← FIELD SCHOOL

Wyoming shed hunting rules

Wyoming closes public land in its designated antler Collection Area — roughly the western half of the state — to shed gathering every winter starting Jan 1. It reopens May 1 at 6 a.m. for residents and May 8 at 6 a.m. for nonresidents; state law guarantees residents that 7-day head start (W.S. 23-1-302(a)(xxxi)). Nonresidents 15 and older also need a Wyoming conservation stamp to collect there. Statewide and year-round, entering private land to collect antlers without permission is criminal trespass, and antler collection is prohibited in Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

LAST CHECKED August 29, 2026 · RULES CHANGE — CONFIRM WITH WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT (WGFD) BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT.

SEASONAL CLOSURES
Public land (USFS, BLM, state, and WGFD land) in Collection Area 1 — described by WGFD as west of the Continental Divide, and in statute as west of I-90 (Montana line to Buffalo) and west of I-25 (Buffalo to the Colorado line)
Closed Jan 1 – May 1 at 6 a.m. for residents; Jan 1 – May 8 at 6 a.m. for nonresidents (2026 dates as posted by WGFD)

Set by: Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, under W.S. 23-1-302(a)(xxxi)

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks
Closed to antler/horn collection year-round

Set by: National Park Service

LICENSES & REQUIREMENTS
  • Nonresidents age 15+ must have a Wyoming conservation stamp before collecting sheds in the Collection Area; residents and anyone under 15 are exempt (W.S. 23-1-302(a)(xxxi)(A)). Statute sets the base stamp fee at $21.00 plus an additional statutory fee; a lifetime stamp is $185.00.
  • Entering private land to collect antlers or horns without landowner permission is a misdemeanor trespass anywhere in the state, year-round (W.S. 23-3-305(b)).
  • Antlers and horns found on state or public land are declared state property under W.S. 23-1-103 — collect them lawfully or not at all.
  • No shed-hunting course or education requirement was found in any Wyoming source.
PROPOSED & PENDING CHANGES

No pending rule changes found as of the last check.

HARVEST RESULTS
Elk
+25.6% SINCE 2021
30,568
HARVESTED 2025
64,014
HUNTERS
48%
SUCCESS
20212025
Mule deer
−11.9% SINCE 2021
16,688
HARVESTED 2025
37,078
HUNTERS
45%
SUCCESS
20212025
Pronghorn
−28.8% SINCE 2021
22,766
HARVESTED 2025
26,112
HUNTERS
87%
SUCCESS
20212025

Statewide totals (all license types, residents + nonresidents) from WGFD’s published per-species annual harvest reports, seasons 2021–2025. Success is WGFD’s reported hunter success rate. White-tailed deer omitted: only one season currently in the dataset.

SOURCE: WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL HARVEST REPORTS, IMPORTED INTO THE SHED HAPPENS DATASET

CONSERVATION INTEL
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE · WILD DEER & ELK
112 hunt areas

CWD has been documented in free-ranging deer or elk in 112 hunt areas as of May 2026.

SHOW THE HUNT AREAS (112)

1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 39 · 40 · 41 · 46 · 47 · 50 · 51 · 52 · 53 · 59 · 60 · 61 · 64 · 65 · 66 · 67 · 70 · 74 · 75 · 76 · 77 · 78 · 79 · 80 · 81 · 82 · 84 · 87 · 88 · 89 · 90 · 92 · 94 · 96 · 97 · 98 · 100 · 105 · 106 · 109 · 110 · 111 · 112 · 113 · 114 · 116 · 117 · 118 · 119 · 120 · 121 · 122 · 123 · 124 · 125 · 127 · 128 · 131 · 132 · 138 · 139 · 142 · 143 · 144 · 145 · 148 · 152 · 153 · 154 · 155 · 157 · 160 · 163 · 164 · 165 · 169 · 171

SOURCE: USGS NATIONAL WILDLIFE HEALTH CENTER — CWD DISTRIBUTION BY STATE AND COUNTY, VER. 4.0 (AUG 2026). THIS STATE REPORTS BY HUNT UNIT, NOT COUNTY.

MAPPED MIGRATIONS · USGS CORRIDOR MAPPING
55 mapped herds

1 bison · 15 elk · 3 moose · 28 mule deer · 8 pronghorn — migration corridors, stopovers, and winter ranges mapped from GPS-collared animals and published by the USGS Corridor Mapping Team with the state agency.

SHOW THE HERDS (55)
  • Yellowstone · bison · vol. 1
  • Clarks Fork · elk · vol. 1
  • Cody · elk · vol. 1
  • Fossil Butte · elk · vol. 1
  • Gooseberry · elk · vol. 2
  • Jackson · elk · vol. 1
  • Medicine Lodge · elk · vol. 2
  • North Bighorn · elk · vol. 2
  • Owl Creek · elk · vol. 4
  • Piney · elk · vol. 1
  • Sierra Madre · elk · vol. 3
  • South Bighorn · elk · vol. 2
  • South Rock Springs · elk · vol. 3
  • South Wind River · elk · vol. 1
  • Wiggins Fork · elk · vol. 2
  • Wind River · elk · vol. 4
  • Jackson North · moose · vol. 1
  • Jackson South · moose · vol. 4
  • Sublette · moose · vol. 1
  • Baggs · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Baggs: Atlantic Rim North · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Baggs: Atlantic Rim South · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Clarks Fork · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Dubois · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Jackson · mule deer · vol. 3
  • Lake De Smet · mule deer · vol. 5
  • North Bighorn · mule deer · vol. 5
  • Owl Creek Mountains · mule deer · vol. 2
  • Owl Creek-Meeteetse · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Platte Valley · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Platte Valley: North · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Platte Valley: South · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sheep Mountain · mule deer · vol. 2
  • South Converse · mule deer · vol. 5
  • South Rock Springs · mule deer · vol. 3
  • South Wind River · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sublette · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sublette: Mesa · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sublette: Red Desert · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sublette: Ryegrass · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Sweetwater · mule deer · vol. 2
  • Uinta · mule deer · vol. 6
  • Upper Shoshone · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Upper Wind River · mule deer · vol. 6
  • Wind River · mule deer · vol. 2
  • Wyoming Range: North · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Wyoming Range: South · mule deer · vol. 1
  • Baggs · pronghorn · vol. 5
  • Bitter Creek · pronghorn · vol. 5
  • Carter Mountain · pronghorn · vol. 4
  • Elk Mountain · pronghorn · vol. 5
  • Gillette · pronghorn · vol. 6
  • Medicine Bow · pronghorn · vol. 3
  • Sublette · pronghorn · vol. 6
  • Uinta-Cedar · pronghorn · vol. 2

SOURCE: USGS — UNGULATE MIGRATIONS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, VOLS. 1–6

WHO'S BUYING TAGS
PAID HUNTING LICENSE HOLDERS · 2005–2024
118,896
IN 2024
−5.7%
YEAR OVER YEAR
−10.0%
SINCE 2014
26%
NONRESIDENT LICENSES
20052024

Every state reports these numbers to the federal government on the same terms, so they compare cleanly across states. A license holder is a person — one hunter can buy several licenses or tags in a season.

SOURCE: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE — HUNTING LICENSE CERTIFICATIONS. FEDERAL DATA RUNS TWO YEARS BEHIND; 2024 IS THE MOST RECENT SALES YEAR PUBLISHED.

SOURCES

THE EXACT TOTAL NONRESIDENT STAMP COST INCLUDES AN ADDED STATUTORY FEE NOT ITEMIZED IN THE STATUTE TEXT — CHECK WGFD'S CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE.