Any season is a great time for outdoorsmen to get to know Pinedale's vast expanses of hunting territory. 

Antler hunts, spring black bear hunting, and special archery season are area favorites and with Wyoming Game and Fish's Preference Point system available to non-resident hunters, we recommend to plan your hunts well in advance.

Plan Your Hunt

Let's get you started on planning your hunting adventure among the 3.4 million acres of the Bridger Teton National Forest.  Plan your hunt now by checking application deadlines and check out the Preference Points period July 1 through September 30 each year. Our hospitable guides and outfitters and services have decades of backcountry experience and will offer you and your family a world class hunt of a lifetime.

• Pinedale Area Hunt Deadlines
• Hunter Education Courses

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Big Game

Pinedale, Wyoming has hunting seasons for many big game species including elk, moose, deer, pronghorn, big horn sheep, bear, mountain goat and mountain lion. Hunting is regulated by the State of Wyoming and requires a Wyoming hunting license. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department has a web site with resident and non-resident hunting application booklets, current hunt area maps, seasons, license fees, deadlines, harvest reports and hunter draw results. Visit http://gf.state.wy.us for the current information for this season for the species you wish to hunt. Drawings for permits occur at various times in the spring, so it is important to do your homework early and find out when the deadlines are for your hunting trip. Some application deadlines are as early as the end of January for the next fall hunt, so this is something that must be planned for well in advance. In Wyoming, you must draw a permit to hunt a particular species. Local outfitters & guides do not have access to permits for their guests.

The Rocky Mountain elk is considered to be one of Wyoming's premier big game species. An estimated 75,000 elk live in the state. Sublette County has 13 elk feed grounds which feed over 6,000 elk each year. Most of the local outfitters offer guide services for elk hunting in the Pinedale region have their own closely-guarded knowledge of successful hunting areas.

Legal precautions when hunting the Bridger and Gros Ventre Wilderness

If hunting with a resident companion, they will need to get a free non-commercial guide license from a Game and Fish office. The law does not prohibit nonresidents from hiking, fishing or hunting game birds or coyotes in wilderness areas. Only nonresident big and trophy game hunters must have a licensed guide or resident companion. Find a licensed  Pinedale area outfitter or contact the US Forest Service at 307-367-4326 for a list of authorized outfitters permitted on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Hunters should request to see the outfitter's license to ensure they are authorized to operate in the area you are hunting. Guides must be employed by, or under contract with, a licensed outfitter and the license must be signed on the back by that outfitter.

Because the wilderness areas are closed to motorized vehicles, these areas provide great opportunities for hunter success. Local guest ranches and lodges often offer outfitter & guide services along with lodging for hunters. Some lodges also provide lodging/meals-only services for those who wish to be self-guided, but would like the comfort of a bed, shower, and hot food while being close to their particular hunt areas.

Small Game

Hunters wishing to sport hunt for jackrabbits and prairie dogs will need to take hunter education classes. Wyoming law says anyone born after 1965 hunting any wild animal with a firearm, whether non game, game or predators, must have passed hunter education. The exception is hunting with archery equipment or persons hunting on land owned by their family.

Coyotes and jackrabbits are legally classified as predators along with raccoons, red fox, porcupines and skunks. Under Wyoming law, these animals may be taken year round and no license is required. However hunters must still abide by other laws pertaining to the taking of wildlife, i.e. prohibition of shooting from roads, fulfilling hunter safety requirements, not using artificial light to hunt, etc. Ground squirrels and gophers are classified as non game animals and are among the non game species which can be legally taken in Wyoming. There is no closed season and no license is required. Further explanation of the do's and don'ts regarding these and other laws is contained in any Wyoming hunting regulation pamphlet.

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