Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt in hunt area 102?

No. Hunt area 102 is a limited-quota area drawn individually and is not covered by a region licence. A hunter must draw a specific licence for this hunt area to legally hunt here.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points for deer in hunt area 102?

No. Wyoming residents have no deer preference points. The resident draw for this hunt area is random, with no points system at all. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a preference-point draw for three quarters of the available licences, with the remaining quarter going to a random draw.

Which deer species can a hunter take in the Type 1 hunt?

A hunter may take either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The area holds very few white-tailed deer, so mule deer are the practical target.

When does the Type 1 hunt run?

The Type 1 hunt spans two seasons: archery from September 1 through September 30, and regular rifle hunting from October 15 through October 31.

How much of hunt area 102 can a hunter rely on accessing?

About 78% of the area is public land (BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest), roughly 942 square miles. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry—roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply, and most roads become impassable when wet.

Wyoming Hunt Area 102 (Aspen Mountain) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

78%

Elevation

6,000–9,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 102 spans 1,211 square miles of mesa and butte country from 6,000 to 9,600 feet, with typical ground around 7,200 feet. The area is dominated by sagebrush and juniper across its lower and mid elevations, with limited aspen and subalpine fir at higher elevations and scattered mountain mahogany in wetter habitats around uplifts like Little and Pine Mountain. Rocky outcrops and deep draws break up the terrain, which runs to gentle grades across most of the ground—75% of the area is gentle, 23% moderate and 2% steep. The country is heavily roaded, which opens access but puts pressure on the deer.

Mule deer occupy sagebrush draws, flats, juniper forests and aspen stands throughout the area, though at relatively low densities overall; mountain mahogany patches hold the best concentrations. White-tailed deer are essentially absent from the hunt area. Public land makes up about 78% of the area, mostly BLM and State Trust Land in the southern portion, with a checkerboard of public and private sections in the north. Access to public ground is generally reliable, and many private landowners allow crossing to reach public sections, but most roads become nearly impassable when wet due to clay in the soil. The roads that are passable concentrate hunter pressure, and better hunting and higher-quality bucks tend to be found away from high-traffic routes.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 102 (Aspen Mountain) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. A region licence does not reach it — a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, so there is no fallback for this hunt.

Wyoming residents have no preference points for deer — the resident deer draw is random, and no resident point cutoff exists for any hunt area in the state. For nonresidents points matter a great deal: Wyoming awards 75% of each nonresident pool through the preference-point draw, top-down by points, and the remaining 25% at random. Nonresidents also choose between the Regular and Special pools — the same hunts at two price points, competing separately.

Seasons (2026)

Type 1 · Any deer
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31

The wording of each hunt is the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s and is legally exact — a “doe or fawn” hunt is not a deer hunt in general, and a hunt limited to part of the area is not valid across it. Confirm every hunt in the current regulations before applying.

Hunting each season

Type 1 — Any deer (September–October)

The September archery window opens as velvet sheds and bucks transition into early fall, with typical temperatures ranging from highs near 72°F down to lows in the low 40s and virtually no snowfall. Mule deer are shifting and beginning to move downslope, though many remain scattered across sagebrush and juniper draws where they will be throughout September. October's rifle season spans two rut phases: the early fall migration with bucks increasingly nocturnal (October 15–24) followed by the pre-rut staging period (October 25–31) as bucks position near feeding areas. Temperatures cool substantially from October highs around 58°F to lows in the low 30s, and snowfall averages 0.7 inches for the month, though most weather in early October remains dry. Heavily roaded public land provides reliable access, but the road network also concentrates hunter pressure; better hunting lies away from high-traffic routes where terrain and lower road density shelter deer. The Type 1 hunt permits either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, though white-tailed deer are effectively unavailable here.

Land and access

BLM67%

Generally open to public hunting

private land22%

Private

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 78% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 942 square miles. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply.

State trust land counts toward the open figure above. Wyoming extends hunting on legally accessiblestate trust land to the public unless a parcel is specifically closed — the catch is the access itself, since crossing private ground to reach it still needs the landowner’s permission. Camping, fires and off-road vehicles are not allowed on it.

Where deer are mapped

Winter Range72%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range38%

the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it

Yearlong Range34%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range28%

used in summer

Each figure is the share of the hunt area that layer covers. It says where deer are mapped, not where inside the area they are, and not when they move.

Habitat and cover

Lower elevations

Sagebrush91%

Grass and meadow5%

Other cover4%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush91%

Grass and meadow5%

Conifer2%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow9%

Conifer4%

Other cover1%

Shares are of each elevation band, not of the whole hunt area — they describe what grows up there, not how much of the area sits at that elevation.

Weather through the season

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Snowfall
January	35°F	12°F	3.6 in
February	38°F	15°F	3.4 in
March	46°F	23°F	1.7 in
April	54°F	29°F	1.1 in
May	64°F	37°F	0 in
June	76°F	45°F	0 in
July	84°F	53°F	0 in
August	82°F	51°F	0 in
September	72°F	42°F	0 in
October	58°F	31°F	0.7 in
November	44°F	21°F	2.6 in
December	34°F	12°F	3.2 in

Snowfall is the monthly total, not depth lying on the ground.

Common questions

Can a hunter use a region licence to hunt in hunt area 102?: No. Hunt area 102 is a limited-quota area drawn individually and is not covered by a region licence. A hunter must draw a specific licence for this hunt area to legally hunt here.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for deer in hunt area 102?: No. Wyoming residents have no deer preference points. The resident draw for this hunt area is random, with no points system at all. Nonresidents, by contrast, compete in a preference-point draw for three quarters of the available licences, with the remaining quarter going to a random draw.
Which deer species can a hunter take in the Type 1 hunt?: A hunter may take either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The area holds very few white-tailed deer, so mule deer are the practical target.
When does the Type 1 hunt run?: The Type 1 hunt spans two seasons: archery from September 1 through September 30, and regular rifle hunting from October 15 through October 31.
How much of hunt area 102 can a hunter rely on accessing?: About 78% of the area is public land (BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest), roughly 942 square miles. Public ownership does not guarantee easy entry—roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply, and most roads become impassable when wet.

Sources

Wyoming Game & Fish — Hunting & Trapping — licence types, general and limited-quota hunts, and season structure
WGFD Hunt Planner — hunt-area boundaries, season dates and the unit descriptions
WGFD — Draw results and odds — how the resident random draw and the nonresident preference-point draw work
WGFD — Regulations — the legal limitations on each hunt, and the statewide licence rules
USGS National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2021) and 3DEP elevation — land cover and terrain by elevation band

Seasons, licence types and boundaries change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.

All Wyoming deer hunt areas