It’s No Secret That Wyoming’s Elk Hunting Is The Best
Wyoming is known for many things, including these few important ones.
- Two national parks - Yellowstone and Grand Teton
- National monument - Devil's Tower
- One of the lowest populations in the U.S. - Just over 586,000
- People to cow ratio - 2.15 cows per person
- Fantastic elk hunter success rate - 53.5 percent
According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 2023-2024 was one of the state's most successful elk hunting seasons, with more than 29,000 elk harvested. For the first time in over ten years, over 13,000 of those were cow elk.
The elk populations have flourished over the last two decades, and in some cases around the state, the numbers are over-objective. This means there are more elk than some areas can handle. Hunting seasons are one of the main tools in controlling the populations of elk and all species of wildlife.
Chantz Yager from Yager Ridge Camo revealed the Top Seven states with the best success rate, and Wyoming came in at #1. The numbers are taken from the beginning of the archery season, any special seasons, and up until the end.
Here's a list of all of the top states.
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Montana
- Idaho
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Washington
In this Instagram post, he explains that his numbers were from 2012 to 2017, even though the current numbers may be higher or lower in those states.
The information used in the elk hunting success rates are:
- Total licenses sold (resident/ non-resident)
- Number of active hunters
- Harvest breakdowns (Bull/Spike/Cow/Calf)
- Recreation days
Wyoming Ranch Motion-Triggered Wildlife Cam
Gallery Credit: Working Lands & Wildlife Project via Vimeo
A Pair of Bucks Fighting for Control of the Herd
Gallery Credit: Tad Pole