Wyoming Elk Second Choice: A Strategic Guide

Most nonresident hunters obsess over their Wyoming elk first choice — and rightfully so. But they treat the second choice line as an afterthought, scribbling in whatever unit sounds familiar without doing any research. That’s a mistake. Wyoming’s second choice draw is a legitimate pathway to a real elk tag, and for many nonresidents it’s the fastest way to get their first Wyoming elk hunt on the calendar.

Here’s how to use it correctly.

How Wyoming’s Two-Choice Draw Actually Works

Wyoming runs a 75/25 preference point system. When you apply for elk, you submit a first choice and a second choice on the same application. The state processes them as two completely separate draws — your second choice is evaluated independently of your first.

In the first-choice draw, 75% of available tags go to the pool of applicants with the maximum preference points, and 25% go to a random draw open to all applicants regardless of points. If you don’t draw your first choice, your second choice enters its own separate draw using the same 75/25 structure.

This means a zero-point applicant can draw a second-choice elk tag in a general area unit. It happens every single year.

The key insight: your second choice doesn’t cost you anything in terms of preference points. If you don’t draw either choice, you receive a bonus point for the year. Your point total is unaffected whether you listed a bad second choice or a strong one. Every applicant who leaves that second choice blank — or lists a unit they can’t possibly draw — is leaving opportunity on the table.

For a deeper look at the full Wyoming application process, see our Wyoming Draw Odds Guide.

Why Second Choice Units Get Less Competition

Second choice demand is structurally lower than first choice demand for a few reasons.

First, most hunters simply don’t research their second choice. They copy a popular unit from a forum post, pick the same unit a buddy used for first choice, or skip it entirely. This thins the applicant pool considerably in units that would otherwise see heavy competition.

Second, many applicants who are applying for a specific premium unit as their first choice list a second choice that makes no sense strategically — they pick another hard-to-draw unit, effectively wasting the slot.

Third, general area (Type 1) elk licenses cover large multi-unit areas and issue a lot of tags. The tag numbers are high enough that demand rarely outpaces supply as a second-choice pick. When you run actual draw report numbers, you’ll find units where zero-point applicants drew as a second choice in the most recent completed season.

Type 1 vs. Type 6 and 7 Licenses — Know the Difference

Wyoming elk licenses come in different types, and this matters enormously for second-choice strategy.

Type 1 licenses are the general elk licenses that cover large hunt areas, often encompassing multiple WMUs (Wildlife Management Units). These are the workhorses of the Wyoming elk draw. Tag quotas are measured in the hundreds in many areas. Public land access is abundant. Second choice draws here at zero points consistently.

Type 6 and Type 7 licenses are antler-point restriction or limited quota licenses in specific units. These are premium tags with much tighter quotas. As a second choice pick, Type 6 and 7 licenses often still require multiple preference points because the underlying demand is high regardless of choice position. They’re worth listing as a second choice if you’ve been building points, but a zero-point applicant shouldn’t expect to draw them.

For your first Wyoming elk application with zero or few points, focus your second choice on Type 1 general licenses. That’s where the realistic opportunity is.

How to Find Units That Draw at Zero Points

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department publishes draw reports each year after the May draw results. These reports show, for each hunt area and license type, the minimum points required to draw in both the preference and random pools. This is the single most important document for second-choice research.

Here’s what to look for:

• Random pool minimum = 0 points. This confirms zero-point applicants drew the tag. For a second choice unit, this is what you want to see.
• Tag quota vs. total applicants. Units where tags issued roughly match or exceed total second-choice applicants are low-pressure draws. The WY G&F draw reports show applicants by choice and by point level.
• Leftover tags. After the draw closes, Wyoming posts leftover tags available over-the-counter. Any unit that routinely has leftover tags after the draw is an extremely reliable second choice — demand is genuinely lower than supply.

The Draw Odds Engine pulls Wyoming draw report data so you can compare units side by side without manually cross-referencing PDFs. Filter for elk, Wyoming, and sort by second-choice draw odds to surface the units where nonresidents at zero points are drawing consistently.

What to Expect from a Second Choice Wyoming Elk Hunt

Set the right expectations going in. Second choice general area elk hunting in Wyoming is not a trophy bull hunt. You’re hunting open public land in areas where other hunters are present, likely during a general season that runs concurrently with rifle deer season. Pressure exists.

What you do get:

Access. Wyoming Type 1 elk areas contain enormous amounts of BLM and National Forest land. Many of the most productive units share boundaries with National Forests in the Bighorns, the Wyoming Range, the Sierra Madre, or the Bear River drainage. Elk numbers in these units are real — herd populations in the hundreds per unit are common.

Quality bulls. General area doesn’t mean immature bulls. Five-point and six-point bulls are taken every fall in Wyoming’s general units. Mature bulls use escape terrain and respond to calling even in open-country units. The average bull quality isn’t what you’d see in a limited-entry trophy unit, but hunters who put in the miles find shootable elk.

A foundation. Your first Wyoming elk hunt teaches you the state — the country, the elk behavior, the weather. Hunters who tag out on a general area bull as a second choice often convert that experience into a smarter long-term point strategy for premium units.

Building a Complete Wyoming Elk Strategy

The right play for most nonresidents is a two-layered approach.

Use your first choice to build preference points toward a specific premium unit — Teton Wilderness, Thorofare, the upper Snake drainage, or another LE unit that matches your target bull quality. These units require 10–20+ NR points and can take a decade or more to draw. Start early, apply every year, and stay patient.

Meanwhile, use your second choice as an active hunting slot, not a throwaway. Pick a general area Type 1 unit every year where the odds favor drawing at your current point level. Many nonresidents draw a second choice Wyoming elk tag within their first three years of applying.

The Point Burn Optimizer can model when your current point total is likely to draw your target premium unit, so you’re not burning points prematurely on an over-the-counter unit while a trophy draw is within reach.

Specific Unit Categories Worth Targeting as a Second Choice

Without recommending specific hunt numbers that change year to year, here are the unit categories where second-choice success rates for nonresidents tend to be highest:

Wyoming Range and Salt River Range units. These hold significant elk populations, have heavy National Forest coverage, and see moderate hunting pressure relative to tag quotas. Type 1 tags here draw at low points regularly.

Bighorn Mountain units. The Bighorns hold one of Wyoming’s largest elk herds. General area tags are issued in substantial numbers. Terrain is accessible, camping infrastructure exists, and elk are present in huntable densities.

Central Wyoming sagebrush-to-timber transition zones. Units that transition from high-desert BLM into national forest timber draw less second-choice competition because they’re not the glamour destinations. Elk use both elevations seasonally. These units consistently show leftover tags in draw reports.

Cross-reference any unit you’re considering against the most recent WY G&F draw report before finalizing your application. The draw report is public, free, and updated annually.

The Bottom Line

Wyoming’s second choice is a mechanism most hunters underuse. The draw structure gives you a legitimate shot at a real elk tag every year, with no point penalty if you don’t draw, and no ceiling on how good a unit you can target. A zero-point applicant who picks the right general area unit as a second choice may be hunting Wyoming elk this fall.

Do the research. Pull the draw reports, run the numbers in the Draw Odds Engine, and list a second choice that you’d actually be excited to hunt. The hunters who treat second choice seriously are the ones who fill their first Wyoming tag while everyone else waits another year.