South Fork Shoshone: Wyoming's Premier Backcountry Elk Country

There are places in Wyoming where the elk aren’t just present — they dominate the drainage. The South Fork of the Shoshone River is one of those places. This is a country of massive timbered ridges, cliff-broken basins, and creek bottoms so choked with willow and alder that a bull can stand 80 yards away and you’ll never see him unless you hear him first. It’s hard country. Demanding country. And it’s home to one of the best elk herds in the northern Rockies.

Unit 62 covers the South Fork drainage and much of the Washakie Wilderness in the Absaroka Range south of Cody, Wyoming. The unit has a documented history of producing bulls in the 350–390 class regularly, with 400-inch class bulls documented most years. For nonresidents who want a legitimate shot at backcountry elk in a herd with actual age structure, this is one of the top units in the state. Getting a tag isn’t free — archery runs 3–5 points for nonresidents, rifle runs higher — but it’s achievable on a reasonable timeline. Here’s what the unit actually looks like on the ground.

The Geography: South Fork Shoshone to the Washakie

Cody, Wyoming is your gateway. US-14A heads southwest out of town toward the South Fork Road, which parallels the South Fork of the Shoshone River into the Shoshone National Forest. The trailheads that access Unit 62’s backcountry wilderness start roughly 40–50 miles from Cody near the end of the paved road.

The Absaroka Range here is steep, heavily forested, and broken by cliffs and talus slopes that create natural holding areas for elk moving between summer and winter ranges. The Washakie Wilderness, which makes up much of the huntable backcountry within the unit, covers over 700,000 acres. It shares a boundary with Yellowstone National Park to the north — which matters, because elk from the Yellowstone plateau complex use this drainage as seasonal range, and some of the largest bulls in the region spend summer in the park before moving south into the Washakie by September.

The South Fork Road itself offers limited access. You can hunt the lower elevations from the road corridor, but the genuinely productive country requires penetrating 15–25 miles into the wilderness. That’s a horse trip or a serious backpack. There’s no shortcut to the best elk in this drainage.

Unit 62 Draw Odds: What Nonresidents Can Expect

Wyoming uses a pure preference point system — the highest-point holders draw first, and once you hit the threshold for a unit, you’re essentially guaranteed a tag that year. It’s the most predictable draw system in the West, but it also means you can wait a long time for top-end units.

Archery (Type 1 licenses): Nonresidents with 3–5 preference points have been drawing Unit 62 archery tags in recent years. The exact threshold varies slightly year to year depending on total applicant pool, but 4 points is a reasonable planning target. This is one of the more accessible archery elk tags in the state for a nonresident who’s been building points for a few years.

Rifle (Type 1 limited quota licenses): Rifle tags in Unit 62 are significantly more competitive. Nonresidents are looking at 6–10+ preference points depending on the specific season and license type. The any-bull rifle seasons draw the most competition. The antler point restriction seasons (requiring a bull with a brow tine of a specified length) sometimes draw at lower point thresholds since they filter out smaller bulls.

Type 2 licenses (General): Wyoming also issues general (Type 2) elk licenses for Unit 62 that cover antlerless elk or spike bulls in some seasons. These draw at lower point thresholds but don’t get you to a mature bull.

The math for most serious nonresident hunters: start your Wyoming point accumulation immediately, target the archery application with a realistic 4–5 year horizon, and treat this as a planned hunt rather than a speculative application.

Elk Quality: What Unit 62 Actually Produces

This unit consistently produces mature bulls because of three things that don’t come apart: access difficulty that keeps pressure manageable, a herd that receives bulls from the Yellowstone complex with well-developed genetics, and terrain that offers genuine sanctuary cover in the heavy timber and cliff systems.

Documented bulls from Unit 62 and adjacent Washakie Wilderness units show a regular production of 340–370 class 6x6 bulls from bulls in the 5–7 year age class. The 380–400 inch class is achievable — these bulls are out there most years, taken by hunters who penetrate far enough and hunt hard enough. The 400+ class bull is possible and documented, though it’s the exception rather than the norm even in this unit.

Field identification matters here. Timber elk are harder to judge than open-country bulls. A 340-inch 6x6 in the timber looks enormous because you’re rarely seeing him from more than 100 yards in a clear shooting lane. Don’t make the mistake of passing a 330–340 inch mature bull because you’re convinced something bigger is coming — in a week-long wilderness hunt, you might only get two or three encounters with mature bulls total.

Terrain and Tactics: How to Hunt the South Fork

The South Fork drainage rewards hunters who think in three dimensions. Elk use the creek bottoms early morning and evening for water and feeding, move to the timbered benches mid-morning, and bed in the cliff systems and dark timber during midday. The key terrain feature is the bench — long, nearly flat fingers of heavy timber that jut off the main ridges between drainages. These benches hold elk because they offer food (browse and grasses at the timber edges), security (dark timber core), and escape routes in multiple directions.

During archery season (September rut): The first two weeks of September in Unit 62 are as good as elk calling gets anywhere. Bulls are vocal, responsive, and making mistakes. Work the creek bottoms and lower timber edges at first light calling aggressively. As the rut intensifies into the second and third week, shift to the timbered benches where satellite bulls are getting pushed out of core areas. A bull bugling from a wallow in the dark timber during mid-rut is one of the most electric sounds in hunting, and this country produces it consistently.

Wallows are your scouting targets. Find wallows on topographic maps and satellite imagery before you hunt — they’re usually in shallow, shaded drainages with clay soils. A fresh wallow with wet sides and a strong smell means a bull has been there in the past 24–48 hours. Set up within calling range and wait for evening.

During rifle season: Wind management becomes the primary tactical concern. Thermals in the Absaroka drain downhill hard after dark and reverse uphill by midmorning. Hunt into the thermals — work uphill in the morning, downhill in the evening. Elk that hold in the dark timber during rifle pressure will move to feed in open meadows and avalanche chutes at first and last light. Glass from elevation before committing to an approach.

Outfitter vs. DIY: What You Actually Need

Both options work in Unit 62, but they’re genuinely different hunts.

Outfitter hunt: Several licensed Wyoming outfitters run horse camps deep in the Washakie out of the South Fork corridor. A guided 10-day horse camp hunt runs $8,000–$14,000 for elk depending on the outfitter and season. The advantage isn’t just the horses — it’s the camp infrastructure, meat care capability, local knowledge, and the ability to reposition quickly when elk move. If you’re 50+ years old or have any significant physical limitation, the horse camp route is the right call.

DIY hunt: Entirely viable if you’re honest about the fitness and logistics requirements. You need to be able to carry 50–60 lbs for 15+ miles over elevation gain. You need wilderness navigation skills without relying on cell service. You need a bear-safe food system and a plan for getting your elk out — which almost certainly means multiple pack-out trips or caching meat at temperature. Bring a quality pack frame, a high-quality shelter system, and don’t underestimate the cold — September nights at 9,000–10,000 feet in the Absaroka can drop into the 20s even in early fall.

The honest DIY assessment: hunters in their 20s and 30s with backpacking experience and genuine fitness regularly kill good bulls here on their own. It’s not easy, but it’s doable without a guide if you put in the preparation.

Access and Trailheads

The primary access corridor is South Fork Road (Wyoming State Route 291) off US-14A west of Cody. The road runs roughly 30 miles up the South Fork Valley before transitioning to gravel and eventually dead-ending near the wilderness boundary. Key trailheads include:

• Ishawooa Creek Trailhead: One of the main entry points into the southern Washakie. Moderate initial gradient, opens into excellent mid-elevation elk country.
• Wood River Trailhead: Accesses the Wood River drainage and connects to trails that penetrate far into the wilderness. Longer approach distances, less competition.
• South Fork Trailhead (end of road): Most direct access to the core wilderness. Gets the most use from outfitter strings early in the season.

Camp at elevation when possible — camping at the trailhead and day-hiking doesn’t get you to the productive country. Elk pressure near trailheads is real, and the best hunting is 15+ miles in.

Pack-Out Logistics

A mature bull elk will yield 250–350 lbs of boneless meat. At that volume, you have two options: horses or multiple trips.

On a DIY pack-out from 18–20 miles in, plan for two full days minimum with two people splitting loads. Boning the elk out completely and hanging quarters in game bags overnight (in bear country, hung high and away from camp) buys you time for the pack-out. Bring plenty of cheesecloth game bags and don’t rush the cooling process — meat that heats up in a backpack on a warm September day won’t keep.

If you’re hunting without horses, seriously consider partnering with another hunter. Two people can pack out a bull in a day that would take one person three days. The South Fork country rewards hunting parties over solo hunters for exactly this reason.

Unit 62 at a Glance

Factor	Details
Unit	Wyoming Hunt Area 62
Gateway	Cody, WY (US-14A south to South Fork Road)
Draw System	Pure preference points
Archery Draw (Nonresident)	~3–5 preference points
Rifle Draw (Nonresident)	~6–10+ preference points
Wilderness Area	Washakie Wilderness (700,000+ acres)
Required Penetration	15–25 miles for backcountry bulls
Bull Quality	340–390 class regularly; 400+ possible
Access	South Fork Road off US-14A
Outfitter Option	Yes — several licensed; $8K–$14K range
DIY Viable	Yes — requires serious fitness and logistics
Cell Service	None in the backcountry; satellite communicator required

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