Pennock Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Pennock Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Area is 9,858 acres in WGFD's Laramie Region, Carbon County. Wildlife Habitat Management Areas are lands WGFD manages for wildlife habitat and public hunting and fishing access. WGFD lists elk (hunt area 12), deer (hunt area 79) and antelope (hunt area 50) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's WHMA data, updated 10/12/2026. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
National forestBLMState trust landNational wildlife refugePennock Mountain WHMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 9,858 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Laramie Region |
| County | Carbon |
| Access dates | This area opens to motorized vehicles at 8:00 am May 1st - nov 14. |
| Seasonal closure | Vehicular Closure from Nov 15 - April 30 |
| Big game listed | Elk, Deer and Antelope |
| Facilities | Comfort Station |
| Nearest towns | Saratoga (4 mi), Ryan Park (11 mi) and Elk Mountain (17 mi) |
What are the rules on Pennock Mountain WHMA?
Access: This area opens to motorized vehicles at 8:00 am May 1st - nov 14.
Exceptions: Closure is limited to vehicles only. Foot and horse access open year-round.
Seasonal closure: Vehicular Closure from Nov 15 - April 30.
Area regulations: 14 Day Camping Limit. Camping limited to designated areas only. Motor Vehicle Travel Restricted to Roads Marked By white arrow on the Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Off road travel is restricted to 25 feet from designated roads.
Shed antlers: No Collection of shed antlers or horns January 1-May 1 at 6:00 AM.
WGFD lists these uses: Fishing, Hunting, Trapping, Camping, Hiking, Wildlife Viewing.
In WGFD's words, from its WHMA data. WGFD's posted signs and its Chapter 23 rules for Commission lands are the final word.
What can you hunt on Pennock Mountain WHMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in area 12; deer in area 79; antelope in area 50. Also listed: waterfowl, sage grouse, doves, rabbit, mountain lion, black bear and mountain grouse.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Pennock Mountain WHMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Pennock Mountain WHMA, with the acres of the WHMA in each and WGFD's latest harvest for the whole hunt area:
| Hunt area | WHMA acres in it | Harvest, whole area | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Area 12 | 10,174 | 561 (2025) | 39.1% |
| Deer Area 79 | 10,174 | 131 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 50 | 10,174 | 349 (2025) | 88.4% |
| Moose Area 38 | 10,174 | 53 (2025) | 85.5% |
| Bighorn sheep Area 18 | 10,174 | 3 (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 Pennock Mountain WHMA?
Inside the WHMA 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 | 6,313 |
| State trust land | 640 |
| National forest | 6 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 3,215 |
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 (10,174 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Pennock Mountain WHMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 130. Nearest towns: Saratoga (4 miles), Ryan Park (11 miles), Elk Mountain (17 miles) and Riverside (17 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is Pennock Mountain WHMA open?
This area opens to motorized vehicles at 8:00 am May 1st - nov 14. Seasonal closure, in WGFD's words: Vehicular Closure from Nov 15 - April 30.
What can you hunt on Pennock Mountain WHMA?
WGFD lists elk, deer and antelope for big game, and waterfowl, sage grouse, doves, rabbit, mountain lion, black bear and mountain grouse. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
What are the rules on Pennock Mountain WHMA?
14 Day Camping Limit. Camping limited to designated areas only. Motor Vehicle Travel Restricted to Roads Marked By white arrow on the Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Off road travel is restricted to 25 feet from designated roads.
Where is Pennock Mountain WHMA?
About 4 miles from Saratoga, and 11 miles from Ryan Park, measured from the area's boundary.
Which hunt areas is Pennock Mountain WHMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Area 12, deer Area 79 and antelope Area 50. 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 Wildlife Habitat Management Area details.
- Boundary: WGFD Wildlife Habitat 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 12 Deer Area 79 Antelope Area 50 Moose Area 38 Bighorn sheep Area 18