Carter Mountain Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Carter Mountain Hunter Management Area is 80,364 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 antlerless elk (hunt area 58) and doe or fawn antelope (hunt area 81) 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 landBureau of ReclamationOther public (state parks, military)Carter Mountain HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 80,364 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Cody Region |
| Big game listed | Antlerless elk and Doe or fawn antelope |
| Nearest towns | Cody (7 mi), Meeteetse (11 mi) and Ralston (22 mi) |
What is Carter Mountain HMA?
The Carter-Mountain Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located 10-15 miles south of Cody on Highway 120 or Highway 291, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of Hoodoo Ranch, Robert Horner, Tom Bales, and Steve Bales.
What are the rules on Carter Mountain 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 Carter Mountain has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Carter Mountain set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Carter Mountain HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: antlerless elk in area 58; doe or fawn antelope in area 81.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Carter Mountain HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Carter Mountain 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 58 | 80,077 | 168 (2025) | 57.1% |
| Elk Area 59 | 953 | 307 (2025) | 50.7% |
| Elk Area 66 | 61 | 76 (2025) | 29.3% |
| Elk Area 61 | 36 | 537 (2025) | 56.2% |
| Deer Area 113 | 81,004 | 304 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 116 | 64 | 171 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 165 | 61 | 217 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 81 | 79,265 | 262 (2025) | 100.8% |
| Antelope Area 82 | 1,863 | 373 (2025) | 94.7% |
| Moose Area 11 | 80,997 | 5 (2025) | 100% |
| Moose Area 9 | 69 | 3 (2025) | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep Area 5 | 81,067 | 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 Carter Mountain 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 |
|---|---|
| State trust land | 4,751 |
| BLM | 1,127 |
| National forest | 16 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 75,234 |
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 (81,128 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Carter Mountain HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 120, US 14, US 16, US 20 and WY 291. Nearest towns: Cody (7 miles), Meeteetse (11 miles), Ralston (22 miles) and Burlington (27 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Carter Mountain HMA?
WGFD lists antlerless elk and doe or fawn antelope for big game. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Carter Mountain HMA?
About 7 miles from Cody, and 11 miles from Meeteetse, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Carter Mountain HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Carter Mountain lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Carter Mountain HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 58, 59 and 66, deer Areas 113, 116 and 165 and antelope Areas 81 and 82. 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, Carter Mountain.
- 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 58 Elk Area 59 Elk Area 66 Elk Area 61 Deer Area 113 Deer Area 116