Can a hunter with a general Wyoming deer licence hunt in hunt area 171?

Yes. A Wyoming resident holding a general deer licence may hunt this area; the general licence is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas, including hunt area 171. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region L general licence to hunt the general-licence areas of that region.

Which deer species does hunt area 171 permit?

The area has hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, depending on the season type chosen. Type Gen (September–October) permits any deer—either species. Type 3 (September–December) permits white-tailed deer only; mule deer are not legal on that hunt. Type 6 (September–December) permits doe or fawn of either species.

What is the access situation in hunt area 171?

The hunt area is almost entirely private land with virtually no dependably open public ground. Deer occupy private riparian flats and irrigated fields, particularly along the Wind River and Popo Agie River. Hunters must secure landowner permission before the season and should not plan to apply without established access.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a general deer licence?

No. Wyoming residents have no deer preference points. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw. A nonresident draws a Region general licence through a system where three quarters of licences go to the preference-point draw and a quarter to random draw; nonresident points therefore matter significantly.

When do the seasons run in hunt area 171?

Archery runs September 1–30 for all three types. Type Gen regular season is October 1–31. Type 3 (white-tailed deer only) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) both run October 1–December 31, extending through the later rut phases.

Wyoming Hunt Area 171 (Crowheart Butte) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

<1%

Elevation

4,600–12,800 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 171 is a large swath of the Wind River drainage in central Wyoming, ranging from low sagebrush grassland along creek bottoms to conifer forest in the foothills and mountains. Terrain is predominantly gentle, sloping at a mean of 7.2 degrees, with 73% gentle ground, 24% moderate and 3% steep. Lower elevations run to sagebrush with patches of grass and riparian growth; higher elevations mix sagebrush, conifer forest, and meadow. The typical elevation is around 6,400 feet, though the area spans from 4,600 to 12,800 feet.

Access here is severely constrained. Nearly all of the hunt area is private land—99% by area—and public ownership is scattered and difficult to reach. The hunt area includes private parcels within the boundaries of the Wind River Reservation, and landownership patterns there are complex; hunters cannot cross reservation lands to access private property elsewhere in the area. Access to private lands occupied by deer, particularly the riparian flats and irrigated ground along the Wind River and Popo Agie River where white-tailed deer concentrate, requires prior landowner permission. Hunters without established access before applying should not plan on this area.

The region's three seasons span September through December, offering different legal animals and timing windows. Type Gen hunts any deer in archery and regular seasons. Type 3 permits white-tailed deer only and runs through the end of December. Type 6 is a doe-or-fawn hunt, also lasting through December, and opens the area to hunters seeking female or young deer.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 171 (Crowheart Butte) 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 Gen — general licence · Any deer
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 31
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31
Type 6 · Doe or fawn
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.

Hunting each season

Type Gen — Any deer (September–October)

Type Gen hunting spans archery and regular seasons from September through October and targets any deer—mule deer or white-tailed. During archery in early September, deer are transitioning out of summer range and beginning to shed velvet; they are scattered and mostly nocturnal, making the hunt challenging. September weather brings highs around 68°F and minimal snow, though foot travel remains slow on rough country where access routes are unclear. By the regular season in October, deer move through migration corridors and into pre-rut staging areas; weather turns cool with highs near 55°F and occasional snowfall around 1.9 inches per month. Access throughout remains limited to private lands with prior landowner permission.

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

Type 3 hunts white-tailed deer only from September through December—archery in September and regular season October 1–December 31. White-tailed deer occupy riparian flats and irrigated ground in the Wind River and Popo Agie River valleys, concentrating heavily on private agricultural land and cottonwood-willow floodplain. September archery catches them scattered in velvet; October and November bring movement through rut phases, with primary rut occurring through late November. December is late rut and winter consolidation, with weather turning severe—highs average 33°F and snowfall reaches 2.7 inches per month, pushing deer toward lower elevation riparian and irrigated refuges. Hunting depends entirely on private land access secured before the season.

Type 6 — Doe or fawn (September–December)

Type 6 hunts doe or fawn of either species from September through December, opening archery in September and regular season through the end of December. This hunt follows the same terrain and access constraints as other seasons; does and fawns occupy the same private riparian and irrigated lands as bucks throughout the year. September archery coincides with velvet-shed transition; regular season spans October through December as the rut progresses and then winds down, with November marking the primary rut phase. Weather cools from September highs of 68°F to December highs averaging 33°F, with December bringing 2.7 inches of snowfall per month. Like all hunting here, success depends on securing landowner access prior to applying.

Land and access

private land99%

Private

About <1% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land, roughly 5 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

Winter Range2%

used in winter

Yearlong Range1%

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

Sagebrush76%

Other cover10%

Grass and meadow8%

Riparian5%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush87%

Grass and meadow8%

Other cover2%

Conifer2%

Riparian2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush46%

Conifer34%

Grass and meadow17%

Other cover4%

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	34°F	11°F	2 in
February	37°F	12°F	3.2 in
March	46°F	20°F	2.6 in
April	52°F	26°F	2.9 in
May	61°F	35°F	0.4 in
June	71°F	42°F	0 in
July	80°F	48°F	0 in
August	78°F	47°F	0 in
September	68°F	39°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	29°F	1.9 in
November	42°F	19°F	2.9 in
December	33°F	11°F	2.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter with a general Wyoming deer licence hunt in hunt area 171?: Yes. A Wyoming resident holding a general deer licence may hunt this area; the general licence is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas, including hunt area 171. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence and must instead draw a Region L general licence to hunt the general-licence areas of that region.
Which deer species does hunt area 171 permit?: The area has hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, depending on the season type chosen. Type Gen (September–October) permits any deer—either species. Type 3 (September–December) permits white-tailed deer only; mule deer are not legal on that hunt. Type 6 (September–December) permits doe or fawn of either species.
What is the access situation in hunt area 171?: The hunt area is almost entirely private land with virtually no dependably open public ground. Deer occupy private riparian flats and irrigated fields, particularly along the Wind River and Popo Agie River. Hunters must secure landowner permission before the season and should not plan to apply without established access.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw a general deer licence?: No. Wyoming residents have no deer preference points. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw. A nonresident draws a Region general licence through a system where three quarters of licences go to the preference-point draw and a quarter to random draw; nonresident points therefore matter significantly.
When do the seasons run in hunt area 171?: Archery runs September 1–30 for all three types. Type Gen regular season is October 1–31. Type 3 (white-tailed deer only) and Type 6 (doe or fawn) both run October 1–December 31, extending through the later rut phases.

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