Can a Wyoming resident buy a general deer licence for hunt area 13 without drawing or building preference points?

Yes. Residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved and no preference points exist for resident deer hunters in Wyoming. A resident may hold one general deer licence per year and may use it across all general-licence hunt areas in the state, including hunt area 13.

Which white-tailed deer species can a hunter take on the Type Gen archery hunt here?

Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal on the Type Gen archery season, but under different rules: only antlered mule deer may be taken, while any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—is legal. The antler requirement applies to the mule deer only.

How much of hunt area 13 is public land a hunter can count on?

Public land makes up 16% of the hunt area, roughly 135 square miles of State Trust Land and BLM. The rest is private ground, and access to public parcels is constrained by roads, trailheads and seasonal closures; a GPS with landownership mapping is strongly recommended.

Can a hunter use Walk-In Areas in hunt area 13 without getting permission first?

Yes. Walk-In Areas are open to walk-in hunting during their posted seasons without requiring permission or an application, though each site has its own rules and some are limited to white-tailed deer only. Enrollment in the programme is renegotiated annually, so availability can change between seasons.

When does the Type Gen mule deer hunt close here?

The Type Gen hunt that allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs through October 15, combining an archery window in September with a 15-day rifle season in early October. A separate Type Gen hunt for white-tailed deer only runs October 16 through November 30.

Wyoming Hunt Area 13 (Lusk) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

16%

Elevation

4,200–5,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 13 occupies mixed-grass prairie and sagebrush flats across northeastern Wyoming, with deeply cut draws and buttes offering the main topographic relief. The country stays rolling and walkable, with grass and meadow making up the bulk of the cover and sagebrush dotting the landscape alongside scattered riparian areas. Elevation ranges from 4,200 to 5,600 feet, with most ground around 4,900 feet; slopes average 3.7 degrees across the 826 square miles.

The hunt area is heavily weighted toward private land—84% of it—which holds the majority of both mule and white-tailed deer. Public ground consists of State Trust Land and BLM, totaling roughly 135 square miles and rated poor for access by WGFD. Most hunters pursuing mule deer will need to secure private permission well before applying for a licence. Walk-in areas enrolled by agreement provide a foothold for white-tailed deer hunting on a few parcels; there are six of these sites available to hunters. A larger block of State land north of Manville offers mule deer hunting on public ground, though it receives heavy pressure and holds relatively low deer density. Successful hunting here demands careful map work and navigation—private land roads may appear public, and a GPS or mapping application with landownership overlays is essential for staying legal.

The two general-licence white-tailed deer hunts and the mule deer/white-tailed combination hunt all include an early-season archery window running through September before the regular rifle seasons diverge. The earliest rifle opportunity is the mule deer and antlered-only archery hunt, which closes mid-October; white-tailed hunters stay in the field through November.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 13 (Lusk) 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 B, 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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
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 1 – October 15
Type Gen — general licence · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular October 16 – November 30

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

Hunting any white-tailed deer from September through November captures the entire autumn window from early fall through the rut and into winter consolidation. The archery season in September finds white-tails still in velvet, moving and feeding openly through grass and sagebrush, with temperatures in the mid-70s and minimal snow. Once the rifle season opens in early October, the rut begins to build over the next two months—bucks become nocturnal and move more at dusk and dawn—and weather cools steadily, with rifle seasons through November bringing occasional light snow. Access depends heavily on private land; securing permission in advance is essential before applying for a licence.

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

Doe and fawn white-tailed deer hunting runs on the same calendar as the Type 3 any-deer hunt, spanning September archery and October through November rifle seasons. Early fall finds does and fawns ranging openly through grass and sagebrush; as the rut takes hold in October and November, does shift their movement but stay huntable on the ground they inhabit. Weather begins mild in September and grows cold through November, with occasional October and November snow. Most white-tailed hunting occurs on private land or the six Walk-In Areas enrolled in the programme; hunters must plan access well before the season opens.

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

Hunting for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs from September archery through mid-October rifle hunting, closing before the November rut peaks. September archery happens as mule deer shed velvet and begin early fall dispersal from summer range, with warm temperatures and no snow. The October rifle window (October 1–15) catches the transition into the rut's early phase, when bucks become increasingly nocturnal; temperatures drop sharply and occasional snow begins to fall. This is a split hunt under different legal rules—only antlered mule deer are legal, while any white-tailed deer, of either sex, may be taken. Private land holds the vast majority of both species; a larger State parcel north of Manville offers public mule deer hunting but draws heavy pressure.

Type Gen — Any white-tailed deer · whitetail only (October–November)

White-tailed deer hunting from mid-October through November takes place as the rut builds through its primary phase and into late season. Bucks are nocturnal and concentrated on does, moving mainly at dawn and dusk; does shift their ranges in response to male activity. October weather is cool with occasional snow; November turns cold and receives heavier monthly snow. Hunt area 13 is predominantly private ground, and securing advance permission is the path to success; Walk-In Areas offer the primary public alternative for white-tailed hunting.

Land and access

private land84%

Private

State Trust Land15%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 16% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 135 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 6 enrolled walk-in areas. 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range100%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range37%

used in winter

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

Across the unit

Grass and meadow74%

Sagebrush15%

Other cover6%

Conifer4%

Riparian1%

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	36°F	12°F	2.6 in
February	37°F	14°F	3.7 in
March	48°F	22°F	2.4 in
April	55°F	29°F	2.2 in
May	65°F	39°F	0 in
June	77°F	48°F	0 in
July	86°F	55°F	0 in
August	84°F	53°F	0 in
September	75°F	44°F	0 in
October	59°F	31°F	0.9 in
November	46°F	20°F	2 in
December	36°F	12°F	3.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a Wyoming resident buy a general deer licence for hunt area 13 without drawing or building preference points?: Yes. Residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved and no preference points exist for resident deer hunters in Wyoming. A resident may hold one general deer licence per year and may use it across all general-licence hunt areas in the state, including hunt area 13.
Which white-tailed deer species can a hunter take on the Type Gen archery hunt here?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal on the Type Gen archery season, but under different rules: only antlered mule deer may be taken, while any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—is legal. The antler requirement applies to the mule deer only.
How much of hunt area 13 is public land a hunter can count on?: Public land makes up 16% of the hunt area, roughly 135 square miles of State Trust Land and BLM. The rest is private ground, and access to public parcels is constrained by roads, trailheads and seasonal closures; a GPS with landownership mapping is strongly recommended.
Can a hunter use Walk-In Areas in hunt area 13 without getting permission first?: Yes. Walk-In Areas are open to walk-in hunting during their posted seasons without requiring permission or an application, though each site has its own rules and some are limited to white-tailed deer only. Enrollment in the programme is renegotiated annually, so availability can change between seasons.
When does the Type Gen mule deer hunt close here?: The Type Gen hunt that allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs through October 15, combining an archery window in September with a 15-day rifle season in early October. A separate Type Gen hunt for white-tailed deer only runs October 16 through November 30.

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