Absaroka Front Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Absaroka Front Hunter Management Area is 28,096 acres in WGFD's Cody Region. Hunter Management Areas are private and leased lands where WGFD arranges hunting access; hunters need a WGFD permission slip for the area. WGFD lists elk (hunt areas 62, 63, 64), antlerless elk (hunt areas 63, 64), deer (hunt areas 118, 119) and antelope (hunt areas 83, 110) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's HMA data. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
National forestBLMState trust landWind River Reservation (as PAD-US maps it)Absaroka Front HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 28,096 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Cody Region |
| Big game listed | Elk, Antlerless elk, Deer and Antelope |
| Nearest towns | Meeteetse (3 mi), Owl Creek (8 mi) and Kirby (17 mi) |
What is Absaroka Front HMA?
The Absaroka-Front Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located south of Meeteetse and northwest of Thermopolis, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of the LU Ranch and PAR Ranch.
What are the rules on Absaroka Front HMA?
A permission slip from WGFD is needed to hunt an HMA; WGFD issues them on its website, often by drawing or first come, first served, with limits per hunter. WGFD's page for Absaroka Front has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Absaroka Front set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Absaroka Front HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in areas 62, 63 and 64; antlerless elk in areas 63 and 64; deer in areas 118 and 119; antelope in areas 83 and 110. Also listed: turkey.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Absaroka Front HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Absaroka Front HMA, with the acres of the HMA in each and WGFD's latest harvest for the whole hunt area:
| Hunt area | HMA acres in it | Harvest, whole area | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Area 63 | 16,341 | 278 (2025) | 51.7% |
| Elk Area 64 | 11,737 | 197 (2025) | 41.6% |
| Elk Area 66 | 22 | 76 (2025) | 29.3% |
| Deer Area 118 | 14,896 | 32 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 119 | 11,737 | 131 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 116 | 1,445 | 171 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 127 | 22 | 105 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 110 | 16,341 | 169 (2025) | 95.5% |
| Antelope Area 83 | 11,759 | 302 (2025) | 102% |
| Moose Area 9 | 28,079 | 3 (2025) | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep Area 5 | 28,079 | 28 (2025) | 77.8% |
Harvest: WGFD harvest reports, latest year each area was reported (WGFD harvest reports). Acres measured by FilledTag from WGFD's boundaries.
What land is around Absaroka Front HMA?
Inside the HMA boundary, by manager (WGFD's own holdings and leases are not in the federal and state layers, so they show as unlisted land):
| Manager | Acres inside |
|---|---|
| BLM | 676 |
| State trust land | 66 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 27,359 |
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land) inside WGFD's boundary (28,101 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Absaroka Front HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 120, WY 431, WY 290 and WY 171. Nearest towns: Meeteetse (3 miles), Owl Creek (8 miles), Kirby (17 miles) and Lucerne (20 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Absaroka Front HMA?
WGFD lists elk, antlerless elk, deer and antelope for big game, and turkey. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Absaroka Front HMA?
About 3 miles from Meeteetse, and 8 miles from Owl Creek, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Absaroka Front HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Absaroka Front lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Absaroka Front HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 63, 64 and 66, deer Areas 118, 119 and 116 and antelope Areas 110 and 83. Each hunt area's season applies to the ground inside it.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area facts, access dates, rules and species: WGFD Hunter Management Area details; WGFD, Absaroka Front.
- Boundary: WGFD Hunter Management Area boundaries. Surrounding land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land).
- Hunt area harvest: WGFD harvest reports, 2021 to 2025.
FilledTag is not part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Numbers are copied from WGFD and the other agencies named, or measured by FilledTag from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag. WGFD's regulations are the final word on every rule.
Wyoming hunting Cody Region Elk Area 63 Elk Area 64 Elk Area 66 Deer Area 118 Deer Area 119 Deer Area 116