Can a hunter in Wyoming take antlered mule deer on a general deer licence in hunt area 14?

Yes, the general-licence Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–15, allowing both residents and nonresidents with a general or region licence to hunt antlered mule deer during those periods. After October 15, only white-tailed deer are legal, so a mule deer becomes illegal after that date.

Can a nonresident draw a licence to hunt hunt area 14?

A nonresident cannot draw a general licence (only residents may buy one over the counter), but a nonresident may draw a Region B general licence valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region, which includes hunt area 14. The region licence draw includes both a preference-point pool (three quarters of licences, awarded top-down by points) and a random pool (the remaining quarter).

What public land is available to hunt in hunt area 14?

Public land comprises about 16% of the area as scattered BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest parcels, roughly 153 square miles. However, many of the larger public holdings are landlocked without public access, and accessible pieces tend to be small, requiring careful map research and GPS navigation to locate and legally enter. A hunter should verify access before applying for a licence.

Can a hunter legally hunt white-tailed deer on private land in hunt area 14?

Yes, white-tailed deer may be hunted on private land under all four seasons. Hunters must secure permission before entering private land, and the area contains several Walk-In Areas for white-tailed deer where permission is arranged through the access program.

When does the rut occur during the seasons in hunt area 14?

The archery season (September 1–30) falls during velvet shed and early fall transition, when bucks are still in bachelor patterns. The regular season spans from early October migration and nocturnal buck phases through November, covering the progression to primary and late rut as the season advances into November, bringing increasing buck activity and movement.

Wyoming Hunt Area 14 (Twenty Mile) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

16%

Elevation

4,000–5,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 14 is a 972-square-mile sweep of high prairie between 4,000 and 5,600 feet, where the working ground sits around 4,700 feet and slopes so gently that 95% of it is easy to walk. Grass and meadow make up three-quarters of the cover, with sagebrush taking most of the rest and only scattered conifers. The country runs to mixed grass and sagebrush prairie, riparian bottoms and deeply cut draws — open enough to glass but broken enough to hold deer moving through the rolling flats and buttes.

Most mule deer in the area live on private land, and access to hunt them is therefore the first puzzle a nonresident faces. Public ground makes up 16% of the area, scattered as smaller State and BLM parcels, but many larger public holdings are landlocked and offer no hunter entry. Small Walk-In Areas do exist for white-tailed deer, and a few pieces of public land are accessible, but their isolation and size mean a hunter cannot simply enter at random. Wyoming's access rating for the area is poor. Serious mule deer hunting here requires securing permission on private land before applying. A GPS or mapping application showing land boundaries is essential even on public ground, since private roads that might appear open are not, and roads themselves may be private. Hunters need to know exactly where they stand before stepping out.

The seasons here break into two parts: archery and regular, with a December closure in the general hunt that shuts down mule deer after mid-October. The rut arrives gradually through fall, with bucks becoming increasingly nocturnal and mobile as October turns to November.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 14 (Twenty Mile) 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)

Archery hunting for any white-tailed deer runs September 1–30 on ground where white-tailed deer inhabit riparian areas and cover margins. September weather stays warm, with highs near 77°F and no significant snowfall, though early mornings are cool around 44°F. Access is limited to private land with permission and a small number of Walk-In Areas. The archery season allows any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—giving hunters flexibility in a month when bucks still carry velvet and are in loose bachelor groups.

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

Doe or fawn white-tailed deer can be hunted archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–November 30. The archery window coincides with warm September weather and velvet-stage bucks; the regular hunt spans the cooling months of fall as temperatures drop from October highs near 61°F to November lows around 21°F, with snowfall beginning to accumulate toward 1.6 inches by November. Hunters must secure permission on private land or access through Walk-In Areas. This hunt is antlerless only, so only does and fawns are legal.

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

Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer can be hunted archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–15 on a general licence. September archery encounters warm conditions and mule deer still in summer range and bachelor patterns; the regular hunt extends into early October as bucks begin shifting into nocturnal and migration modes. The antler restriction applies only to mule deer—any white-tailed deer is legal regardless of sex or antlers. Hunters must secure permission on private land to access the majority of mule deer, and public ground is scattered and often landlocked.

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

Any white-tailed deer are legal under the general licence from October 16–November 30, when temperatures cool steadily from 61°F highs to November lows of 21°F and snow accumulates toward 1.6 inches per month. The rut progresses from early migration and nocturnal phases through primary and late rut, concentrating white-tailed deer activity and visibility. Hunters must gain permission on private land or use available Walk-In Areas, as public access remains limited. This hunt permits any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—with no antler or sex restriction.

Land and access

private land84%

Private

BLM8%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land5%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 16% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 153 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range44%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range35%

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 meadow75%

Sagebrush21%

Other cover3%

Conifer1%

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	38°F	13°F	2 in
February	40°F	15°F	3 in
March	50°F	23°F	1.8 in
April	58°F	30°F	1.2 in
May	67°F	40°F	0 in
June	79°F	49°F	0 in
July	88°F	56°F	0 in
August	87°F	54°F	0 in
September	77°F	44°F	0 in
October	61°F	32°F	0.6 in
November	48°F	21°F	1.6 in
December	38°F	14°F	2.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in Wyoming take antlered mule deer on a general deer licence in hunt area 14?: Yes, the general-licence Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–15, allowing both residents and nonresidents with a general or region licence to hunt antlered mule deer during those periods. After October 15, only white-tailed deer are legal, so a mule deer becomes illegal after that date.
Can a nonresident draw a licence to hunt hunt area 14?: A nonresident cannot draw a general licence (only residents may buy one over the counter), but a nonresident may draw a Region B general licence valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region, which includes hunt area 14. The region licence draw includes both a preference-point pool (three quarters of licences, awarded top-down by points) and a random pool (the remaining quarter).
What public land is available to hunt in hunt area 14?: Public land comprises about 16% of the area as scattered BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest parcels, roughly 153 square miles. However, many of the larger public holdings are landlocked without public access, and accessible pieces tend to be small, requiring careful map research and GPS navigation to locate and legally enter. A hunter should verify access before applying for a licence.
Can a hunter legally hunt white-tailed deer on private land in hunt area 14?: Yes, white-tailed deer may be hunted on private land under all four seasons. Hunters must secure permission before entering private land, and the area contains several Walk-In Areas for white-tailed deer where permission is arranged through the access program.
When does the rut occur during the seasons in hunt area 14?: The archery season (September 1–30) falls during velvet shed and early fall transition, when bucks are still in bachelor patterns. The regular season spans from early October migration and nocturnal buck phases through November, covering the progression to primary and late rut as the season advances into November, bringing increasing buck activity and movement.

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