Are you done whining about being “unsuccessful” in Wyoming’s limited quota draws for the upcoming hunting season? Not quite? Welcome to the club.

When you get the email quashing your dream hunt there’s very little that can comfort you. Yet, there are still options that can put you in front of deer and elk and other species; maybe not the one you were so excited about when you applied earlier in the year, but you should have received a refund of the cost of the license you wanted and now have enough cash to purchase an over-the-counter license.

Seriously, enough with the sad face. It’s time to plan your hunt.

And where better to start than to take advice from an expert on the Game and Fish licensing process. Game and Fish License Section Manager Josh Moulton, who works from the Cheyenne office, has several ideas on how hunters can save their season after rude limited quota draw results. His first suggestion is to purchase a general tag.

“A general tag is good at any general area within the whole state,” he said, adding the department is happy to help, you just need to call. “We also have maps and information within our regulation brochures.”

There is a lot of competition with other hunters in general areas and you may need to downsize your dream of bringing in a 300-inch deer or 400-inch bull elk.

“You’re probably not gonna go get a trophy mount off of a general tag. But if you didn’t make it in the draw, you’re probably just looking for something to fill the freezer,” Moulton said.

He suggests considering purchasing a reduced price cow or calf elk tag for the best option on steaks, grind and roasts. A resident type 6, 7 or 8 reduced price tag will run you $43. A nonresident can buy a leftover tag for just over $300.

These reduced-price licenses are a tool for managing elk populations and they often have different application methods and rules than full-price licenses, such as not requiring the use of preference points for their drawing. Either way, you’re still out on the cowboy state’s amazing landscape hunting big game.

If you can’t get a leftover tag and have decided on purchasing a general tag, you might want to wait on that purchase and keep your eye on the available tags. Moulton said some hunters who realize they can’t do their hunt will turn their limited quota licenses back in to the department.

“They will go through a process called the license review process. They elect to try to get a refund or carry their tag over to the next year,” he said. But there needs to be a good reason if they are going to get a refund.

“Let’s say they get in a car accident, or something comes up and they’re, you know, just physically unable to hunt or something like that. Or they’re in the military, they get orders,” he said. “There’s some qualifying reasons there, but if those are turned back in, we then put those back onto that first come first serve [sales list].”

They don’t schedule the release of turned-in licenses, so you might need to take 3-4 minutes several times a day if you’re serious about getting one. They are usually great tags, Moulton said.

“It’s completely at random, but that’s an option as well as for people willing to keep an eye on what’s out there available on the first come, first served list. When those licenses comes up, they are often coveted licenses where, you know, if somebody drew it in the initial draw in a really good area, and they just can’t happen to make it this year,” he said.

The key is delaying the purchase of a general tag until the last minute, “just in case,” he said.

“Sit tight and just wait and see.”

He also said hunters who can’t use their license can also donate them back to the department. From there they will be given, free of charge, to organizations like Wyoming Disabled Hunters and Wounded Warriors — two excellent nonprofit organizations.

If all else fails, you can always choose to buy over-the-counter licenses for other big game critters.

“They’re not necessarily a traditional big game hunting [species], but black bear, mountain lion licenses are available over-the-counter. You can just purchase those anytime. Of course, there’s their season dates and everything people would need to follow. There’s also a game bird license, which is a 365-day license,” he said.

Elk refuge

One of the most exciting options for elk is at the National Elk Refuge. With about 25,000 acres of grassland, wetlands and mountainous terrain, the refuge is a bucket list location in the Jackson area. Regardless of if you end up putting meat in the freezer, you’ll never forget the adventure in the shadow of the Grand Tetons.

Hunting is a refuge management tool to help reach population numbers identified in the Bison and Elk Management Plan. Antelope, bison, elk and whitetail deer are the only species managed through a refuge hunt program. Elk are the only species that can be hunted at the picturesque refuge.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has updated the hunting rules this year, but the refuge will open from Nov. 1 to Dec. 19 and hunters can use an unused general license or any unused limited quota elk license, regardless of hunt area, to apply for a permission slip to hunt there.

There are two ways to draw permission slips to hunt on the refuge: the initial draw and weekly alternate draws.

The initial draw application period for refuge permission slips opens on Aug. 1 at 8 a.m. and the deadline to apply is Sept. 18 at 11:59 p.m. Hunters can apply through the Game and Fish website on the National Elk Refuge Elk Hunter Management Area webpage. During the initial draw, hunters are limited to one hunt period application but may pick up an additional permission slip from available leftovers on a first-come, first-served basis after the draw results are released on Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. 

Alternate draws will also give hunters a weekly opportunity to apply for a permission slip. Hunters may apply once per week from Oct. 20 through Nov. 27. These weekly application periods open on Mondays at 8 a.m. and close on Thursdays at 11:59 p.m. Results will be posted on Fridays at 8 a.m. for the upcoming hunt periods. Any remaining permission slips will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis after the results are posted each Friday. 

As in previous years, hunters can only harvest one elk per day on the refuge, and chronic wasting disease sampling is mandatory for any harvested elk.

New season dates at the refuge: 

• Nov. 1-Nov. 26: Hunters with a general elk license or an unused limited quota license can apply for a permission slip to hunt antlerless elk. All elk licenses except Type 8 are valid.

• Nov. 27-Nov. 30: This period is designated for a youth-only elk hunt. Hunters with a youth license can apply for a permission slip to hunt any elk. Only full-price youth licenses (Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, General) are valid. 

• Dec. 1-Dec. 5: Hunters with a general elk license or an unused limited quota license can apply for a permission slip to hunt antlerless elk. All elk licenses except Type 8 are valid. 

Hunters can apply for permission slips for hunt periods within these date ranges. This year, hunt periods will run Monday-Thursday (four days) and Friday-Sunday (three days). A complete list of all hunt periods can be found on the Game and Fish website.

For additional information, please visit the Game and Fish website or call the Jackson Regional Office at (307) 733-2321.