Medicine Bow River Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Medicine Bow River Hunter Management Area is 23,094 acres in WGFD's Laramie 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 antelope (hunt area 46) 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 landMedicine Bow River HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 23,094 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Laramie Region |
| Big game listed | Antelope |
| Nearest towns | Medicine Bow (3 mi), Rock River (5 mi) and Elk Mountain (10 mi) |
What is Medicine Bow River HMA?
The Medicine-Bow-River Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located just south of the town of Medicine Bow, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of the Herman and Medicine Bow River Ranches.
What are the rules on Medicine Bow River 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 Medicine Bow River has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Medicine Bow River set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Medicine Bow River HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: antelope in area 46.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Medicine Bow River HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Medicine Bow River 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 11 | 23,011 | 393 (2025) | 53.9% |
| Deer Area 74 | 23,011 | 75 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 46 | 23,011 | 189 (2025) | 81.8% |
| Moose Area 38 | 23,011 | 53 (2025) | 85.5% |
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 Medicine Bow River 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 | 7,515 |
| State trust land | 1,281 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 14,215 |
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 (23,011 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Medicine Bow River HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: US 30, US 287, WY 13 and WY 487. Nearest towns: Medicine Bow (3 miles), Rock River (5 miles), Elk Mountain (10 miles) and Arlington (13 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Medicine Bow River HMA?
WGFD lists antelope for big game. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Medicine Bow River HMA?
About 3 miles from Medicine Bow, and 5 miles from Rock River, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Medicine Bow River HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Medicine Bow River lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Medicine Bow River HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Area 11, deer Area 74 and antelope Area 46. 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, Medicine Bow River.
- 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 Laramie Region Elk Area 11 Deer Area 74 Antelope Area 46 Moose Area 38