Heart Mountain Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Heart Mountain Hunter Management Area is 9,924 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 area 65) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's HMA data. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
BLMState trust landBureau of ReclamationHeart Mountain HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 9,924 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Cody Region |
| Big game listed | Elk |
| Nearest towns | Ralston (6 mi), Cody (10 mi) and Powell (13 mi) |
What is Heart Mountain HMA?
The Heart Mountain Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located north of Cody, west of Powell, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of The Nature Conservancy.
What are the rules on Heart 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 Heart Mountain has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Heart Mountain set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Heart Mountain HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in area 65.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Heart Mountain HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Heart 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 65 | 9,924 | 90 (2025) | 23.3% |
| Deer Area 121 | 9,924 | 265 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 80 | 9,924 | 188 (2025) | 100% |
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 Heart 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 |
|---|---|
| BLM | 3,239 |
| State trust land | 1,148 |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 648 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 4,889 |
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 (9,924 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Heart Mountain HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 120, WY 294 and WY 296. Nearest towns: Ralston (6 miles), Cody (10 miles), Powell (13 miles) and Garland (18 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Heart Mountain HMA?
WGFD lists elk for big game. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Heart Mountain HMA?
About 6 miles from Ralston, and 10 miles from Cody, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Heart Mountain HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Heart Mountain lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Heart Mountain HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Area 65, deer Area 121 and antelope Area 80. 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, Heart 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.