Can a hunter on a general Wyoming deer licence hunt in area 152?

Yes. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence but can draw a Region H general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within that region including area 152.

Which deer species can a hunter take in area 152, and are there antler limits?

The answer depends on which hunt a hunter draws. Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only; Type 3 allows any white-tailed deer, while Type 8 allows doe or fawn white-tailed only. Type Gen allows antlered mule deer with four or more points on either antler, or any white-tailed deer with no antler restriction. A mule deer is not legal under Type 3 or Type 8.

Is area 152 a place where a nonresident can hunt alone?

A nonresident can hunt alone in most of the area, but the designated Forest Service Wilderness in the Granite Creek and Little Granite Creek drainages requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. A nonresident planning to hunt there must make that arrangement in advance.

When does the general-licence hunt run in area 152?

The general-licence season (Type Gen) runs archery September 1–14, then regular September 15–October 2. The white-tailed-only hunts (Type 3 and Type 8) have a longer regular season, running through November 30.

How much of area 152 is accessible public land?

About 92% of the area—roughly 364 square miles—is public land including National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, State Trust Land, and BLM. Entry is by foot or horseback from trailheads accessed via Highway 189-191, Granite Creek Road, and Cliff Creek Road, and hunters should consult Forest Service maps or online mapping applications to locate trailheads and plan routes.

Wyoming Hunt Area 152 (Lower Hoback) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

92%

Elevation

5,800–11,400 ft

Terrain

Steep

Deer region

Hunt area 152 is steep, roadless backcountry in the Wyoming Range, characterized by high-elevation mixed forests with significant aspen stands and mountain shrub. The country runs from sagebrush and conifer at lower elevations through dense timber belts to open alpine above 9,000 feet. Mean slope of 16.0 degrees grades across three terrain bands: 30% gentle, 52% moderate, and 17% steep ground, with 1% rugged terrain. Most of the area sits on public land—92% of it across National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, State Trust Land, and BLM—making this viable country for public-land hunters, though private land fills 8% and often holds access to trailheads or key corridors. The lack of roads makes this a hunt area for backpackers and horseback hunters; a few Forest Service roads reach into the canyon bottoms, but most entry is by foot trail from scattered trailheads accessed via Highway 189-191 in Hoback Canyon, Granite Creek Road, and Cliff Creek Road. The area contains designated Forest Service Wilderness in the Granite Creek and Little Granite Creek drainages, where nonresidents must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.

Where deer use this country matters across the season: high country above 8,500 feet holds bucks in summer and early fall, but as pressure mounts and conditions shift, they move down into the timbered habitat where hunters should focus. North-facing slopes typically support dense spruce-fir forest, while south and southwest exposures favor mountain shrubs, aspen, and open herbaceous cover that deer use for feeding. The transition from open high country to dense timber is the key to finding deer as the hunt progresses, and pre-season scouting in July and August is worth the effort to read the terrain and identify where deer concentrate before hunting begins.

All three seasons here run from early September through early November, overlapping the transition from summer to early winter ranges. Type Gen (the general-licence season for antlered mule deer with four or more points on either antler or any white-tailed deer) is the shortest, closing October 2, while Type 3 and Type 8 (both white-tailed only) run through November 30. Weather across the season cools steadily: September highs near 64 degrees drop to November highs near 36 degrees, and snowfall is minimal in September, moderate in October at around 2.1 inches for the month, then heavy in November averaging 16 inches. That snow and cold compress deer into lower timbered zones and can make high-country travel difficult. Archery opportunity overlaps all three hunts in early September, when bucks are in velvet and still in high country; the regular season begins mid-September and carries through the early fall transition, nocturnal buck phase, pre-rut, primary rut, and into the late rut depending on which hunt.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 152 (Lower Hoback) 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)

Type 3 runs across two windows: archery September 1–14 and regular September 15–November 30, and it permits any white-tailed deer. Early September archery finds bucks still in high country above 8,500 feet with mild conditions and minimal snow, though deer are in velvet and may be less active than later in the season. The regular season begins as bucks shed velvet and shift behavior, and it spans the nocturnal buck phase through the primary rut and into late rut; weather cools from September highs near 64 degrees through November's near-36-degree highs, and snowfall averages 2.1 inches in October and 16 inches in November, pushing deer down from the high alpine into timbered habitats where hunters should concentrate effort. Access is by foot or horseback from trailheads; most of the area is public land, though the designated Wilderness drainages are present and do not affect this hunt's legal ground.

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

Type 8 permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer only across the same span as Type 3: archery September 1–14 and regular September 15–November 30. Early September archery is mild with minimal snow and finds bucks still high, but this hunt targets only females and young animals. The regular season follows the same weather and rut pattern as Type 3—cooling progressively and accumulating heavy snow in November—and as bucks move into timber, does and fawns do the same; hunters should focus on timbered areas as the season advances and conditions tighten. Public-land access is by foot or horseback from the same scattered trailheads; the designated Wilderness does not restrict this hunt's legal range.

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

Type Gen permits antlered mule deer with four or more points on either antler or any white-tailed deer, and it is the shortest season: archery September 1–14 and regular September 15–October 2. Early September archery finds mule deer bucks in high country in velvet with mild weather, and white-tailed deer in the same elevations; as the regular season opens in mid-September and runs through early October, the area is in the velvet-shed and early fall transition, with weather cooling from 64-degree September highs toward 50-degree October highs and snow averaging around 2.1 inches in October. Mule deer are beginning to shift their patterns, but the hunt closes before heavy winter snow moves deer substantially into timber, so hunters should scout pre-season to understand where the high-country deer concentrate. The antler restriction applies to mule deer only—any white-tailed deer is legal regardless of antlers. Access is by foot or horseback from public-land trailheads; the designated Wilderness areas require nonresident hunters to carry a licensed guide or a resident guide.

Land and access

National Forest91%

Generally open to public hunting

private land8%

Private

About 92% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 364 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 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 Range88%

used in summer

Winter Range12%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range7%

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

Yearlong Range6%

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

Sagebrush40%

Conifer38%

Riparian9%

Other cover6%

Grass and meadow6%

Mid elevations

Conifer62%

Sagebrush30%

Grass and meadow6%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush45%

Conifer37%

Grass and meadow16%

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	27°F	5°F	25.9 in
February	31°F	6°F	20.8 in
March	40°F	14°F	15.8 in
April	47°F	22°F	6.7 in
May	57°F	30°F	0.5 in
June	66°F	36°F	0 in
July	75°F	41°F	0 in
August	74°F	40°F	0 in
September	64°F	33°F	0 in
October	50°F	25°F	2.1 in
November	36°F	14°F	16 in
December	26°F	5°F	25.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter on a general Wyoming deer licence hunt in area 152?: Yes. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence but can draw a Region H general licence, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within that region including area 152.
Which deer species can a hunter take in area 152, and are there antler limits?: The answer depends on which hunt a hunter draws. Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only; Type 3 allows any white-tailed deer, while Type 8 allows doe or fawn white-tailed only. Type Gen allows antlered mule deer with four or more points on either antler, or any white-tailed deer with no antler restriction. A mule deer is not legal under Type 3 or Type 8.
Is area 152 a place where a nonresident can hunt alone?: A nonresident can hunt alone in most of the area, but the designated Forest Service Wilderness in the Granite Creek and Little Granite Creek drainages requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. A nonresident planning to hunt there must make that arrangement in advance.
When does the general-licence hunt run in area 152?: The general-licence season (Type Gen) runs archery September 1–14, then regular September 15–October 2. The white-tailed-only hunts (Type 3 and Type 8) have a longer regular season, running through November 30.
How much of area 152 is accessible public land?: About 92% of the area—roughly 364 square miles—is public land including National Forest, State Wildlife Areas, State Trust Land, and BLM. Entry is by foot or horseback from trailheads accessed via Highway 189-191, Granite Creek Road, and Cliff Creek Road, and hunters should consult Forest Service maps or online mapping applications to locate trailheads and plan routes.

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