Question about Wyoming Elk Hunt

[Bang4theBuck]

I have accumulated 2 preference points in Wyoming for Elk. My question is, if I book with a guide in a wilderness area where preference points are not required, will I automatically be surrendering my preference points or can they continue to build toward a draw? I've never hunted in Wyoming, or any western state for that matter, so please let me know if I have misworded my question.

 

[wyosteve]

Booking with an outfitter to hunt in a wilderness area has nothing to do with preference points. You first have to draw a license before the outfitter can take you on a hunt. Virtually all wilderness area hunts will require 2 or more points to draw the license. Hope this helps.

 

[blackdog]

I believe what you're referring to is booking an outfitter to hunt in a 'general unit' as opposed to a 'limited entry' unit. The LE entry units only give out a specific number of tags, usually really low. The general units, anyone with a 'general' tag can hunt them, but only so many of the 'general' tags are given out, and while that number is fairly high, it still takes a couple of preference points currently to draw.

Once you draw that general tag, you can book with an outfitter to take you into a general area. There are many of these general areas outside 'wilderness area' that you can hunt on your own, but you need an outfitter, or a resident friend, to hunt the true wilderness areas.

 

[375ultramag]

As far as I know, the only way to get a tag in Wyoming and not lose your preference points would be to buy a leftover tag after the draws. Whether or not you are guided or unguided makes no difference. So if the area you want to hunt doesn't need preference points to draw the tag and you have 2 then your basically throwing them away for nothing. If I'm wrong I hope someone will let me know otherwise. Hope I answered your questions.