Wyoming Big Game Archery Hunting
Type 9 licenses refer to Archery Only licenses. Special Archery Seasons for Antelope normally open either August 15th or September 1st and close when the regular (rifle) season opens. Archers shall possess a Limited Quota Antelope license in addition to an Archery license in order to hunt Antelope during any Special Archery Season. Special Archery Seasons for Deer normally open September 1st or September 15th and close when regular (rifle) seasons open. Archers shall possess a General Deer license or a Limited Quota Deer license in addition to an Archery license in order to hunt Deer during any Special Archery Season. Special Archery Seasons for Elk normally open September 1st and close when regular (rifle) seasons open. Archers shall possess a General Elk license or a Limited Quota Elk license in addition to an Archery license in order to hunt Elk during any Special Archery Season. Archers with Limited Quota Type 9 Elk licenses are not required to obtain an Archery license in addition to the Type 9 license.
Special Archery Seasons are established for nearly all Big Game hunt areas by the Commission. Season dates are not available at press time, but most open September 1. Some archery seasons for Antelope open on August 15. Information on these seasons will be available on or about May 5.
Hunters holding General or Limited Quota hunting licenses may hunt with bow and arrow or crossbow during Special Archery Seasons if they first obtain an Archery license. Only one Archery license is required for a Big Game and Trophy Game species. This license qualifies the holder to hunt Big Game and Trophy Game during Special Archery Seasons in areas for which they also have a valid hunting license. Archery licenses are available at License Selling Agents statewide. Do not purchase an Archery license until you have received notification of drawing results.
Some Big Game hunt areas offer hunting licenses for Archery Only. These licenses are designated as Type 9 licenses in the Hunting Season Tables. Type 9 Elk licenses are often available as Leftover licenses. Holders of Type 9 licenses are not required to obtain an Archery license in addition to the Limited Quota Archery Only license, but are restricted to hunting only in the area(s) and during the season specified for that license type. Persons hunting with archery equipment during regular firearms seasons need not obtain an Archery license.
When hunting Deer, Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Mountain Lion or Black Bear, the archer must be equipped with a bow of not less than 40 pounds of draw weight or possessing the ability to cast a hunting arrow of 400 grain weight at least 160 yards. When hunting Elk, Moose or Wild Bison the hunter must be equipped with a bow of not less than 50 pounds draw weight or possessing the ability to cast an arrow of 500 grain weight at least 160 yards. The crossbow hunter must be equipped with a crossbow of not less than 90 pounds draw weight which has a minimum draw length of 14 inches from front of bow to back of string in the cocked position and a positive safety mechanism. Crossbow bolts must be at least 16 inches long. The broadhead of arrows or bolts shall be of sharp steel with a minimum cutting width of one inch. Archery equipment may be used to take Wild Bison only on lands off the National Elk Refuge. a permit is no longer required to be able to use a leverage gaining device for cocking a crossbow. (Information Source: Wyoming Game & Fish)
Personal Note: I highly recommend using Fixed Broadheads, not Expandable Broadheads.