Can a hunter with a general deer licence hunt this area without drawing?

Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved. A nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence to hunt here; that draw is not purely random—three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw, and a quarter goes to random selection, so preference points matter significantly for nonresidents.

Which deer species are legal on this area's hunts?

Mule deer and white-tailed deer are both legal on the archery season (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer). The later rifle season from October 25 through November is white-tailed deer only—no mule deer are legal in that hunt.

Does a nonresident need a guide to hunt designated wilderness here?

Yes. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide anywhere in designated wilderness. The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area is within this hunt area and travel there is restricted to foot or horseback. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange for a guide beforehand.

What is the terrain like and how much of it is steep?

The hunt area spans 5,500 to 12,900 feet, with typical ground around 8,300 feet. Slope averages 9.2 degrees; 65% of the area is gentle, 31% is moderate, 3% is steep, and 1% is rugged.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run?

The archery season runs September 1–30 for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The first rifle season runs October 15–24 for the same animals. A second rifle season runs October 25–November 30 for any white-tailed deer only.

Wyoming Hunt Area 28 (Hunter Mesa) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

100%

Elevation

5,500–12,900 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Deer region

Hunt area 28 spans the Bighorn Mountains from high plateau country down to lower elevations along the eastern boundary, with occupied deer habitat distributed across the entire range. Vegetation shifts with elevation: higher terrain mixes sagebrush and conifer roughly equally, while lower and middle elevations run heavily to lodgepole pine timber interspersed with grassland parks. The northern portion carries more expansive timber cover. Slope averages 9.2 degrees, and 65% of the area is gentle ground; most of the hunt area is heavily roaded with high levels of motorized vehicle access. The country lies entirely on Bighorn National Forest and State Trust Land—100% public ground a hunter can generally count on—though roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still apply. Vehicle access to the northern portion is limited, and the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area requires foot or horseback travel; Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in that designated wilderness.

Early in the archery season mule deer are dispersed throughout the area at low densities, while white-tailed deer are found mainly at lower elevations. With early-season snow, deer move down out of the hunt area to lower country, so September archery hunters generally encounter more animals than October rifle hunters. Access to the Bighorn National Forest is excellent on foot, though hunters should consult the National Forest travel map to find motorized routes that remain open.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 28 (Hunter Mesa) 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 or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 24
Type Gen — general licence · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular October 25 – November 30

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 September archery season and October rifle season (through October 24) together span the period when mule deer are shedding velvet through the start of the fall migration. Early archery hunters find mule deer dispersed through the country and white-tailed deer concentrated at lower elevations; as October arrives and the rut begins to stage, deer start moving toward their traditional rutting grounds. September temperatures average highs around 60°F and lows near 37°F, with minimal snow, so travel is straightforward for hunters on foot or with vehicles on open roads. October cools markedly, with highs dropping to around 47°F, lows to 26°F, and monthly snowfall averaging 6 inches—early snow can trigger significant deer movement downslope, reducing concentrations in the hunt area. Access to the Bighorn National Forest is good; the northern portion has limited vehicle access, but foot travel is dependable. Both archery and rifle hunters should check National Forest travel maps for motorized routes. This hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, and the archery hunt requires a separate archery licence.

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

The late rifle season from October 25 through November hunts the primary rut and into its decline, when white-tailed deer activity peaks and then settles into winter consolidation. Through October and into mid-November, deer are on the move between summer and winter range, offering hunters opportunities across the elevation gradient; by late November, activity slows as animals settle into winter patterns. Weather turns hard across these months—October highs average 47°F, dropping to November's 37°F highs and 17°F lows—and snowfall accelerates, averaging 6 inches in October and 7.8 inches in November. Significant snow pushes deer lower in the hunt area and can concentrate animals on lower-elevation ground accessible outside this zone. Motorized access remains limited in the north, but foot travel is reliable. This hunt is white-tailed deer only; no mule deer are legal.

Land and access

National Forest99%

Generally open to public hunting

About 100% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 340 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 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 Range79%

used in summer

Winter Range10%

used in winter

Yearlong Range10%

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

Conifer79%

Sagebrush11%

Grass and meadow9%

Other cover1%

Mid elevations

Conifer82%

Sagebrush12%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush47%

Conifer47%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

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	31°F	10°F	7.4 in
February	32°F	9°F	9.1 in
March	39°F	16°F	11.9 in
April	44°F	22°F	12.6 in
May	52°F	31°F	2.3 in
June	62°F	39°F	0 in
July	71°F	45°F	0 in
August	70°F	44°F	0 in
September	60°F	37°F	0.9 in
October	47°F	26°F	6 in
November	37°F	17°F	7.8 in
December	30°F	10°F	6.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter with a general deer licence hunt this area without drawing?: Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved. A nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence to hunt here; that draw is not purely random—three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw, and a quarter goes to random selection, so preference points matter significantly for nonresidents.
Which deer species are legal on this area's hunts?: Mule deer and white-tailed deer are both legal on the archery season (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer). The later rifle season from October 25 through November is white-tailed deer only—no mule deer are legal in that hunt.
Does a nonresident need a guide to hunt designated wilderness here?: Yes. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide anywhere in designated wilderness. The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area is within this hunt area and travel there is restricted to foot or horseback. A nonresident planning to hunt the wilderness must arrange for a guide beforehand.
What is the terrain like and how much of it is steep?: The hunt area spans 5,500 to 12,900 feet, with typical ground around 8,300 feet. Slope averages 9.2 degrees; 65% of the area is gentle, 31% is moderate, 3% is steep, and 1% is rugged.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run?: The archery season runs September 1–30 for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The first rifle season runs October 15–24 for the same animals. A second rifle season runs October 25–November 30 for any white-tailed deer only.

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