Can a hunter on a Wyoming general deer licence hunt hunt area 160?

Yes. A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident must draw a Region L general licence in the random and preference-point draw for that region, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within Region L, including hunt area 160. The general licence is the only path to hunt here for either residency.

Which deer species are legal in each hunt type here?

Type 3 and Type 8 hunts permit white-tailed deer only—a mule deer is not legal on those hunts regardless of antlers. Type Gen, the general-licence hunt, permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, meaning mule deer must be antlered but white-tailed deer of any sex or age are legal.

Does hunt area 160 have a rut or mating season, and when does it peak?

Mule deer in this area typically enter the primary rut phase in mid-November, peaking in late November. White-tailed deer follow a similar timeline. The archery seasons in September hunt the early fall transition when bucks are shedding velvet, while the regular seasons span from early fall migration through the full primary rut and into winter consolidation.

Where can a hunter actually access public ground to hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 160?

Most white-tailed deer are found on private land tied to riparian and irrigated ground, and public access to those holdings is very limited. White-tailed deer are almost absent from the public lands in this hunt area. A hunter pursuing white-tailed deer should expect to rely heavily on private-land access arranged through landowner contact or assistance programs.

What weather should a hunter expect during the hunt seasons in hunt area 160?

September archery season brings highs around 74 degrees F and lows around 43 degrees F with virtually no snow. October regular seasons see highs drop to about 59 degrees F and lows to about 31 degrees F, with roughly 0.9 inches of snow across the month. November hunting experiences further cooling to highs around 43 degrees F and lows around 20 degrees F, with approximately 2.7 inches of snow, and hunters should prepare for freezing temperatures and significant snowfall conditions.

Wyoming Hunt Area 160 (Beaver Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

78%

Elevation

5,100–7,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 160 is a broad mix of terrain and cover stretched across roughly 404 square miles of central Wyoming. The country runs from lightly forested chalk ridges along Beaver Rim in the northwest down through juniper woodlands, then opens into rolling sagebrush hills that flatten toward the east into alkaline flats and greasewood desert. Sagebrush dominates the landscape at 89% of cover, with grass and meadow, riparian strips and other woody growth making up the remainder. The ground is almost entirely gentle—92% slopes under 9 degrees, with a mean slope of 4.0 degrees—and much of it is walkable foot country. Elevation runs from 5,100 to 7,200 feet, with typical ground around 5,600 feet. Water comes from ephemeral streams including the Little Popo Agie River and Beaver Creek, though the central portions of the hunt area can run nearly dry.

Public land—primarily BLM and State Trust Land—covers about 78% of the area, roughly 314 square miles. Private holdings occupy the northwestern corner along the Popo Agie drainage and scattered through the eastern third along Beaver Creek and irrigated lands. Roads and trailheads exist throughout, but public ownership does not guarantee easy entry: seasonal closures, muddy conditions when wet, and private inholdings still constrain where a hunter can reach. Access is rated good, but much of the hunt area is remote, far from services or cell coverage, and preparation for rough conditions is essential.

White-tailed deer here are mostly tied to riparian ground and irrigated private land, where opportunities are fair but public access to those holdings is limited. Mule deer numbers run low and scattered across the public ground. The terrain and isolation of this area demand solid preparation and self-sufficiency.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 160 (Beaver 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 L, 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 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
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 15 – October 20

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)

Archery and regular seasons for any white-tailed deer run from September 1 through November 30, split between an early archery window and a longer regular season from October 1. September archery hunting occurs as bucks shed velvet in warm conditions—highs around 74 degrees F—and deer remain scattered and often nocturnal. October regular season opens during the early fall migration phase when bucks become more active and visible, though temperatures drop steadily through the month into the 50s. The rut builds through October and peaks in November, pushing bucks to travel more actively and spend less time bedded. By late November, temperatures fall to the low 40s and snowfall accumulates, consolidating deer into winter patterns. White-tailed deer on this hunt area are found almost entirely on private riparian and irrigated ground in the northwestern and eastern portions, and public access there is very limited—most hunters will need to arrange private-land access to pursue this hunt effectively.

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

Doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunts follow the same September-through-November calendar as Type 3, with archery from September 1 and regular hunting October 1 through November 30. Early September archery coincides with warm, dry weather and scattered deer behavior, while the regular season spans the entire fall migration and rut period. Does and fawns tend to move in family groups and hold to the same private riparian and irrigated areas where they concentrate year-round, making access the primary constraint—public lands in this hunt area hold almost no white-tailed deer. The rut activity of bucks in November may make does more visible as they move to avoid breeding pressure, but a successful hunt depends on gaining permission to hunt the private ground where white-tailed deer actually occur.

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

The general-licence hunt for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1 through September 30 and regular season October 15 through October 20. This short window falls during the early fall transition and early fall migration, before the primary rut, when bucks are still in bachelor groups or beginning to disperse from higher summer ground. September archery offers warm, mostly dry conditions in the high 70s and opportunities for mule deer beginning to move off summer range, though mule deer numbers are low and scattered across the public sagebrush and juniper country. The regular season compresses into just six days in mid-October as migration accelerates and temperatures cool into the 50s and 60s. White-tailed deer remain tied to private riparian ground and are unavailable to most public-land hunters. Mule deer pursuing hunters should prepare for slow hunting across vast, gentle terrain—much of it remote and far from services—and mule deer sightings are uncommon even on good-access public ground.

Land and access

BLM69%

Generally open to public hunting

private land22%

Private

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 78% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 314 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range51%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range46%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range24%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush89%

Other cover6%

Grass and meadow3%

Riparian2%

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	33°F	10°F	4.1 in
February	36°F	13°F	4.8 in
March	48°F	22°F	2.2 in
April	56°F	29°F	1 in
May	66°F	39°F	0 in
June	78°F	47°F	0 in
July	87°F	54°F	0 in
August	85°F	52°F	0 in
September	74°F	43°F	0 in
October	59°F	31°F	0.9 in
November	43°F	20°F	2.7 in
December	32°F	10°F	4.9 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter on a Wyoming general deer licence hunt hunt area 160?: Yes. A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved. A nonresident must draw a Region L general licence in the random and preference-point draw for that region, which is valid in all general-licence hunt areas within Region L, including hunt area 160. The general licence is the only path to hunt here for either residency.
Which deer species are legal in each hunt type here?: Type 3 and Type 8 hunts permit white-tailed deer only—a mule deer is not legal on those hunts regardless of antlers. Type Gen, the general-licence hunt, permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, meaning mule deer must be antlered but white-tailed deer of any sex or age are legal.
Does hunt area 160 have a rut or mating season, and when does it peak?: Mule deer in this area typically enter the primary rut phase in mid-November, peaking in late November. White-tailed deer follow a similar timeline. The archery seasons in September hunt the early fall transition when bucks are shedding velvet, while the regular seasons span from early fall migration through the full primary rut and into winter consolidation.
Where can a hunter actually access public ground to hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 160?: Most white-tailed deer are found on private land tied to riparian and irrigated ground, and public access to those holdings is very limited. White-tailed deer are almost absent from the public lands in this hunt area. A hunter pursuing white-tailed deer should expect to rely heavily on private-land access arranged through landowner contact or assistance programs.
What weather should a hunter expect during the hunt seasons in hunt area 160?: September archery season brings highs around 74 degrees F and lows around 43 degrees F with virtually no snow. October regular seasons see highs drop to about 59 degrees F and lows to about 31 degrees F, with roughly 0.9 inches of snow across the month. November hunting experiences further cooling to highs around 43 degrees F and lows around 20 degrees F, with approximately 2.7 inches of snow, and hunters should prepare for freezing temperatures and significant snowfall conditions.

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