Pathfinder Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Pathfinder Hunter Management Area is 10,597 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 antlerless elk (hunt areas 16, 111) 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 ReclamationNational wildlife refugePathfinder HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 10,597 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Laramie Region |
| Big game listed | Antlerless elk |
| Nearest towns | Alcova (5 mi), Bessemer Bend (23 mi) and Casper Mountain (28 mi) |
What are the rules on Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Pathfinder set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Pathfinder HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: antlerless elk in areas 16 and 111.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Pathfinder HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Pathfinder 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 111 | 5,592 | 165 (2025) | 43.5% |
| Elk Area 16 | 5,002 | 562 (2025) | 56.8% |
| Deer Area 70 | 4,850 | 227 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 87 | 3,531 | 43 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 88 | 2,059 | 170 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 66 | 154 | 489 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 63 | 5,592 | 71 (2025) | 77.2% |
| Antelope Area 48 | 3,392 | 316 (2025) | 88% |
| Antelope Area 47 | 1,458 | 1,289 (2025) | 87.9% |
| Antelope Area 32 | 152 | 1,065 (2025) | 87.6% |
| Bighorn sheep Area 17 | 5,592 | 52 (2025) | 92.9% |
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 Pathfinder 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 |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Reclamation | 559 |
| BLM | 105 |
| State trust land | 13 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 9,918 |
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 (10,595 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Pathfinder HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 220, WY 77 and WY 487. Nearest towns: Alcova (5 miles), Bessemer Bend (23 miles), Casper Mountain (28 miles) and Red Butte (28 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Pathfinder HMA?
WGFD lists antlerless elk for big game. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Pathfinder HMA?
About 5 miles from Alcova, and 23 miles from Bessemer Bend, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Pathfinder HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Pathfinder lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Pathfinder HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 111 and 16, deer Areas 70, 87 and 88 and antelope Areas 63, 48 and 47. Each hunt area's season applies to the ground inside it.
Get notified about FilledTag in Wyoming
Leave your email and we will let you know when FilledTag adds something new for Wyoming hunters.
The free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Wyoming included.
Where these numbers come from
- Area facts, access dates, rules and species: WGFD Hunter Management Area details; WGFD, Pathfinder.
- 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 111 Elk Area 16 Deer Area 70 Deer Area 87 Deer Area 88 Deer Area 66