Wyoming Pronghorn

Unit 086 (Cokeville Front)

Wyoming Hunting Guide — Pronghorn

Pronghorn Area 86 covers the Bridger Valley and Cokeville front in southwest Wyoming — big sagebrush flats, agricultural margins, and BLM benches that hold surprisingly good buck quality. Tag numbers are tight relative to applicants, which keeps pressure manageable. We like this area for walk-in access on state lands and for bucks that routinely tape in the 70-75 inch range because the private ag attracts stockier antelope into the draw zone.

View Draw Odds Wyoming Hunting Guide

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 086

Where to Find Pronghorn in Area 86

Pronghorn in Area 86 concentrate along the ag-sagebrush interface from Cokeville south to the Utah line.

Early Season

Bucks hold on benches above the Bear River, particularly the sage flats west of WY-232 and north of Cokeville. Mornings and evenings pull them onto alfalfa margins; midday they bed in the taller sage upslope.

Mid Season

Once local pressure bumps herds, they drift onto BLM parcels east of Cokeville and onto state sections southwest of Kemmerer. Focus on walk-in access units and the Bridger Valley BLM mosaic.

Late Season

Hard frosts tighten up the best buck groups on south-facing benches. The country around Fossil Butte National Monument and the rolling sage east of Sage Junction holds bucks late because it rarely sees road pressure.

How to Hunt Pronghorn in Area 86

Area 86 is glass-first country. We drive the BLM two-tracks at slow speed, stop every half mile, and pick apart every sage bench before committing to a stalk.

Glass From High Benches

Bench-top pull-outs along WY-232 and county roads south of Cokeville give 2-3 miles of glass in every direction. A 15x tripod-mounted binocular will find more bucks before 9 a.m. than a full day of driving.

Work the BLM/Private Seam

The edge where private ag meets BLM is where the biggest bucks live. Use OnX or the Wyoming public-land layer to pin access routes and respect private. Walk-in areas near Cokeville unlock several of these seams legally.

Stalk Low and Fast

Sage in Area 86 runs 18-30 inches — enough to hide a crawling hunter but not a standing one. Plan stalks with the sun and wind in your favor, and close to 250-300 yards before setting up.

Ask Landowners

The Cokeville and Bridger Valley ranching community is relatively small. A polite door-knock well before opening day — and a willingness to help with a chore — opens gates that never show up on a map.

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Pronghorn Success Rates

Area 86 pronghorn success typically runs 85-92% for rifle hunters. The limited tag number is the reason — applicants who draw the tag tend to be committed hunters, and the country holds enough mature bucks that most hunters leave with 70-inch-plus heads.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— General	7	100	7.0%	0

Data from 2023 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Wyoming runs the pronghorn draw with a 75% preference-point pool and a 25% weighted-random pool. Area 86 is a limited-quota area with roughly 46 tags over three years against 285 applicants — non-residents typically need 3-5 preference points to clear the max-point pool, with the random pool occasionally pulling in 1-2 point applicants. Residents draw at 0-1 points most years.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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RV Sites

Kemmerer and Evanston both have full-service RV parks. BLM dispersed sites handle small rigs.

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Camp Sites

BLM dispersed camping across the Kemmerer Field Office. Developed camping is limited — Fossil Butte has day-use only. Most hunters base out of motels in Cokeville or Kemmerer.

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Trailer Access

Most county roads and BLM two-tracks handle stock and ATV trailers in dry conditions.

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Water

Bear River and irrigation ditches along the valley bottom. Uplands are dry — carry in what you need.

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Road Conditions

Paved highways to town. BLM two-tracks are generally passable in a high-clearance vehicle when dry; gumbo becomes impassable after rain.

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Terrain Difficulty

Easy to moderate. Rolling sage benches with 200-500 ft of relief. Walking is the limiting factor, not climbing.

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Hunting Pressure

Low to moderate. Limited tags keep pressure manageable, but accessible BLM gets worked opening weekend.

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Weather

September-October temps run 30-70°F with afternoon wind. Late-season cold fronts can drop lows below 15°F.

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Cell Service

Decent along US-30 and in towns. Spotty on BLM parcels — plan accordingly.

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Nearest Town

Cokeville (north end) and Kemmerer (east). Both have fuel, lodging, and basic groceries. Evanston is the nearest full-service town.

Note: Kemmerer is the best base for the east side of the unit; Cokeville works for the north half. Confirm walk-in access boundaries in the current WGFD atlas — parcels shift year to year.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many preference points do I need for Area 86 pronghorn?

Non-resident Type 1 tags usually draw at 3-5 preference points. Residents clear at 0-1 points. The 25% random component occasionally pulls lower-point applicants.

Is there decent public land access in Area 86?

Yes — the BLM mosaic east of Cokeville and south of Kemmerer gives roughly half the unit to public hunters. Walk-in access parcels around Cokeville add several thousand acres of otherwise private ground.

Can I tag a buck in the 80-inch class here?

Occasionally. The ag-fed bucks along the Bear River have the body mass to grow heavy horns, but 70-75 inches is the realistic expectation for a mature buck.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

WGFD Hunt Planner — Pronghorn — Wyoming Game and Fish Department · supports: Area 86 boundary description, Type 1 season dates, License classes · accessed 2026-04-17
WGFD Harvest Reports — Wyoming Game and Fish Department · supports: Area 86 three-year tag and applicant totals, Hunter success averages above 85% · accessed 2026-04-17
BLM Kemmerer Field Office — Bureau of Land Management · supports: Public land mosaic in the Bridger Valley, Travel management rules · accessed 2026-04-17
WGFD Walk-In Access Areas — Wyoming Game and Fish Department · supports: Walk-in hunting parcels around Cokeville, Access program rules · accessed 2026-04-17