Wyoming Hunt Area 142 (Piney-Horse Creek) deer hunting

Licence
General licence area
Open public land
53%
Elevation
6,800–11,100 ft
Terrain
Gentle
Deer region
H

Hunt area 142 spreads across 596 square miles of the Wyoming Range foothills and mountains, climbing from 6,800 feet in the valley floors to over 11,100 feet in the high country. The terrain is overwhelmingly gentle—86% of it slopes under the grade that makes steep ground—with a mean slope of 4.7 degrees. Lower elevations are a patchwork of sagebrush and riparian bottoms, with sagebrush dominating the mid-elevation rolling country. Higher up, the landscape shifts to conifer forest broken by aspen stands and subalpine meadows. North-facing slopes stay conifer-thick while south and southwest exposures turn to aspen and mixed mountain shrub. Most of the hunt area's mule deer concentrate in the upper basins of the western portion, though white-tailed deer range throughout the lower draws and creek corridors. The western third holds a well-developed Forest Service road system that opens access to the high-elevation buck country; lower elevation private agricultural land near the valley floors has much tighter access.

Public ground—mostly National Forest and BLM—makes up roughly 53% of the area, about 313 square miles that a hunter can generally count on. Access to that ground is good where roads exist, but like all public land in Wyoming, it is governed by trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings. The major routes into the Forest Service country in the north and west run through Horse Creek, Blind Bull, North Cottonwood Creek, and Dry Beaver Creek. The hunt area lies in Region H and is hunted on a general deer licence—residents buy over the counter with no draw involved, while nonresidents draw a Region H general licence valid across all general-licence areas in the region.

The Type 3 season for white-tailed deer spans September through November and covers two distinct hunting windows. Early season archery in September finds white-tailed deer still in their summer patterns across lower and mid-elevation riparian country and sagebrush, with temperatures in the low 60s at mid-day. The regular season from October into November pushes through the rut phases when bucks concentrate and move, weather cools hard—October highs drop to 50 degrees and November brings snow totaling over a foot by month's end—and access to the high country grows more difficult. The Type Gen hunt (September–October) is split between an early archery window and a short regular season, both falling before the peak rut. This hunt permits antlered mule deer of four points or more on either antler, but the point requirement applies only to mule deer—any white-tailed buck, doe or fawn is legal regardless of antlers. September temperatures stay mild, but the regular season pushes into early October when the thermometer drops and the first snow appears. Most of the mule deer that draw Type Gen tags hunt the high basins and ridge country on Forest Service ground in the west and north, where the road system provides entry points.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 142 (Piney-Horse Creek) 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 hunt for any white-tailed deer runs from September 1 through November 30, split between an archery window and a regular season. Early archery in September finds white-tailed deer spread across lower and mid-elevation riparian bottoms and sagebrush country, with warm days near 64 degrees that favor early-morning and evening hunting. The regular season from October 1 through November 30 covers the pre-rut and primary rut when bucks concentrate and move more visibly through the day, but weather grows harsh—October brings highs near 50 degrees with up to 2 inches of snow, and November is cold and heavy, with highs dropping to the mid-30s and over a foot of snow accumulating through the month. Access to public ground remains good where roads penetrate, though higher elevations grow more difficult as the season advances. This hunt permits any white-tailed buck, doe or fawn, with no antler requirement.

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

The Type Gen hunt (antlered mule deer four points or more, or any white-tailed deer) runs September 1–October 2, combining a brief archery season through September 14 and a regular season through October 2. September archery finds mule deer still in summer patterns across the high basins and ridgetops of the western ranges, with mild temperatures near 64 degrees during the day. The regular season pushes into early October when the thermometer drops rapidly—highs fall to the low 50s and light snow begins—while bucks shift into the nocturnal phase and the rut approaches. Access to the Forest Service roads in the north and west opens the high-elevation country where most mule deer are found, though a hunter should scout beforehand to locate concentrations. The four-point requirement applies only to mule deer; any white-tailed buck, doe or fawn is legal without regard to antlers.

Land and access

  • private land48%
    Private
  • National Forest28%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • BLM20%
    Generally open to public hunting
  • State Trust Land4%
    Generally open to public hunting

    • About 53% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 313 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 60% 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.

    Where deer are mapped

  • Summer Range71%
    used in summer
  • Winter Range29%
    used in winter
  • Crucial Winter Range25%
    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

    • 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

  • Sagebrush57%
  • Riparian22%
  • Other cover21%

    • Mid elevations

  • Sagebrush63%
  • Riparian17%
  • Other cover10%
  • Conifer6%
  • Grass and meadow4%

    • Higher elevations

  • Conifer45%
  • Sagebrush38%
  • Grass and meadow14%
  • Riparian2%
  • Aspen1%

    • 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°F6°F19.1 in
    February31°F6°F16.5 in
    March39°F14°F11.3 in
    April47°F22°F4.9 in
    May57°F30°F0.5 in
    June66°F36°F0 in
    July75°F42°F0 in
    August74°F41°F0 in
    September64°F34°F0 in
    October50°F25°F1.9 in
    November36°F14°F12.6 in
    December27°F6°F20.1 in

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

    Common questions

    Can a hunter obtain a general deer licence for this area as a Wyoming resident?
    Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points—the licence is unlimited statewide and a resident may hold at most one per calendar year. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region H general licence in order to hunt the general-licence areas within that region.
    Which deer species are legal on each hunt type in this area?
    The Type 3 hunt (September–November) is for any white-tailed deer only—mule deer are not legal on this hunt whatever their antlers. The Type Gen hunt (September–October) permits both mule deer and white-tailed deer, but under different rules: mule deer must have four points or more on either antler, while any white-tailed buck, doe or fawn is legal.
    Do nonresidents need preference points to draw a general licence for this region?
    Nonresidents compete in two pools within the Region H general licence draw: three quarters of the licences go to the top preference-point holders, and one quarter go to a random draw open to everyone. Preference points therefore matter significantly for nonresidents, though a hunter can still draw in the random pool with no points at all.
    How much public land is accessible to hunters in this area?
    About 53% of hunt area 142 is National Forest, BLM or State Trust Land—roughly 313 square miles that a hunter can generally count on. Private land makes up 48%, though the western portions containing the main mule deer concentrations have good road access to public ground.
    When do the Type 3 and Type Gen seasons occur and what weather should a hunter expect?
    Type 3 runs September 1–November 30 (archery first, then regular). Type Gen runs September 1–October 2 (archery through mid-September, regular mid-September through October 2). September brings mild weather with highs near 64 degrees; October cools to highs near 50 degrees with light snow, and November is cold with highs near 36 degrees and heavy snow totaling over a foot by month's end.

    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