Can a Wyoming resident hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 155 on a general licence?

Yes. A resident purchases a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required; a hunter may hold only one general licence per year. The general licence is valid statewide across all general-licence hunt areas and costs far less than a nonresident option.

What must a nonresident do to draw a hunt here?

A nonresident must draw a Region H general licence in the nonresident pool, which awards three quarters of its licences to the preference-point draw (top-down by points) and one quarter at random. Preference points matter significantly for nonresidents applying for a general hunt.

What deer species and antler types are legal in the Type Gen season?

The Type Gen season—valid September 1 through October 2—permits antlered mule deer with four points or more on either antler, plus any white-tailed deer without restriction. A white-tailed buck of any antler count is legal; the four-point minimum applies to mule deer only.

Does a nonresident need a guide to hunt the wilderness in area 155?

Yes. Wyoming law requires a nonresident in designated wilderness to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Since most of hunt area 155 is within the Gros Ventre Wilderness, a nonresident planning to hunt here must arrange for guide or resident companionship.

How does the terrain and access affect hunting in hunt area 155?

The wilderness makes motorized travel nearly impossible; hunters rely on foot and horseback travel. About 88% of the area is open public land, but the steep mountainous terrain, drainages, and private inholdings mean hunters must be prepared for challenging country and limited easy entry.

Wyoming Hunt Area 155 (Crystal Peak) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

88%

Elevation

6,200–11,700 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Deer region

Hunt area 155 spans 362 square miles of moderately rolling timber and steep mountainous terrain from 6,200 to 11,700 feet, with typical elevations around 8,800 feet. The country grades Moderate in slope overall—half of it gentle, 40% moderate, 9% steep—and is crossed by numerous large drainages that open into meadows and valleys. At lower elevations sagebrush dominates, mixed with conifer and riparian growth; as elevation climbs, conifer forest takes over, grading into lodgepole pine, spruce-fir and whitebark pine at higher elevations. South-facing slopes carry sagebrush and aspen.

Most of hunt area 155 lies within the Gros Ventre Wilderness, which means extremely limited motorized access. Nearly all travel is on foot or horseback. Roughly 88% of the area—about 320 square miles—is ground a hunter can generally depend on: National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, with private land making up 1%. The Gros Ventre Road and trails in the Granite Creek and Shoal Creek drainages provide access points to the National Forest; trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply. The National Elk Refuge, a Hunter Management Area where white-tailed deer hunting is permitted, requires a printed permission slip obtained through Wyoming Game and Fish before hunting. A nonresident hunting in the wilderness here must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Grizzly bear densities are moderate throughout the area, and hunters should prepare accordingly.

Seasons vary in timing and animal permitted. The general-licence mule and white-tailed deer hunt runs through early October, while the white-tailed-only hunts extend through November. Early autumn snow at higher elevations can shift deer downslope and prompt movement to lower ground as the season progresses.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 155 (Crystal Peak) 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)

Hunting any white-tailed deer in the archery and regular seasons spans September 1 through November 30, covering the transition from summer patterns through the rut. The archery window falls early in the season when velvet is shedding and deer are scattered through higher elevations; by mid-September the regular season opens into a period of early fall movement and migration as deer shift downslope, followed by nocturnal buck activity, the approach to the primary rut in November, and finally late-season consolidation. September brings highs near 61°F and little snow, but October cools to highs around 47°F with roughly 5 inches of monthly snowfall, and by November highs drop to 34°F with substantial snow—around 18 inches for the month. Early October snow often begins pushing deer from higher elevations to lower ground and can trigger migration toward the Dubois and Pinedale areas. Access in this white-tailed-only hunt is via foot or horseback through the largely roadless wilderness and onto the National Elk Refuge if a hunter obtains a printed permission slip beforehand.

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

Hunting doe or fawn white-tailed deer runs September 1 through November 30 on the same calendar as the any-white-tailed hunt but opens only to female and young animals. The archery period coincides with early September transition and scattered high-elevation deer; the regular season then spans fall movement, migration, and the rut phases through late November. Weather patterns mirror the any-white-tailed hunt: September is mild with no meaningful snowfall, October brings increasing cold and roughly 5 inches of snow, and November turns harsh with highs in the low 30s and about 18 inches of snow. Late-October snow drives concentrations downslope and eastward. Hunters access this hunt by foot or horseback, with nonresidents required to have a licensed guide or resident companion if hunting wilderness ground, and must secure a printed permission slip in advance for the National Elk Refuge.

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

The Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs September 1 through October 2, divided between archery (September 1–14) and regular rifle (September 15–October 2). During the archery window, white-tailed and mule deer are scattered through higher elevations shedding velvet and in summer patterns. The short regular-season window catches the tail end of that scattered period and early fall migration as weather and photoperiod begin shifting deer behavior toward nocturnal patterns and lower ground. September weather favors higher-elevation hunting with mild temperatures around 61°F and almost no snow; October opens colder with highs near 47°F, and the month's roughly 5 inches of snowfall can begin concentrating animals and triggering downslope movement before the season closes. Mule deer require four points or more on either antler; any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—is legal without antler restriction. Access is on foot or horseback, with a nonresident required to bring a licensed guide or resident guide into wilderness, and the National Elk Refuge reachable only with a printed permission slip obtained beforehand.

Land and access

National Forest88%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership11%

Ownership unclassified

About 88% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 320 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 95% 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.

It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. That is 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. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

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 Range94%

used in summer

Winter Range6%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range2%

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

Sagebrush66%

Conifer23%

Riparian9%

Other cover2%

Mid elevations

Conifer72%

Sagebrush22%

Grass and meadow4%

Riparian2%

Higher elevations

Conifer34%

Sagebrush32%

Grass and meadow28%

Other cover5%

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	26°F	4°F	23.4 in
February	30°F	5°F	20.6 in
March	38°F	12°F	17.8 in
April	45°F	20°F	10.2 in
May	54°F	29°F	1.8 in
June	63°F	35°F	0 in
July	72°F	41°F	0 in
August	71°F	39°F	0 in
September	61°F	33°F	0 in
October	47°F	24°F	4.9 in
November	34°F	13°F	18 in
December	25°F	4°F	25.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a Wyoming resident hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 155 on a general licence?: Yes. A resident purchases a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required; a hunter may hold only one general licence per year. The general licence is valid statewide across all general-licence hunt areas and costs far less than a nonresident option.
What must a nonresident do to draw a hunt here?: A nonresident must draw a Region H general licence in the nonresident pool, which awards three quarters of its licences to the preference-point draw (top-down by points) and one quarter at random. Preference points matter significantly for nonresidents applying for a general hunt.
What deer species and antler types are legal in the Type Gen season?: The Type Gen season—valid September 1 through October 2—permits antlered mule deer with four points or more on either antler, plus any white-tailed deer without restriction. A white-tailed buck of any antler count is legal; the four-point minimum applies to mule deer only.
Does a nonresident need a guide to hunt the wilderness in area 155?: Yes. Wyoming law requires a nonresident in designated wilderness to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide. Since most of hunt area 155 is within the Gros Ventre Wilderness, a nonresident planning to hunt here must arrange for guide or resident companionship.
How does the terrain and access affect hunting in hunt area 155?: The wilderness makes motorized travel nearly impossible; hunters rely on foot and horseback travel. About 88% of the area is open public land, but the steep mountainous terrain, drainages, and private inholdings mean hunters must be prepared for challenging country and limited easy entry.

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