Can a hunter in Wyoming use a region licence in hunt area 112?

Yes. A region F general licence is valid in all general-licence hunt areas throughout region F, including hunt area 112. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter, and a nonresident obtains a region licence through the regional draw.

What deer species can be legally hunted in this area?

Hunt area 112 offers hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, depending on the season. Three of the four seasons permit both species under different rules: Type Gen, Type 1, and Type 3 permit white-tailed deer as a legal option, while Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only and do not permit mule deer.

Does a nonresident need preference points for a general hunt in Wyoming?

Nonresidents benefit from preference points for a region F general licence because three quarters of the regional licences are awarded to the preference-point draw. Wyoming residents, by contrast, buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved.

Wyoming Hunt Area 112 (Ishawooa) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

84%

Elevation

5,400–12,200 ft

Terrain

Rugged

Deer region

Hunt area 112 spans from 5,400 to 12,200 feet across mountainous terrain of steep drainages, rolling sagebrush hills and dry basins. Slope averages 18.4 degrees, with about half the ground moderate and the remainder split between gentle and steep slopes. Lower elevations are sagebrush country with some scattered conifers and grass; mid-elevation ground is predominantly conifer with sagebrush throughout; higher terrain runs to conifer and sagebrush mixed with alpine meadows. The area is 84% publicly accessible on National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, about 190 square miles of huntable ground, though private land occupies the eastern edge. Public land access here requires the usual homework — roads, trailheads and seasonal closures all still apply, and the area contains designated wilderness where nonresidents must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.

The hunt area has very few resident mule deer; hunting success depends almost entirely on whether migrating animals pass through. As fall snowstorms drive deer from dispersed summer ranges across the Shoshone and Yellowstone watersheds into the major drainages, hunting later in the season increases the odds of encountering them. Ishawooa Creek, Bobcat Creek and Houlihan Creek can be productive for migrants, and Hardpan Creek and Twin Creek offer hunting where access is more difficult. Many moving deer flow south from Ishawooa Creek toward Table Mountain and toward Sheep Mountain. White-tailed deer hunt opportunities exist in creek drainages and on private land throughout the area.

Hunt area 112 sits in deer region F. Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no points; a hunter may hold at most one per year. Nonresidents must draw a Region F general licence, valid across all general-licence hunt areas in the region. Within the nonresident draw, three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw awarded top-down by points, and a quarter to a random draw; nonresidents therefore benefit from building points for this region.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 112 (Ishawooa) 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 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
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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 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 Gen — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–November)

The Type Gen season with both archery (September 1–30) and regular (October 15–November 10) windows offers a two-phase hunt across early season and mid-season conditions. Archery hunters arrive while bucks still carry velvet and move through sagebrush and mid-elevation conifer on bachelor patterns, though few resident animals remain in the area. September stays mild, averaging highs around 61 degrees and snowfall under an inch. Regular season spans the transition into autumn migration and nocturnal buck phase as temperatures cool sharply, then carries into early pre-rut staging in late October and early November, when snowfall begins to push migrants from the high country. The first half of the regular window sees October lows near 29 degrees and snowfall averaging 5.3 inches; the second half faces November's harder conditions with highs around 37 degrees, lows near 19 degrees, and 7.5 inches of snow. Archery hunters work public-land access on foot; regular hunters benefit from the increasing flow of migrants into major creek drainages. The hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, with no antler or point requirement for the mule deer.

Type 1 — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–November)

The Type 1 season spans archery (September 1–30) and a later regular window (November 1–20) that bookends the peak migration and rut period. Archery again coincides with early-fall bachelor patterns and mild weather in September. The regular season opens as migration accelerates through the pre-rut staging phase and transitions directly into primary rut, when bucks concentrate and move more actively—the best timing for encountering migrants funneling through major drainages like Ishawooa, Bobcat and Houlihan Creeks. November conditions turn harsh quickly, with highs dropping to 37 degrees by early November and falling further as the month advances, snowfall running 7.5 inches on average. Nonresidents hunting this season draw individually and must obtain a Type 1 licence through the draw system. The hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, with no antler or point requirement for the mule deer.

Type 3 — Any white-tailed deer · whitetail only (September–December)

This white-tailed deer only season spans archery in early September through a long regular window running October 1–December 31, offering the most extended opportunity to hunt white-tailed deer as conditions change drastically. Archery hunters find animals in velvet moving on bachelor patterns in September's mild conditions. The regular season opens in early October as migration begins, carrying through the nocturnal buck phase when migrating animals are active mainly at dawn and dusk, then transitions into the pre-rut staging phase and primary rut in November, when bucks range more widely and hunters can encounter them on major drainage systems. Late season into December extends past the primary rut into late-rut consolidation as animals bunch on winter ground. October brings 5.3 inches of snow on average; November 7.5 inches; December 7.2 inches. This hunt holds the longest regular season on the area and captures the full migration window. Any white-tailed deer means there is no sex or age restriction.

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

The Type 8 season targets doe and fawn white-tailed deer across the same span as Type 3—archery September 1–30, regular October 1–December 31—and overlaps the migration and rut cycle that concentrates females on major drainages. Archery hunters find does and fawns in September on summer ranges at mild temperatures. The regular window opens as fall migration accelerates into October, carrying through the pre-rut and rut phases when females concentrate near staging and rutting bucks, then extends into late-season consolidation through December. Snow accumulation rises from 5.3 inches in October to an average of 7.5 inches in November and 7.2 inches in December. Hunters pursuing this season can take advantage of the long window and the predictable movement of females during and after the rut. A doe or fawn license is restricted to female and young animals; no bucks are legal.

Land and access

National Forest76%

Generally open to public hunting

private land15%

Private

BLM6%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership1%

Ownership unclassified

About 84% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 190 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 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 Range61%

used in summer

Winter Range38%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range37%

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

Sagebrush68%

Other cover12%

Grass and meadow12%

Conifer5%

Riparian3%

Mid elevations

Conifer54%

Sagebrush37%

Grass and meadow9%

Higher elevations

Conifer40%

Sagebrush35%

Grass and meadow16%

Other cover9%

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	13°F	5.8 in
February	32°F	13°F	8.4 in
March	40°F	19°F	7.9 in
April	46°F	24°F	9 in
May	54°F	33°F	1.1 in
June	63°F	40°F	0 in
July	72°F	47°F	0 in
August	71°F	46°F	0 in
September	61°F	39°F	0.9 in
October	48°F	29°F	5.3 in
November	37°F	19°F	7.5 in
December	29°F	13°F	7.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in Wyoming use a region licence in hunt area 112?: Yes. A region F general licence is valid in all general-licence hunt areas throughout region F, including hunt area 112. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter, and a nonresident obtains a region licence through the regional draw.
What deer species can be legally hunted in this area?: Hunt area 112 offers hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, depending on the season. Three of the four seasons permit both species under different rules: Type Gen, Type 1, and Type 3 permit white-tailed deer as a legal option, while Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only and do not permit mule deer.
Does a nonresident need preference points for a general hunt in Wyoming?: Nonresidents benefit from preference points for a region F general licence because three quarters of the regional licences are awarded to the preference-point draw. Wyoming residents, by contrast, buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved.
Is any of hunt area 112 protected wilderness that requires a guide?: Yes. The hunt area contains designated wilderness where Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Residents may hunt the wilderness unguided.
When do deer typically migrate into this hunt area, and which seasons offer the best chance to find them?: Migrating deer typically enter the area in response to fall snowstorms, moving from summer ranges into major drainages as conditions worsen. Hunting later in the season increases the odds of encountering migrants; the Type 1 regular season, running into late November, offers a longer window during the peak migration and rut period than the earlier Type Gen season.

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