Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 111?

Yes. Hunt area 111 is a general-licence hunt area in deer region F. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved; a nonresident must draw a Region general licence, which is valid across general-licence hunt areas in region F but nowhere else.

Does hunt area 111 contain designated wilderness and what does that mean for a nonresident?

Yes, the area contains designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt this area should verify which trailheads and drainages fall within wilderness boundaries before the season.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take in the archery and regular seasons here?

Type 1 and Type Gen (general licence) hunts permit both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Type 8 permits white-tailed deer only — does or fawns — and a mule deer is not legal under that hunt. The three hunts run on different dates and with different season lengths.

What does a hunter need to know about deer movement and timing in hunt area 111?

The hunt area holds few resident deer; success depends on migration as fall snowstorms push animals down from summer ranges into the main drainages of the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Deer typically migrate west to east but move out of sight of the highway corridor, often requiring hunters to work ridges and side drainages 1–2 miles away from the main road. Later seasons see more animals in the area.

How much public land is accessible in hunt area 111 and what are the access options?

About 86% of the area — roughly 373 square miles — is national forest, BLM, and state trust land that hunters can generally count on. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still restrict entry. Park County Walk-In Area 18 offers walk-in access during its open period. Limited BLM access near Sheep Mountain is available if deer migrations have occurred.

Wyoming Hunt Area 111 (Elk Fork) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

86%

Elevation

5,000–12,200 ft

Terrain

Steep

Deer region

Hunt area 111 is mountainous country where autumn hunting turns on fall migration. The ground rises from sagebrush basins at 5,000 feet to high timber at 12,200 feet, typical elevation around 7,800 feet. Terrain is steep — slope averages 17.2 degrees, with 53% moderate ground, 26% gentle, 18% steep, and 2% rugged. Lower elevations run to sagebrush with pockets of conifer; mid-elevation zones turn heavily forested with sagebrush interspersed; higher country opens to a mix of sagebrush, conifer, and alpine meadow. Wildfires in the preceding two years have burned across nearly 6,000 acres, creating patches of new vegetation. Most ground breaks into steep drainages that funnel movement; the North Fork of the Shoshone River is the major axis.

The deer that hunt area 111 holds are mostly migrants. Few resident mule deer and white-tailed deer stay year-round; the bulk of the fall kill depends on animals moving down from dispersed summer ranges across the Shoshone and Yellowstone watersheds as snowstorms drive them into the main drainages. That migration typically runs west to east, but deer tend to move back from the sight lines of the North Fork Highway corridor, meaning productive hunting often requires working ridges and side drainages at least a mile or two north or south of the main road. Later seasons see more animals in the area as cold weather pushes the migration down.

Access to national forest and BLM is widespread across the area's 86% public ground, but roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all apply, and private inholdings break up the country. Hunt area 111 contains designated wilderness; Wyoming law requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting in designated wilderness. Park County Walk-In Area 18 offers an additional option during its open period. White-tailed deer concentrate along drainages and private land, while mule deer use the higher country. A nonresident's opportunities are constrained by the large expanse of wilderness and limited trailhead access off the highway.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 111 (Elk Fork) is a general-licence hunt area, and how a hunter gets a licence for it depends on where they live.

A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter — unlimited statewide, on sale from mid-July. No draw, no application, no preference points.
A nonresident cannot buy one. They must draw a Region general licence — for this hunt area, deer region F, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of that region and nowhere else.

A hunter may hold only ONE general deer licence in a year, so a general licence is a single choice rather than something to stack.

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 · Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 10

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 — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–November)

Archery hunting for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs September 1–30, when deer are still in scattered summer locations with velvet not yet shed. Early September highs reach the low 60s F, cooling through the month, with snowfall averaging 0.4 inches. Access to roadside trailheads and developed sites on national forest and BLM is generally available. The regular season runs November 1–20, spanning the pre-rut staging phase into the primary rut, when bucks become more active and begin moving. November temperatures plummet from the upper 30s to near 20 F, with average snowfall of 9.7 inches early in the period, making higher passes increasingly difficult. Hunting at least a mile or two off the North Fork Highway corridor gives the best chance of intercepting deer as they funnel into major drainages; later in the season (mid-November onward) increases the likelihood of encountering migrating animals pushed down by snow.

Type 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer · whitetail only (September–December)

Type 8 is a white-tailed-deer-only hunt, with archery September 1–30 and regular seasons October 1–December 31. Archery occurs while deer are dispersed and largely resident, with mild early-September conditions (highs near 62 F, minimal snow). The regular season spans October through December, beginning in the nocturnal buck phase when daylight hunting is challenging, transitioning through pre-rut staging and into the primary rut and late season. October temperatures fall from the high 40s to freezing, with average snowfall climbing from 4.7 inches early in the month to 11.8 inches by December. White-tailed deer are concentrated along drainages and private land; hunting the river corridors and side drainages — again, often a mile or more from the highway — offers the best odds of connecting as the season progresses and snow pressure builds. This extended season rewards hunters who can stay in the field as late autumn arrives.

Type Gen — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–November)

General-licence archery runs September 1–30 for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer during early fall when deer remain scattered at higher elevations; highs in the 60s F, averaging only 0.4 inches of snow. The regular season spans October 15–November 10, beginning in the nocturnal phase and closing around the start of the primary rut. Early October sees highs near 50 F and 4.7 inches of average snowfall; by early November, highs have fallen to the mid-30s, with 9.7 inches typical as snow increases the push of animals down from summer range. Access works the same as Type 1 — national forest and BLM trailheads, though the wilderness requirement for nonresidents applies — and the strategy remains the same: hunt at least 1–2 miles off the North Fork Highway to intercept migrating deer funneling into the major drainages.

Land and access

National Forest76%

Generally open to public hunting

private land11%

Private

BLM9%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership3%

Ownership unclassified

About 86% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 373 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.

This hunt area has 1 enrolled walk-in area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Walk-In Area needs no permission slip — a hunter may walk in during the open period, subject to its posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

This hunt area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where deer are mapped

Summer Range70%

used in summer

Winter Range28%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range27%

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

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

Sagebrush69%

Conifer18%

Other cover8%

Grass and meadow4%

Mid elevations

Conifer53%

Sagebrush45%

Grass and meadow2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush42%

Conifer37%

Other cover12%

Grass and meadow9%

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	31°F	14°F	10.5 in
February	32°F	13°F	12.4 in
March	40°F	19°F	9.5 in
April	46°F	25°F	7.9 in
May	55°F	33°F	1 in
June	63°F	40°F	0 in
July	73°F	48°F	0 in
August	71°F	47°F	0 in
September	62°F	39°F	0.4 in
October	48°F	29°F	4.7 in
November	37°F	20°F	9.7 in
December	29°F	13°F	11.8 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 111?: Yes. Hunt area 111 is a general-licence hunt area in deer region F. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved; a nonresident must draw a Region general licence, which is valid across general-licence hunt areas in region F but nowhere else.
Does hunt area 111 contain designated wilderness and what does that mean for a nonresident?: Yes, the area contains designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt this area should verify which trailheads and drainages fall within wilderness boundaries before the season.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take in the archery and regular seasons here?: Type 1 and Type Gen (general licence) hunts permit both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Type 8 permits white-tailed deer only — does or fawns — and a mule deer is not legal under that hunt. The three hunts run on different dates and with different season lengths.
What does a hunter need to know about deer movement and timing in hunt area 111?: The hunt area holds few resident deer; success depends on migration as fall snowstorms push animals down from summer ranges into the main drainages of the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Deer typically migrate west to east but move out of sight of the highway corridor, often requiring hunters to work ridges and side drainages 1–2 miles away from the main road. Later seasons see more animals in the area.
How much public land is accessible in hunt area 111 and what are the access options?: About 86% of the area — roughly 373 square miles — is national forest, BLM, and state trust land that hunters can generally count on. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still restrict entry. Park County Walk-In Area 18 offers walk-in access during its open period. Limited BLM access near Sheep Mountain is available if deer migrations have occurred.

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