Wyoming Elk Hunts

Over 600 species of free-ranging wildlife inhabit Wyoming. This tremendous abundance and diversity of wild creatures can be attributed to extremely diverse habitat.

A visit to the high plains or deserts provides the opportunity to see pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, jack rabbits, golden eagles and coyotes. Mule deer may also be seen in this arid country, but are found in the foothills and higher mountains as well. Elk are found in all Wyoming mountain ranges and bighorn sheep and pikas occupy many of the high, rugged peaks. Riparian areas (areas next tow water) in western Wyoming provide a chance to see a moose or bald eagle.

Wyoming is one of the few places where you can expect to see wildlife from all major highways. Bring your binoculars, camera and more film than you think you'll need. Plan to spend some time, over half of the state is public land, wild and free for you to enjoy.

The best places to see a large variety of birds and mammals are riparian areas (areas next to water). These places are literally alive with a variety of birds, including trumpeter swans, great blue herons, yellow-headed blackbirds and ospreys. Muskrats, raccoons and beavers inhabit the creeks and river bottoms. Riparian areas in western Wyoming provide a chance to see a moose or bald eagle. In the desert, sage grouse and antelope gather around watering holes, accompanied by an occasional mule deer. Elk, blue and ruffed grouse, ravens, gray jays, marmots and goshawks are found in the mountains.

A trip to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Visitor Center in Cheyenne is a great way to start your wild Wyoming experience. Here you can learn more about Wyoming's wildlife and where to see it. The center is open seven days a week during the summer, five days a week the remainder of the year. Experienced staffers are eager to provide you with information on Wyoming's wildlife and wildlands.

It doesn't matter if you're a backpacker, photographer, bird watcher, hiker, hunter, fisherman or motorist, there's a new wildlife experience awaiting you over the next hill, around the bend of a mountain stream, or a mile farther down the road. Look around, you'll see the nest of a red-tailed hawk high in a cottonwood, prairie dog mounds dotting a sagebrush flat, deer tracks in the soft sand by a stream. Sit in an alpine meadow ablaze with wildflowers and feel the breeze in your hair. Hear the haunting cry of a great horned owl, the howl of a coyote, the bugle of a bull elk, the splash of a cutthroat trout as it breaks water. You can experience the smell of sagebrush, the sight of an antelope doe with her fawns, a golden eagle soaring in the sky, and the sense of freedom that comes from wild country.