Can a hunter pursue mule deer on public land in this hunt area?

Mule deer are found in the western portion of this hunt area on U.S. Forest Service lands. However, those public lands receive heavy use from mountain biking and hiking trails, which can make hunting difficult. A hunter should expect other trail users and plan to access quieter terrain.

Does a Wyoming resident need a preference point draw to hunt here?

No. Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A resident may hold only one general licence per year. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw a Region general licence to hunt the general-licence hunt areas of Region H.

What species can a hunter take on the general licence here?

The general licence permits antlered mule deer with four points or more on either antler, or any white-tailed deer without antler restriction. The antler requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer are legal without regard to antlers.

How much of this hunt area is private land, and does that affect access?

Sixty-three percent of the hunt area is private land, and most private landowners do not allow hunting access. The public ground that is generally accessible—roughly 26 square miles of National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM—is concentrated in the western and higher portions of the hunt area.

When does the regular hunting season end on the general licence?

The general licence regular season runs through October 2, shorter than the Type 3 and Type 8 seasons which extend through November 30. An archer or rifle hunter on the general licence should plan accordingly if November hunting is part of their strategy.

Wyoming Hunt Area 150 (Wilson) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

36%

Elevation

6,100–10,900 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Deer region

Hunt area 150 spans the valley floor and lower western slopes between the Snake and Gros Ventre Rivers, with elevations ranging from 6,100 feet along the waterways to alpine meadows above 10,900 feet. The country divides starkly: the valley and eastern slopes are mostly private land—gentle sagebrush and grass hillsides mixed with agricultural fields and cottonwood-willow riparian strips—while the western foothills climb into mixed conifer and aspen forest. Terrain averages 9.3 degrees and is predominantly gentle, which means most of the area is walkable, though the 8% steep ground adds rough country at higher elevations. Access is the hunt area's defining constraint: 63% is private land where most landowners do not allow hunting, leaving roughly 26 square miles of National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM that a hunter can generally count on. Those public lands concentrate in the western and higher portions of the hunt area.

The hunt area supports both mule deer and a growing white-tailed deer population. Mule deer inhabit the western public lands in the higher mixed-conifer country, though the heavy use of mountain biking and hiking trails in those zones adds competition for quiet ground. White-tailed deer, increasingly common here, favor the private riparian and lower-elevation sagebrush habitat they cannot be hunted on. During migration periods the hunt area receives temporary deer influx, but year-round numbers come from a small resident core. Access to mule deer is tied to the public ground in the west; access to white-tailed deer depends almost entirely on private-land permission, which is scarce. A hunter planning this area should expect to spend time scouting private-land partnerships early in the season and to be prepared for significant hiking pressure on the public ground during peak seasons.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 150 (Wilson) 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 14Regular September 15 – November 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 14Regular September 15 – 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 season for any white-tailed deer spans both archery and rifle in two distinct windows, beginning with early September when velvet is still shedding and white-tailed deer are scattered in smaller groups. Archery (September 1–14) occurs during warm conditions with highs near 70°F and minimal snow, when deer are still dispersed and nocturnal only in the warmest hours; the rifle period (September 15–November 30) extends through cooling months as temperatures fall from the mid-50s°F in October to the upper 30s°F by November, with November bringing substantial snowfall averaging 10.4 inches. During the regular season, white-tailed deer move through early migration, intensify activity during the rut from mid-November through late November, and shift toward winter concentration. Access to this hunt depends almost entirely on private-land permission, since white-tailed deer in this area concentrate on private riparian and lower-elevation sagebrush habitat; public lands harbor few white-tailed deer. This hunt permits any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—with no antler restriction.

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

Hunting for doe or fawn white-tailed deer follows the same seasonal arc as Type 3, with archery September 1–14 during early September warm spells and a rifle window September 15–November 30 that spans the transition from early fall scattered movement through the rut and into late-season concentration. Weather mirrors the Type 3 timeline: archery happens in warmth near 70°F, while the November rifle stretch brings significant snow averaging 10.4 inches monthly and lows dropping below freezing. Access conditions are identical to Type 3—nearly all huntable white-tailed doe and fawn habitat is private land where most landowners do not allow hunting—so a hunter must secure private access well before the season. This season is restricted to antlerless white-tailed deer and does not permit antlered bucks of either species.

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

The general-licence hunt for antlered mule deer (four points or more) or any white-tailed deer is split into a short archery phase (September 1–14) and an even shorter rifle window (September 15–October 2), both occurring during the early fall transition when mule deer are shedding velvet and early migration is underway. Early September archery in warmth near 70°F offers calm conditions and scattered mule deer in the high mixed-conifer country; the October rifle period sees temperatures fall from the mid-50s°F to lower 40s°F with modest snowfall averaging 1.2 inches, intensifying nocturnal activity. Mule deer are found on U.S. Forest Service lands in the western public portion of the hunt area, but those lands experience significant use from mountain biking and hiking trails that can make hunting difficult. White-tailed deer are also legal under this license but concentrate on private land. The antler requirement of four points applies to mule deer only; any white-tailed deer is legal regardless of antlers.

Land and access

private land63%

Private

National Forest32%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land3%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM1%

Generally open to public hunting

About 36% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 26 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 45% 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 Range83%

used in summer

Winter Range17%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range17%

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

Other cover42%

Riparian28%

Sagebrush27%

Conifer3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush47%

Conifer24%

Other cover18%

Riparian9%

Aspen3%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush43%

Conifer41%

Grass and meadow14%

Other cover2%

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	29°F	8°F	20 in
February	33°F	11°F	14.1 in
March	42°F	18°F	9.9 in
April	51°F	26°F	2.6 in
May	61°F	33°F	0.1 in
June	71°F	40°F	0 in
July	81°F	45°F	0 in
August	80°F	43°F	0 in
September	70°F	37°F	0 in
October	55°F	28°F	1.2 in
November	39°F	18°F	10.4 in
December	29°F	9°F	19.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter pursue mule deer on public land in this hunt area?: Mule deer are found in the western portion of this hunt area on U.S. Forest Service lands. However, those public lands receive heavy use from mountain biking and hiking trails, which can make hunting difficult. A hunter should expect other trail users and plan to access quieter terrain.
Does a Wyoming resident need a preference point draw to hunt here?: No. Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A resident may hold only one general licence per year. Nonresidents, by contrast, must draw a Region general licence to hunt the general-licence hunt areas of Region H.
What species can a hunter take on the general licence here?: The general licence permits antlered mule deer with four points or more on either antler, or any white-tailed deer without antler restriction. The antler requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer are legal without regard to antlers.
How much of this hunt area is private land, and does that affect access?: Sixty-three percent of the hunt area is private land, and most private landowners do not allow hunting access. The public ground that is generally accessible—roughly 26 square miles of National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM—is concentrated in the western and higher portions of the hunt area.
When does the regular hunting season end on the general licence?: The general licence regular season runs through October 2, shorter than the Type 3 and Type 8 seasons which extend through November 30. An archer or rifle hunter on the general licence should plan accordingly if November hunting is part of their strategy.

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