This data set represents the 2025 elk hunt area, herd unit, and regions boundaries for Wyoming. The layer was originally digitized at a scale of 1:100,000, using USGS 1:100,000 DRGs as a backdrop for heads up digitizing. Updates requested by Wyoming Game and Fish Biological Services were completed by selecting needed features from other layers, including roads, streams, HUCs, NAIP rasters and others. Hunt area boundary descriptions are part of hunting regulations, which are approved and published annually by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. When needed, the 2008 edition (1st Edition) of the Wyoming Road and Recreation Atlas (Benchmark Maps) was consulted for road and other information.

NOTE: A layer of herd units is derived from this hunt area layer by dissolving on the "HERDUNIT" and "HERDNAME" attributes (Dissolve_Fields), and unchecking the box "Create multipart features (optional)". All of the same metadata is used from the hunt area layer except that the citation title is modified so that "Herd Unit" replaces "Hunt Area". The "Dissolve" tool: ArcToolbox > Data Management Tools > Generalization.

NOTE: A layer of nonresident regions is derived from this hunt area layer by dissolving on the "Region" attribute (Dissolve_Field), and unchecking the box "Create multipart features (optional)". All of the same metadata is used from the hunt area layer except that the citation title is modified so that "Nonresident Region" replaces "Hunt Area". The "Dissolve" tool: ArcToolbox > Data Management Tools > Generalization.