Wyoming North Absaroka Elk Hunting: GMU 7 and the Shoshone Wilderness

The North Absaroka Mountains occupy one of the most remote corners of Wyoming’s hunting landscape, and that remoteness is the whole point. Shoshone National Forest — the oldest national forest in the United States — covers the bulk of the hunting country here, and the North Absaroka Wilderness sits tucked against Yellowstone National Park’s eastern boundary in Park County. For hunters willing to commit to a pack-in trip and accept the physical demands of this terrain, it’s one of Wyoming’s most productive elk addresses.

GMU 7 is the anchor unit in this area, but understanding it requires understanding what Yellowstone does to the elk that call this country home.

The Yellowstone Effect on North Absaroka Elk

Yellowstone National Park isn’t just a neighbor — it’s an active player in the North Absaroka elk dynamic. The northern Yellowstone herd, one of the park’s largest, moves seasonally across the park boundary into Shoshone National Forest and the surrounding hunting units. Wolves, grizzly bears, and the park’s predator community have changed elk behavior dramatically over the past three decades, and those changes don’t stop at the park boundary.

Elk that summer inside Yellowstone and migrate into the North Absaroka hunting country during early September are not the same animals as elk that have spent their whole lives being hunted. They’re more alert, more likely to move in low-light windows, and less likely to respond to aggressive calling tactics. Bulls that travel in from the park tend to be older — Yellowstone’s predator population culls heavily from the young and vulnerable, and the animals that survive to migrate are often genuinely mature.

This cuts both ways. On one hand, you’re hunting elk with more natural wariness than you’d find in a unit without predator pressure. On the other hand, the bulls that do come out of Yellowstone and move into GMU 7 country are often exactly what a trophy-focused hunter is looking for.

GMU 7 Structure and Draw Odds

Wyoming’s Region G, which includes GMU 7 and the surrounding North Absaroka units, is a limited-entry draw for nonresidents and residents alike. GMU 7 bull elk tags don’t sit at Teton-level scarcity, but they aren’t guaranteed draws either. Current draw odds for GMU 7 run moderate compared to Wyoming’s most pressured units — most applicants with two to three preference points have a realistic shot in most years, though this can shift.

The units adjacent to GMU 7 — including portions of the North Fork country — offer slightly different access and varying draw difficulty. Some hunters find success applying for the smaller administrative units within the broader region where tag numbers are more generous and competition thinner.

Check current point requirements and draw history using the Wyoming draw odds tool or run your specific scenario through the draw odds engine to model expected wait times. Wyoming’s preference point system is straightforward, and the North Absaroka units sit in a middle tier — more competitive than southeast Wyoming’s general deer country, far more accessible than the Teton elk units that can run a decade or more.

Pack-In Access and What It Actually Costs

There are no casual day-hike approaches to the best elk country in GMU 7. The North Absaroka Wilderness requires either a horseback/mule pack-in operation or a serious backpack effort over terrain that doesn’t negotiate. The Shoshone forks — the North Fork and South Fork of the Shoshone River — provide the primary access corridors, but the wilderness country above those drainages climbs fast and rewards only those who come prepared.

Outfitted pack-in trips from Cody are the dominant option for nonresident hunters. Cody sits roughly 50 miles east of the park boundary and functions as the staging hub for North Absaroka wilderness hunting. The outfitter concentration here is among the highest in Wyoming — the area has supported a commercial guiding industry for well over a century. Quality and style vary, but the infrastructure exists.

A fully outfitted 7-day elk hunt in the North Absaroka country runs $6,000 to $12,000 depending on the outfitter, camp style, and whether it includes the license. Some operations run spike camps deep in the wilderness; others work from established base camps with wall tents and wood stoves. Base camp comfort doesn’t predict success, but it does affect how well you can hunt the last two days of a hard week.

DIY backpack hunters can access the wilderness, but grizzly bear activity in this country is real and consistent. You’re in a zone with one of the higher grizzly densities outside the park, and solo travel isn’t recommended. Bring a hunting partner, carry bear spray within reach at all times, and know current Shoshone food storage requirements before you go.

Archery vs. Rifle Season Timing

The archery season in Wyoming runs through September, and the North Absaroka country offers legitimate bugling action in the second and third weeks of September when the rut peaks. The catch is that archery hunting in grizzly country with a wounded or downed animal at your feet changes the risk calculus in ways that flat-country elk hunting doesn’t.

That said, archery hunters who draw early-entry tags and commit to a spike camp operation in the wilderness can find bulls that are rarely pressured. The pack-in barrier filters out a significant portion of the hunting pressure, and September bulls in this country — especially those that have migrated out of Yellowstone in late August — are vocal and active in ways that mature bulls elsewhere in Wyoming often aren’t.

Rifle seasons in October and November are when most hunters come to the North Absaroka country. The general structure allows hunting into late October in most GMU 7 designations, and first snowfall at elevation can concentrate elk on the mid-slope benches where hunters can reach them without extreme technical travel. October elk in this country are hard-used by that point in the season, but a fresh snow on the right morning is still one of hunting’s great equalizers.

Bull Quality: What the North Absaroka Delivers

The combination of wilderness character, low hunting pressure within the wilderness boundary, and the influence of Yellowstone’s naturally selected elk population produces consistently good bulls in the North Absaroka country. Mature 6x6 bulls in the 310 to 340 class are achievable expectations for a hunter on a quality camp with a good outfitter. The area does produce bulls in the 350-plus range with regularity, and B&C class animals show up on legitimate wilderness hunts.

What you won’t find is the sheer elk density of Wyoming’s Teton units in a great year. The North Absaroka country rewards patience and terrain knowledge over high-volume elk encounters. A good hunt here might produce one solid opportunity at a mature bull in seven days — but that bull will likely be worth the entire trip.

How It Compares to the Wind River Country

Wyoming’s Wind River Range produces excellent elk as well, and hunters sometimes debate the two areas as alternatives. The Wind Rivers offer a different terrain profile — longer, more open basins at high elevation, fewer timber-choked drainages, and less predator pressure from grizzlies and wolves (though grizzlies are expanding their range into the Winds).

The North Absaroka country is darker, more vertical, and more demanding in terms of navigation. It doesn’t offer the long-range shooting opportunities that open Wind River basins sometimes provide. What it offers instead is an elk hunting experience shaped by Yellowstone’s influence — animals that behave differently, country that requires genuine wilderness skills, and a bull quality ceiling that’s hard to match anywhere in the lower 48.

If you’re choosing between the two as a first Wyoming pack-in hunt, the Wind Rivers offer a slightly more forgiving introduction to wilderness elk hunting. If you’ve done that and you’re ready for a harder, more demanding trip with higher bull quality upside, the North Absaroka wilderness is the next step.

Planning a North Absaroka Hunt

The application deadline for Wyoming elk is in late May. Start building preference points now if you’re not already in the system — every year without an application is a wasted accumulation opportunity.

Outfitter bookings for the most popular North Absaroka camps fill a year or more in advance, and better operations are often booked before tags are drawn. If you’re planning a 2027 hunt, start outfitter conversations now. The range in quality between operations is significant enough that references and direct phone calls are worth more than any website.

Study the Wyoming draw odds data carefully before you pick your specific unit. GMU 7 is the most visible tag in this region, but the surrounding units within the same application group can offer similar country with slightly better draw odds. The difference between hunting the upper North Fork drainage versus a neighboring unit is often minimal in terms of elk quality — but the difference in draw difficulty can be meaningful depending on your point bank.

The North Absaroka Mountains aren’t a hunt you stumble into. They’re a hunt you work toward. For hunters willing to put in the planning, the physical preparation, and the investment that this country demands, it delivers a wilderness elk experience that’s genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the lower 48.

Sources & verification

Seasons, license fees, application windows, and draw structure for Wyoming change every year. Always verify the current details against the official Wyoming agency before applying or hunting.

• Wyoming Game & Fish Department — wgfd.wyo.gov