Hunting in Wind River Country
There is no question that Wind River Country has incredible hunting opportunities. Hunting in Wind River Country is walking in the footsteps of generations before. The sport is an important part of the area’s history. You’ll be able to stare up at the same startling peaks, wander near the same quiet creeks, and hopefully take home the same type of meat generations before have harvested in the area. Hunting in Wind River Country is superb due to the hundreds of thousands of public land that is relatively undisturbed. Thea area has one of the highest success rates for hunters in the country.
“What really stands out here is the diversity of wildlife. We have everything the Game and Fish manages as a game species in Wyoming except for mountain goats.”
—Brady Frude, Wyoming Game and Fish Warden in Lander
From bighorn sheep to pheasants, the variety of this ecosystem is remarkable, providing a rich and rewarding—if appropriately challenging—landscape for hunters.
The vast amount of public land, even relative to the state of Wyoming, contributes to the wellbeing of wildlife and productive hunting in Wind River Country.
“Species flourish on a half million-plus acres of undisturbed lands south and west of Lander,” said Rene Schell of the Wyoming Game and Fish. “Access for hunting here offers a wide array of public land that is relatively undisturbed.”
If you are thinking of hunting in Wind River Country, your first call should be to Wyoming Game and Fish or to one of the licensed outfitters and guides listed on this page. Applications for many large-game permits must be completed in the spring and different licenses have different deadlines, so be sure to plan ahead. Some licenses are more rare—draws like bighorn sheep are considered once-in-a-lifetime hunts. Both Wyoming Game and Fish and an outfitter can walk you through the process.
Hunting Resources
Wyoming Game & Fish Department
Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association
Upland Game Birds & Water Fowl
“The bird hunting around Riverton and Ocean Lake, particularly pheasants, attracts people from all over,” said Frude.
Chukar and partridge hunting are also great in the “high, rocky, sagebrush, outcroppy stuff,” in the Twin Creek area, Shoshoni Lake Road, Government Draw, and Lyons Valley, where the mountains meet the desert.
Ocean Lake and other large bodies of water provide excellent water fowl hunting, as the cool weather brings many flocks over Wind River Country.
Large Game
No matter what large game you seek, a lot of research and organizing are necessary. Planning your hunt in Wyoming’s Wind River Country with a guide will make your trip more enjoyable and safer and increase your odds of success. Find a list of local outfitters and guides below.
Pronghorn antelope thrive in the sagebrush flats of Wyoming’s Wind River Country.
According to Wyoming Game and Fish’s Lander Biologist Stan Harter, “This area is one of the richest in the state for supporting healthy densities of pronghorn.”
The edge of the remarkable Red Desert is the best antelope hunting in the world, according to Frude.
Mule deer, like pronghorns, are a common sight in Wyoming’s Wind River Country. A little research on the Wyoming Game and Fish website will help you plan the ideal hunt.
For a size up in ungulates, elk are relatively easy to chase, as almost all the hunt areas in the county are general tags, making changes of drawing a license higher. Of course, there is a reason it’s called hunting, and not getting, so there are no guarantees you’ll fill that tag, though access to promising areas is widespread. From the elusive Red Desert elk to those who transition between hay meadows and high mountain meadows.
The bigger elk—and the tougher to draw for and find—reside in the Dubois area. In fact, in 2014 a Burlington hunter harvested the largest elk ever taken with a crossbow near Dubois.
Bigger yet is the elusive moose. A tough tag to draw, it may require a guide, as can elk and even trophy deer success.
Events
The One-Shot Antelope Hunt is described by the Lander Chamber of Commerce as an annual festival drawing thousands of returning visitors (politicians, astronauts, and movie stars) to raise conservation funds and compete in a “one-shot” sporting event. In 1940 Harold Evans and Hank Dahl hosted the first One-Shot Antelope Hunt, inspired by the pioneers whose guns allowed only one shot before the game would disappear. The event has inspired similar contests around the world and draws people from all over to Lander each September.
The Wyoming Women’s Five Shot Rabbit Hunt takes place in Shoshoni the second weekend of January each year.
My Wind River Hunting Experience
I’m sitting on the couch, finally showered and beer in hand, half asleep but invigorated. The sun has set on an opening day for the books.
My husband and I rose early this morning when our pointer jumped onto the bed and reminded us—in the language of rough-and-sloppy-tongue-to-face—that it was opening day of sage grouse and chukar. I still don’t understand why the snooze button doesn’t work when I tap Duke on the head, but maybe one of these dawns she’ll give me just three more minutes, please.
