Can a hunter use a Wyoming general deer licence in hunt area 139?

Yes, a general deer licence is valid here. A Wyoming resident buys one over the counter with no draw or preference points; a nonresident must draw a Region H general licence, which covers all general-licence hunt areas in that region.

Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in this hunt area without a guide?

No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting in designated wilderness. Hunt area 139 contains designated wilderness, so a nonresident hunting there must arrange for one or the other.

How much of hunt area 139 is publicly accessible ground?

About 85% of the hunt area—roughly 405 square miles—is publicly owned National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land, or State Wildlife Areas. Private land comprises the remaining 15%, concentrated in the central valleys. Roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still govern actual access.

What are the season dates for each hunt in this hunt area?

Type 3 (white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30, then regular October 1–November 30. Type Gen (general licence) runs archery September 1–14, then regular September 15–October 2.

Wyoming Hunt Area 139 (Pinedale) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

85%

Elevation

6,800–13,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 139 rises from private agricultural valleys at around 6,800 feet to alpine rock above 13,700 feet along the Wind River Range crest. The country grades upward through rolling sagebrush foothills, aspen forests, and coniferous timber to those high ridges. Terrain averages 8.6 degrees of slope; 67% of the area is gentle ground, 26% moderate, and the remaining 7% steep or rugged. Lower elevations are sagebrush-dominated with scattered riparian growth; mid elevations mix sagebrush with substantial conifer; higher ground holds sagebrush, grass and meadow, and conifer in more open patterns. Forest Service land occupies the northern mountains and high country, with BLM and State Trust Land in the southern portions; private ground clusters in the central valleys around Pinedale. Summer range covers 62% of the hunt area, and winter range 36%, with crucial winter ground at 27%.

Public ownership comprises about 85% of the hunt area—roughly 405 square miles of National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas. Roads, trailheads, and private inholdings still govern what ground a hunter can actually reach. Access to the Forest Service lands in the north flows through several established entry points; the southern portions open via BLM and State routes. This hunt area contains designated wilderness; Wyoming law requires any nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide if hunting there.

The two seasons here differ sharply in scope and legal game. The Type 3 archery hunt runs early September into the transition between summer patterns and fall movement, when deer are dispersed and not yet moving to wintering grounds. Type 3's regular season spans October and November, covering the nocturnal buck phase through the primary rut and into early winter consolidation, when hunters encounter deer in migration and at increased visibility. The Type Gen hunt (valid on a general licence) runs a shorter window in September and early October, catching the late-summer to early-fall transition and the start of fall movement, but it restricts mule deer to antlered animals with at least four points on either antler—while any white-tailed deer is legal, regardless of sex or age.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 139 (Pinedale) 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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
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

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

The Type 3 archery hunt runs September 1–30, when white-tailed deer are still in summer patterns, moving between feed and bedding grounds and not yet beginning serious fall migration; early mornings and evenings offer the best chance to catch them active. Temperatures drop from the mid-60s F at the start of the month toward the low 40s F by month's end, with minimal snowfall, keeping conditions relatively open for foot travel. Public access is available through the established entry points to Forest Service, BLM, and State lands. This hunt permits any white-tailed deer, meaning bucks, does, and fawns are all legal. Type 3's regular season runs October 1–November 30, crossing the nocturnal buck phase through the primary rut and into late-season consolidation. Highs drop from around 51 F in October to 38 F in November; October brings an average of 2.1 inches of snow and November 8.7 inches, with temperatures at night falling into the teens by late November. During this span, bucks become increasingly active, particularly through November, and deer move downslope and toward wintering grounds. Any white-tailed deer is legal throughout this window.

Type Gen — Antlered mule deer four (4) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Hunters on the Type Gen season (general licence valid here) face a short window: archery September 1–14, then regular September 15–October 2. The archery phase catches deer in late summer, when they are dispersed across their summer range and not yet consolidating for fall movement; early and late daylight hours are most productive. September starts in the mid-60s F and cools toward the low 40s F, with virtually no snow. The regular portion, September 15–October 2, overlaps the start of the early fall transition and the beginning of nocturnal buck activity; temperatures drop from around 51 F in early October toward the 40s F as the phase ends, with light snowfall possible by early October. On public lands, access follows the same routes available for other hunts. This hunt permits antlered mule deer with at least four points on either antler, along with any white-tailed deer—meaning the four-point minimum applies only to mule deer, not to white-tailed deer of any sex or age.

Land and access

National Forest56%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM26%

Generally open to public hunting

private land15%

Private

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 85% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 405 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.

the Wyoming Game & Fish Department publishes 75% public land for this hunt area. That counts public ownership; the figure above counts ground a hunter can depend on getting onto. They answer different questions, so both are shown rather than blended.

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 Range62%

used in summer

Winter Range36%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range27%

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

Parturition Areas2%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Yearlong Range2%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush76%

Other cover13%

Riparian8%

Grass and meadow1%

Conifer1%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush52%

Conifer35%

Other cover4%

Aspen4%

Grass and meadow3%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush43%

Grass and meadow27%

Conifer22%

Other cover8%

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	28°F	4°F	10.1 in
February	31°F	5°F	11 in
March	39°F	13°F	7.4 in
April	48°F	21°F	4.8 in
May	57°F	30°F	0.7 in
June	67°F	37°F	0 in
July	76°F	43°F	0 in
August	74°F	41°F	0 in
September	65°F	34°F	0.1 in
October	51°F	24°F	2.1 in
November	38°F	13°F	8.7 in
December	28°F	5°F	12.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a Wyoming general deer licence in hunt area 139?: Yes, a general deer licence is valid here. A Wyoming resident buys one over the counter with no draw or preference points; a nonresident must draw a Region H general licence, which covers all general-licence hunt areas in that region.
Which deer species does hunt area 139 permit?: Type 3 hunts (archery and regular) are white-tailed deer only. The Type Gen hunt (general licence) allows antlered mule deer with at least four points on either antler or any white-tailed deer—the antler requirement applies to mule deer only, not white-tailed deer.
Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in this hunt area without a guide?: No. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide when hunting in designated wilderness. Hunt area 139 contains designated wilderness, so a nonresident hunting there must arrange for one or the other.
How much of hunt area 139 is publicly accessible ground?: About 85% of the hunt area—roughly 405 square miles—is publicly owned National Forest, BLM, State Trust Land, or State Wildlife Areas. Private land comprises the remaining 15%, concentrated in the central valleys. Roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still govern actual access.
What are the season dates for each hunt in this hunt area?: Type 3 (white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30, then regular October 1–November 30. Type Gen (general licence) runs archery September 1–14, then regular September 15–October 2.

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