Wyoming Hunt Area 25 (Tongue-Goose) deer hunting
Hunt area 25 is heavily timbered country, dominated by lodgepole pine and mixed conifer forest across its 756 square miles, with open grassland and sagebrush parks breaking the timber at most elevations. Elevation spans from 4,100 feet to 13,200 feet, with typical ground around 8,400 feet. Terrain is moderate: nearly six-tenths of the area is gentle, about a third is moderate slope, and steep ground makes up the remainder. Lower and mid elevations run thickly to conifer, 75 and 79 percent respectively, while higher elevations open out more, with conifer dropping to just over half and sagebrush and meadow comprising the rest. This is a country where a foot hunter works through shade and open forest rather than across big parks, and mule deer are scattered at modest densities across the mapped range.
Mule deer here tend to leave the hunt area as temperatures fall and snow deepens in autumn, moving downslope toward winter range on lower ground outside the hunt area's boundaries. Archery season in September still finds them using public lands higher up, but by the time regular season opens in October, many have shifted out. White-tailed deer occur in very limited numbers in scattered locations and are not a reliable prospect for most hunters here. About 99 percent of the area is National Forest or State Trust Land — publicly owned ground that offers genuine access — but public land is not simple entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still shape where a hunter can actually reach. Johnson County Walk-In Area 2 provides an additional access point during its open period. The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area, within hunt area 25, requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.
Archery season in September offers the most reliable hunting, as mule deer still occupy the higher public lands before the season's cooler weather triggers their migration downslope. By the time regular season arrives in mid-October, mule deer densities have dropped significantly. A hunter should expect to find deer that are relatively young with moderate antler development.
Licence and how this hunt area is drawn
Hunt Area 25 (Tongue-Goose) 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 Y, 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 three (3) points or more on either antler or any white-tailed deerLegal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rulesArchery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 24
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 Gen — Antlered mule deer three (3) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)
Archery and regular seasons span September and October on mule deer and white-tailed deer, with mule deer restricted to three points or more on either antler and white-tailed deer legal in any form. During archery season in September, mule deer still occupy the higher public lands before autumn cold triggers their downslope migration; weather remains relatively mild, with September highs near 58 degrees and snowfall averaging 1.8 inches for the month. Access to public land is excellent throughout this early window. By the time regular season opens in mid-October, temperatures have dropped sharply to highs near 44 degrees and snow accumulation increases significantly—averaging 11.1 inches for the month—as many mule deer have already migrated to lower-elevation winter range outside the hunt area. A hunter in regular season should expect thinner deer densities on the public lands within hunt area 25. The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area requires nonresidents to hunt with a licensed guide or an accompanying resident guide.
Land and access
About 99% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 752 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 has 1 enrolled walk-in area. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. 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.
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
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
Mid elevations
Higher elevations
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 | 28°F | 10°F | 14.7 in |
| February | 29°F | 9°F | 15.4 in |
| March | 36°F | 15°F | 20 in |
| April | 42°F | 21°F | 20.5 in |
| May | 50°F | 30°F | 4.8 in |
| June | 60°F | 37°F | 0.4 in |
| July | 69°F | 44°F | 0 in |
| August | 68°F | 43°F | 0 in |
| September | 58°F | 36°F | 1.8 in |
| October | 44°F | 26°F | 11.1 in |
| November | 34°F | 16°F | 13.2 in |
| December | 27°F | 10°F | 14.6 in |
Snowfall is the monthly total, not depth lying on the ground.
Common questions
- Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 25?
- Yes. Residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw or preference points involved. Nonresidents must draw a Region Y general licence to hunt this area and other general-licence hunt areas within that region.
- What deer species does this hunt area actually permit?
- Hunt area 25 permits both mule deer and white-tailed deer under the same archery and regular seasons. An antler requirement of three points or more on either antler applies to mule deer only; any white-tailed deer is legal regardless of antlers. White-tailed deer occur in very limited numbers here, and hunters specifically seeking that species should consider a different hunt area.
- When does the hunting season run in this area?
- Archery season for mule deer and white-tailed deer runs September 1 through September 30. Regular season runs October 15 through October 24. Both seasons are part of a single hunt with the same legal animals and antler requirement.
- Is there a preference-point requirement for nonresidents to draw a licence in hunt area 25?
- Nonresidents must draw a Region Y general licence to access this hunt area. Within that draw, three-quarters of the licences go to the preference-point pool, awarded to applicants with the most points, and a quarter go to a random draw. Points therefore significantly improve a nonresident's odds, though random-draw applicants with no points can also be drawn.
- How much of the area is reasonably accessible public land?
- About 99 percent of hunt area 25 is National Forest or State Trust Land, roughly 752 square miles. However, public ownership does not guarantee simple access—roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings may limit where a hunter can actually get to. Johnson County Walk-In Area 2 provides additional access during its open period.
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.