Can a hunter obtain a general deer license to hunt area 15 over the counter?

Residents of Wyoming can buy a general deer license over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. Nonresidents cannot purchase a general license and must instead draw a Region general license for Region T, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within that region.

Which deer species can be hunted in area 15, and are there hunts for white-tailed deer only?

The general season permits both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Three other hunts are restricted to white-tailed deer only: the any-white-tailed-deer hunt running September through November, the antlerless white-tailed hunt in December, and the Type 8 doe-or-fawn white-tailed hunt. On white-tailed-only hunts, mule deer are not legal regardless of antlers.

How much of hunt area 15 is publicly accessible ground a hunter can depend on?

About 10% of the hunt area is public land including State Trust Land, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 89% is private, and access there requires enrollment in the Access Yes program or permission from landowners.

Are walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas available in this hunt area, and do they require prior application?

Forty walk-in areas are enrolled throughout the hunt area and can be entered during posted open periods without application or permission slip. Two Hunter Management Areas—Chalk Hill and Broom Creek—are also available but require a printed permission slip obtained before hunting; enrollment in these areas is renegotiated annually.

What are the season dates for mule deer and white-tailed deer in area 15?

The general-license hunt for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 20–31. The any-white-tailed-deer hunt runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–November 30. The antlerless white-tailed hunt runs December 1–31. Doe-or-fawn hunts run archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–December 31.

Wyoming Hunt Area 15 (Southeast Wyoming) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

10%

Elevation

4,000–6,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 15 lies in southeast Wyoming across rolling country between 4,000 and 6,500 feet. The Goshen Rim runs through it alongside irrigated and dryland farmland, grassland enrolled in federal conservation programs, riparian bottomland along the North Platte, and sagebrush flats. The terrain is gentle—97% of it is gentle ground—and elevation averages around 5,000 feet. Lower elevations hold grassland and meadow interspersed with small patches of sagebrush and riparian cover; mid elevations turn more grassy still, with scattered conifer and sage; higher elevations mix grass, sage and other cover. Mule deer range widely through the area, but at low densities on public ground. White-tailed deer are less accessible on public land, though some use the riparian country and enrolled lands.

Access is the major constraint here. Public land—State Trust Land, BLM parcels and State Wildlife Areas—makes up about 10% of the hunt area. The remaining 89% is private, and private-land access requires permission and enrollment in the Department's Access Yes program. Forty walk-in areas are enrolled across the hunt area, offering open-period entry without application. Chalk Hill and Broom Creek are enrolled as Hunter Management Areas requiring a printed permission slip. Broom Creek offers the most consistent public access for any deer hunting and provides entry to the Goshen Rim country in the northern and western portions of the hunt area. Access to white-tailed deer is more limited than for mule deer, though some riparian holdings and State parcels along the river offer opportunity. Hunters planning a private-land hunt should secure permission before applying for a license.

Hunt area 15 lies within a chronic wasting disease endemic zone. The archery season in September coincides with early fall transition when bucks are shedding velvet and still in bachelor groups across summer range. The regular season from late October through November spans bucks moving into migration corridors and staging areas, then through the primary rut into early winter consolidation; this longer span allows a hunter to find deer in different behavioral patterns across a changing season. The December hunt is confined to white-tailed deer only and falls in late rut and winter consolidation; weather turns cold and snowfall increases, but the season runs short. Nonresident hunters pursuing white-tailed deer draw Region general licenses valid only in the general-licence hunt areas of Region T.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 15 (Southeast Wyoming) 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 T, 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 or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 20 – October 31
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 3 · Antlerless white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular December 1 – December 31
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on private land
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31

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.

Mandatory CWD sampling in 2026

A CWD sample is required from every deer harvested in hunt area 15 in 2026, on every licence type. A sample can be left at a game check station or the Laramie regional office of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, or collected by the hunter and sent to the Wildlife Health Laboratory.

In the words of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department: “Hunters in Hunt Areas 15, 61, 74, 75, 76, and 77 must be aware that these areas are under mandatory CWD sampling.” The areas under mandatory sampling change every year, so confirm the current list before hunting — 2026 mandatory CWD sampling areas.

Hunting each season

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

Hunting antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer on a general license spans both archery and regular seasons. During archery in September, bucks shed velvet and travel in bachelor groups as temperatures average a warm 76 degrees in the afternoons. The regular season from October 20–31 overlaps early fall migration and the staging phase as bucks move toward the rut; daytime highs cool to around 61 degrees and snowfall increases to about 1 inch, which can push deer into migration corridors. Mule deer can be found throughout the hunt area but inhabit public land at low densities, so success depends on access to enrolled walk-in areas, the Broom Creek Hunter Management Area, or private land with permission. The general license permits both species but under different rules—mule deer must be antlered, while any white-tailed deer is legal.

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

Hunting any white-tailed deer on a Type 3 license runs archery in September and regular season from October through November. Early archery in September finds deer in bachelor groups during velvet shed, with warm afternoons around 76 degrees. The regular season extends from early October migration through the primary rut in mid-November and into late-rut consolidation in December's opening days; temperatures drop from 61 degrees in October to 49 degrees in November, and snowfall climbs from 1 inch in October to nearly 2 inches in November. This species is less accessible on public land, but the riparian country along the North Platte and enrolled State parcels offer opportunity. White-tailed hunting here requires planning ahead to locate available access on private land.

Type 3 — Antlerless white-tailed deer · whitetail only (December)

The December antlerless white-tailed hunt runs December 1–31 in the late-rut and winter-consolidation phases as temperatures average 39 degrees with highs and snowfall reaches 4.1 inches per month. This is a short late-season opportunity when deer are consolidated and moving minimally. Public-land access is limited and white-tailed opportunity on public ground remains constrained; hunters must depend on walk-in areas or pre-arranged private-land access to have any realistic hunting ground.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on private land (September–December)

Hunting doe or fawn valid on private land spans archery in September and regular season from October through December. Archery in September finds deer in bachelor groups during early fall transition with warm daytime temperatures around 76 degrees. The regular season from October through December tracks deer through early migration, the primary rut and into late-rut consolidation as temperatures fall from 61 degrees in October to 39 degrees in December and snowfall climbs through 1 inch, nearly 2 inches, and then 4.1 inches respectively. This hunt is restricted to private land only and may be taken on either mule deer or white-tailed deer. Access is difficult and hunters should secure private-land permission well in advance.

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

Hunting doe or fawn white-tailed deer on a Type 8 license spans archery in September and regular season from October through December. Archery in early September finds deer in bachelor groups during velvet shed with warm afternoons around 76 degrees. The regular season from October into December follows deer through early migration, the rut and into winter consolidation as temperatures decline from 61 degrees in October to 39 degrees in December and snowfall rises through 1, nearly 2, and 4.1 inches monthly. Access to white-tailed deer on public land is limited, and most opportunity lies on enrolled State parcels and riparian holdings along the North Platte or through walk-in areas. Hunters planning to pursue this hunt should confirm access before applying.

Land and access

private land89%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 10% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land, BLM and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 526 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 40 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 2 Hunter Management Areas. Both are private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before hunting it. 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 Range97%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range18%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range3%

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

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

Grass and meadow73%

Other cover21%

Sagebrush3%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Grass and meadow85%

Other cover10%

Sagebrush4%

Conifer2%

Higher elevations

Grass and meadow73%

Other cover24%

Sagebrush3%

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	39°F	15°F	2.1 in
February	41°F	16°F	3.9 in
March	51°F	24°F	1.4 in
April	58°F	30°F	1.9 in
May	67°F	40°F	0 in
June	79°F	49°F	0 in
July	87°F	55°F	0 in
August	85°F	53°F	0 in
September	76°F	44°F	0 in
October	61°F	32°F	1 in
November	49°F	22°F	1.9 in
December	39°F	15°F	4.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter obtain a general deer license to hunt area 15 over the counter?: Residents of Wyoming can buy a general deer license over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. Nonresidents cannot purchase a general license and must instead draw a Region general license for Region T, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within that region.
Which deer species can be hunted in area 15, and are there hunts for white-tailed deer only?: The general season permits both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Three other hunts are restricted to white-tailed deer only: the any-white-tailed-deer hunt running September through November, the antlerless white-tailed hunt in December, and the Type 8 doe-or-fawn white-tailed hunt. On white-tailed-only hunts, mule deer are not legal regardless of antlers.
How much of hunt area 15 is publicly accessible ground a hunter can depend on?: About 10% of the hunt area is public land including State Trust Land, BLM and State Wildlife Areas. The remaining 89% is private, and access there requires enrollment in the Access Yes program or permission from landowners.
Are walk-in areas and Hunter Management Areas available in this hunt area, and do they require prior application?: Forty walk-in areas are enrolled throughout the hunt area and can be entered during posted open periods without application or permission slip. Two Hunter Management Areas—Chalk Hill and Broom Creek—are also available but require a printed permission slip obtained before hunting; enrollment in these areas is renegotiated annually.
What are the season dates for mule deer and white-tailed deer in area 15?: The general-license hunt for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 20–31. The any-white-tailed-deer hunt runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–November 30. The antlerless white-tailed hunt runs December 1–31. Doe-or-fawn hunts run archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–December 31.

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