Can a hunter use a Region C licence in hunt area 23?

A Region C general-licence draw is valid on general-licence hunt areas across deer region C, including hunt area 23. A nonresident must draw a Region C licence to hunt the general-licence seasons here; a resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw required.

Which deer species can a hunter legally shoot in hunt area 23?

Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal on the Type Gen antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer hunts in archery and October. All white-tailed-only hunts here — the Type Gen November season, Type 3, and Type 8 — permit white-tailed deer only; mule deer are not legal on those hunts. Type 7 doe or fawn seasons allow either species on private land.

What percentage of hunt area 23 is public land a hunter can count on?

About 16% of the hunt area — roughly 183 square miles — is State Trust Land and BLM ground generally accessible to hunters. The remainder is private land, with no general right of entry. Roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still restrict movement on public ground.

Can a hunter walk into Sheridan County Walk-In Areas without permission?

Yes. Walk-In Areas require no permission slip or application; a hunter may walk in during the area's open period subject to posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before the season.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points for deer in hunt area 23?

No. Residents have no deer preference points at all; the resident general-licence draw is random. Nonresidents competing for Region C licences do earn preference points, with three quarters of licences awarded to the highest-point applicants and one quarter by random draw.

Wyoming Hunt Area 23 (Clearmont) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

16%

Elevation

3,400–5,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 23 sprawls across 1,144 square miles of rolling sagebrush and grassland country in northern Wyoming, between 3,400 and 5,100 feet elevation. The terrain is predominantly gentle — 77% of the ground slopes less steeply than 9 degrees — with scattered timbered ridges breaking the open expanses. Sagebrush covers 62% of the area and grass and meadow another 32%, with conifers making up only 1%. This is a mosaic where mule deer and white-tailed deer occupy different niches: mule deer use the sagebrush and open country across most of the hunt area, while white-tailed deer concentrate in riparian corridors and wooded draws along major drainages and agricultural lands.

The hunt area is 84% private land, which shapes access fundamentally. About 183 square miles of State Trust Land and BLM ground are generally accessible, mostly State Trust parcels adjacent to county roads, but roads, trailheads and private inholdings all still restrict movement. Hunter pressure on the accessible public land can be intense, particularly in the first week of the season. Access to private ground — where most of the white-tailed deer hunting occurs — is difficult to obtain without prior arrangement with landowners. Three Walk-In Areas (Sheridan County Walk-In Areas 1, 4 and 5) and one Hunter Management Area (Junction) offer entry without a drawn tag, though the Junction area requires a printed permission slip before hunting. Most opportunity on private land comes through outfitters or by paying a trespass fee, with many landowners hosting the same hunters year after year.

The hunt area's five seasons run from September through December and split between two species and two licence types. The early archery and October seasons target mule deer alongside white-tailed deer in September's warm conditions and October's cooling temperatures, as deer transition from summer concentration to early fall movement. November's seasons overlay the primary rut, with whitetail-only hunts on general and limited-quota licences and an extended private-land doe or fawn season. December's private-land does extend into winter consolidation. Nonresidents hunting the general-licence seasons here draw Region C licences valid across multiple hunt areas in the region, while residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 23 (Clearmont) 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 C, 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 · Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 14
Type Gen — general licence · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular November 1 – November 30
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 30
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on private land
Regular September 1 – December 15
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular September 1 – December 15

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

The archery season and October regular season — September 1 through October 14 — target antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer across a span that begins in velvet shed and early fall transition through mid-September, then moves into the early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase by early October. September sees warm days around 76 degrees and cool nights in the low 40s, with little snow, favoring morning and evening hunts when deer are active. October cools to highs near 60 degrees and lows around 32 degrees as October snowfall of about 1.1 inches arrives, pushing deer toward migration corridors and staging areas as they begin shifting to winter range. Access on public land draws significant pressure, especially in the opening week, though Walk-In Areas and the Junction Hunter Management Area (with permission slip) offer alternatives; most white-tailed deer opportunity requires private-land access. An antler restriction applies to mule deer — antlered animals only — but any white-tailed deer, including does and fawns, are legal.

Type Gen — Any white-tailed deer · whitetail only (November)

November's general-licence regular season, November 1 through November 30, is white-tailed deer only. Hunters encounter the transition from early pre-rut staging through the primary rut and into late-rut conditions as the month progresses, with deer concentrated in traditional breeding areas. November temperatures drop steadily from highs in the mid-40s to lows in the low 20s, with snowfall averaging 1.8 inches, making the hunt more challenging but concentrating whitetails in accessible riparian and agricultural ground. Public-land access remains constrained and heavily hunted; the season is nearly exclusive to private-land hunters working established relationships with landowners or outfitters. Any white-tailed deer — bucks, does or fawns — are legal throughout the month.

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

Type 3 white-tailed-only archery and regular seasons span September 1 through November 30, a long hunt covering velvet shed through the peak rut and into late-rut consolidation. Archery in September encounters warm conditions, highs near 76 degrees and lows in the low 40s, when whitetails use riparian cover in the evenings and early mornings; the November regular portion operates in cold and snow, with highs dropping to the mid-40s and lows to the low 20s, concentrating deer in draws and along drainages. This is a white-tailed-deer-only hunt, making it less attractive on the mule deer-dominated sagebrush country but valuable on private riparian ground where whitetails concentrate. Access follows the same pattern: public land is limited and crowded, while private access requires advance arrangement. Any white-tailed deer are legal throughout the season.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on private land (September–December)

Type 7 doe or fawn seasons run September 1 through December 15 on private land only, spanning the full span from velvet shed through winter consolidation and covering dramatic weather shifts. September remains warm, with highs around 76 degrees and minimal snow, but October and November bring cooling and increasing snow — 1.1 inches in October and 1.8 in November — while December sees snowfall of about 4 inches and highs near 36 degrees. This private-land hunt allows either mule deer or white-tailed does and fawns, making it valuable on both sagebrush and riparian ground where doe and fawn populations accumulate. It extends through the late fall and into winter, offering longer opportunity but requiring established private-land access.

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

Type 8 white-tailed doe or fawn seasons run September 1 through December 15 on private land only, restricting hunters to white-tailed deer does and fawns through a span that covers velvet shed into winter consolidation. September stays warm — highs around 76 degrees with virtually no snow — but temperatures fall steeply through fall, with October bringing 1.1 inches of snow and November another 1.8 inches, while December averages 4 inches and sees highs near 36 degrees. This is an exclusively private-land hunt, reflecting white-tailed deer's concentration in riparian areas and agricultural ground away from public access routes. The long season compensates for the access limitation, but it requires hunters to have secured private-land permission before applying.

Land and access

private land84%

Private

State Trust Land11%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM5%

Generally open to public hunting

About 16% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 183 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 4% 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.

This hunt area has 3 enrolled walk-in areas. It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. Both are 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. A Walk-In Area needs no permission slip — a hunter may walk in during the open period, subject to its posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range100%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range93%

used in winter

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

Sagebrush62%

Grass and meadow32%

Other cover3%

Riparian2%

Conifer1%

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	36°F	12°F	4.3 in
February	38°F	14°F	3.8 in
March	49°F	23°F	2.1 in
April	57°F	31°F	0.9 in
May	66°F	40°F	0 in
June	77°F	48°F	0 in
July	87°F	55°F	0 in
August	86°F	53°F	0 in
September	76°F	44°F	0 in
October	60°F	32°F	1.1 in
November	46°F	21°F	1.8 in
December	36°F	13°F	4 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a Region C licence in hunt area 23?: A Region C general-licence draw is valid on general-licence hunt areas across deer region C, including hunt area 23. A nonresident must draw a Region C licence to hunt the general-licence seasons here; a resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw required.
Which deer species can a hunter legally shoot in hunt area 23?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal on the Type Gen antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer hunts in archery and October. All white-tailed-only hunts here — the Type Gen November season, Type 3, and Type 8 — permit white-tailed deer only; mule deer are not legal on those hunts. Type 7 doe or fawn seasons allow either species on private land.
What percentage of hunt area 23 is public land a hunter can count on?: About 16% of the hunt area — roughly 183 square miles — is State Trust Land and BLM ground generally accessible to hunters. The remainder is private land, with no general right of entry. Roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still restrict movement on public ground.
Can a hunter walk into Sheridan County Walk-In Areas without permission?: Yes. Walk-In Areas require no permission slip or application; a hunter may walk in during the area's open period subject to posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability should be confirmed before the season.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for deer in hunt area 23?: No. Residents have no deer preference points at all; the resident general-licence draw is random. Nonresidents competing for Region C licences do earn preference points, with three quarters of licences awarded to the highest-point applicants and one quarter by random draw.

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