Hunt Area 116, Meeteetse, Wyoming

Greybull and Wood River drainages off national forest, west of Wyoming Highway 120 in Park County. The unit sits at the foothills and basin margins of the eastern Absaroka Range, roughly between 5,000 and 7,500 feet elevation where the terrain transitions from sagebrush and grass benches and canyon draws up into Rocky Mountain juniper, mountain mahogany, limber pine, and aspen foothills. The Wood River and Greybull River corridors provide riparian cottonwood and willow habitat that concentrates white-tailed deer, while mule deer use the open sage/grass hillsides and rimrock country. The unit specifically covers only the portion of these drainages that lies outside (off) the Shoshone National Forest boundary — the adjacent national forest lands fall within Deer Hunt Area 117 (Franc's Peak).

moderate

1) CWD STATUS: As of the most recent available surveillance data, CWD has been detected in adjacent Deer Hunt Area 118 (Upper Gooseberry Creek, first detected November 2017) and Deer Hunt Area 117 (Franc's Peak, first confirmed October 2020 via hunter-submitted samples). Deer Hunt Area 116 itself had not been publicly confirmed CWD-positive in deer as of the sources reviewed. Note: Elk Hunt Area 116 (North Black Hills, Crook County) was confirmed CWD-positive in 2025, but this is a geographically distinct unit with no bearing on Deer HA 116 near Meeteetse. Hunters should consult the current WGFD CWD map at wgfd.wyo.gov before hunting and consider voluntary carcass testing. 2) LAND ACCESS: Approximately 50% of the unit is private land. Hunters must verify land status before entry; BLM and State parcels are interspersed with private ranches. 3) TYPE 7 RESTRICTION: The Type 7 license is specifically restricted to private land in the Wood River drainage only — it is not valid on public land. 4) PRONGHORN: There is no Wyoming Chapter 5 Antelope Hunt Area numbered 116 as of the 2026 regulations. Pronghorn hunting near Meeteetse falls under different antelope area numbers; hunters interested in pronghorn in this region should consult Chapter 5 and the WGFD Hunt Planner for applicable antelope areas. 5) ELK DISAMBIGUATION: WGFD Chapter 7 (Elk) does list a Hunt Area 116, but it refers to the North Black Hills in Crook County — a completely different geographic unit from Deer HA 116 Meeteetse. Hunters seeking elk near Meeteetse should reference elk hunt areas in the Cody Region. 6) Season dates are from the 2026 Chapter 6 draft (CH 6 Draft 03.16.2026.4) and are subject to final adoption; verify at wgfd.wyo.gov before purchasing a license. 7) The unit spans approximately 370 square miles (236,675 acres) per HuntScore; public land breakdown is estimated at 19% BLM + 30% State = 49% public. 8) TYPE 8 CHANGE FROM 2023: In the 2023 season Type 8 applied to Hunt Areas 116, 117, and 118 combined. For 2026, HA 118 has been removed from the Type 8 combination per WGFD management action; Type 8 now applies to areas 116 and 117 only.