic on the two published dates, not a deadline we are asserting. If you intend to use the later date, confirm it with the department first.
Point-only fees, from the booklet and the preference points page, which agree.
| Preference point | Fee |
|---|---|
| Nonresident elk | $52 |
| Nonresident deer | $41 |
| Nonresident antelope | $31 |
| Nonresident youth, each of the three | $10 |
| Moose — nonresident | $150 |
| Bighorn sheep — nonresident | $150 |
| Moose or bighorn sheep — resident | $7 |
What it costs to apply
The booklet's amount to remit — the licence fee plus the non-refundable application fee of $15 for nonresidents and $5 for residents, charged in full at submission. It excludes the card processing fee, which the booklet says applies to every card transaction.
| Licence | Amount to remit |
|---|---|
| Nonresident elk and fishing — Regular | $707 |
| Nonresident elk and fishing — Special | $1,965 |
| Nonresident deer — Regular | $389 |
| Nonresident deer — Special | $1,215 |
| Nonresident antelope — Regular | $341 |
| Nonresident antelope — Special | $1,215 |
| Resident elk | $62 |
| Resident deer | $47 |
| Resident antelope | $42 |
Application booklet, resident and nonresident deadline tables · licence prices cross-checked against the licence fee list.
After the initial draw
These are the only dates on this page the department stamps with a calendar year itself.
- Leftover elk, deer and antelope drawing
- Tentative results of the leftover drawing
- Licences remaining after both drawings go on sale, first come first served
Application booklet, page 1.
What Wyoming Game and Fish does not state
Named here rather than filled in. Every item below is a gap in the department's own publications as of 27 August 2026, not a gap in our reading of them.
- Which year the summary table describes. No row on the dates and deadlines table carries a year. The only year printed anywhere on that page is in a footnote about the Super Tag raffle.
- The 2027 calendar. No 2027 booklet and no dated 2027 deadline schedule had been published as of the verification date.
- A time zone on the opening time. The booklet says applications are accepted from 8:00 a.m. on the opening date without naming a zone. It names mountain time only on the midnight closing deadline.
- No times at all on the web table. The 8:00 a.m. open and the midnight mountain time close appear only in the booklet PDF. A hunter reading the department's summary table alone is given no time of day.
- Firm result dates. The department's own column heading is “Tentative Results Available”, and its booklet says moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison results “tentatively take place May 21”. May 21 and June 18 are the department's dates; the word tentative is also the department's.
- Why the point period is printed two ways. The department does not acknowledge the October 31 and November 2 discrepancy or say which supersedes the other.
Every source read for this page
- 2026 Wyoming Game and Fish Department Hunting License Application Information — the Application Booklet, linked from the Licenses & Applications page, fetched 27 August 2026
- Application Dates & Deadlines — the department’s summary table, fetched 27 August 2026
- Preference points — point rules, eligibility and fees, fetched 27 August 2026
- Application Process — where the Special and Regular choice is described, fetched 27 August 2026
- License Fee List — licence prices, fetched 27 August 2026
- Big game applications open for 2026-27 hunting season, key deadlines approaching — department news release, posted 26 January 2026, fetched 27 August 2026
- Apply now for Wyoming preference points — department news release, posted 28 July 2025, fetched 27 August 2026
Wyoming draw data on this site
Deadlines tell you when to apply. What it takes to draw is a different question, and it is answered from the department's published results rather than from a projection.