Wyoming Hunt Area 138 (Boulder) deer hunting

Licence
General licence area
Open public land
91%
Elevation
6,400–12,500 ft
Terrain
Gentle
Deer region
H

Hunt area 138 occupies 1,630 square miles of high country in the Wind River Range and its foothills, ranging from 6,400 feet in the valley bottoms to 12,500 feet along the Continental Divide. The terrain is predominantly gentle—91% of it slopes under roughly 3.5 degrees mean angle—but the ground changes character sharply with elevation. Alpine rock and sparse vegetation dominate the highest reaches, giving way to dense conifer forests in the mid-elevations, then aspen stands and finally rolling sagebrush foothills as the land descends to the river valleys. Sagebrush covers 84% of the vegetated area, conifers 7%, with smaller shares of grass and riparian growth. Mule deer move through the mountain and foothill habitats during the hunting season but at low densities, and very few are found in the lower sagebrush country away from the foothills. White-tailed deer are also present on this hunt area.

Public land dominates the accessible ground—about 1,480 square miles of BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land comprise 91% of the area, with private holdings concentrated along the East Fork River and scattered riparian corridors in the north-central portion. The northern third is mostly National Forest; the mid and southern sections are primarily BLM and State lands. Major roads include the paved Boulder Highway, and established Forest Service access points exist at Boulder Creek, Scab Creek, Irish Canyon, Muddy Creek and the Big Sandy opening. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, which requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Because public land here means trailheads and established entry points rather than guaranteed roaming access, a hunter planning this area should identify water sources and specific foothill country to work before the season starts.

The two seasons here split the mule and white-tailed deer hunts into distinct windows. The general-licence hunt spans archery and regular seasons from early September through early October and targets both species under different rules. The Type 3 hunt runs archery only in September and extends a regular white-tailed-only window into November, reaching into the peak rut when bucks are most responsive to calling and decoys.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 138 (Boulder) 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 H, 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 four (4) points or more on either antler or any white-tailed deer
    Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
    Archery September 1 – September 14Regular September 15 – October 2
  • Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
    Legal: white-tailed deer only
    Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30

Where a hunt above sets an antler requirement on mule deer and then allows any white-tailed deer, that point requirement is a mule deer rule only. And “any white-tailed deer” means any— buck, doe or fawn. WGFD writes “antlered” where it means a buck and “antlerless” or “doe or fawn” where it means a female, so an unqualified “any” sets no restriction on sex or age.

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 four (4) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

The Type Gen hunt spans archery and regular seasons from early September through early October, with most of the hunt falling during the transition period when summer velvet is shedding and early fall movement is beginning. Archery hunting from September 1–14 occurs during the velvet shed phase, when bucks are still in loose bachelor groups and less mobile; temperatures run mild with highs near 69 degrees, and precipitation is negligible. The regular season (September 15–October 2) shifts into the nocturnal buck phase as bucks begin responding more actively to does and become more visible at dawn and dusk, though they move most at night; temperatures cool from the mid-60s to the mid-50s, and snow becomes possible late in the window. Archery hunters work foothills and mid-elevation forest where mule deer concentrate, while rifle hunters benefit from the growing activity pattern. The hunt permits antlered mule deer with a four-point minimum on either antler, or any white-tailed deer without antler restriction, and is open across the area's public lands and private ground as access allows.

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

Type 3 opens with archery from September 1–30 targeting white-tailed deer during the velvet shed and early fall transition, when deer are still in loose groups and relatively predictable in their habitat use; September temperatures stay mild (highs ~69°F, lows ~34°F), with virtually no snow. The extended regular rifle season runs October 1–November 30, carrying the hunt deep into the rut and its buildup—from early migration and nocturnal buck movement through primary rut and into late rut and winter consolidation. During October, temperatures fall from the mid-50s to the mid-20s and snow increases to roughly 0.8 inches for the month; November sees average highs drop to 40 degrees, lows to 13 degrees, and snowfall around 4.4 inches, with weather more variable and snow potentially restricting access. White-tailed deer are the only legal animal for Type 3, and the extended season allows hunters to pursue them from early dispersal through peak rut when bucks are most visible and responsive.

Land and access

  • BLM74%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • National Forest12%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • private land8%
    Private
  • State Trust Land4%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • unclassified ownership1%
    Ownership unclassified

    • About 91% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 1,480 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

  • Winter Range18%
    used in winter
  • Summer Range16%
    used in summer
  • Crucial Winter Range11%
    the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
  • Yearlong Range3%
    the only layer that means year-round use
  • Parturition Areas1%
    spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

    • 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

  • Sagebrush84%
  • Conifer7%
  • Other cover4%
  • Grass and meadow2%
  • Riparian2%

    • 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

    MonthAvg highAvg lowSnowfall
    January28°F2°F5.9 in
    February31°F4°F6.5 in
    March41°F14°F3.5 in
    April51°F22°F2.4 in
    May61°F31°F0.3 in
    June71°F38°F0 in
    July80°F44°F0 in
    August79°F42°F0 in
    September69°F34°F0.1 in
    October55°F24°F0.8 in
    November40°F13°F4.4 in
    December29°F3°F6.4 in

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

    Common questions

    Can a hunter in Wyoming obtain a general licence for hunt area 138 without drawing?
    A Wyoming resident can buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident cannot obtain a general licence directly; instead a nonresident must draw a Region H general licence, which is valid across the general-licence hunt areas of region H, including hunt area 138. The nonresident draw awards three-quarters of available licences to preference-point holders ranked by points and one-quarter to a random draw regardless of points.
    Which deer species can a hunter legally take under the Type Gen hunt on hunt area 138?
    The Type Gen hunt permits both mule deer and white-tailed deer, but with different rules. Antlered mule deer must have at least four points on either antler; this restriction applies to mule deer only. Any white-tailed deer is legal—buck, doe or fawn—without antler or point requirement.
    Can a hunter access designated wilderness in hunt area 138 as a nonresident hunting alone?
    No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting in designated wilderness. A nonresident planning to hunt wilderness ground in hunt area 138 must arrange a guide before the season.
    What seasons does a hunter have on hunt area 138 and when do they open?
    Two hunts are available. The Type Gen hunt spans archery from September 1–14 and regular rifle from September 15–October 2, permitting antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Type 3 runs archery from September 1–30 and regular rifle from October 1–November 30, open to any white-tailed deer only.
    What fraction of hunt area 138 is public land a hunter can generally access?
    About 91% of the area—roughly 1,480 square miles—is public land (BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land). Private land comprises 8% and is mostly concentrated along the East Fork River and riparian areas. Public ownership still requires hunters to respect roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings.

    Sources

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

    All Wyoming deer hunt areas