Can a nonresident hunter draw a general deer licence valid in this hunt area?

A nonresident cannot buy a general deer licence; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region A general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region and does not require preference points to enter the random quarter of the draw. Three quarters of Region A's general licences go to nonresidents with the most preference points, and the remaining quarter is awarded by random draw to all nonresidents in the pool regardless of points.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take on the general Type Gen hunt here?

The Type Gen hunt permits antlered mule deer anywhere in the hunt area, and any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—but only on private land. The white-tailed portion is restricted to private land; mule deer have no land restriction.

When does the archery season run in this hunt area?

Archery runs September 1 through September 30 for both the Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) and Type Gen hunts. This window falls during early velvet-shed conditions when deer are transitioning into early fall patterns.

What is the typical weather a hunter should expect in November in hunt area 3?

November brings cooling conditions to the area, with high temperatures averaging 46 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 22 degrees. Snowfall averages 2.4 inches for the month, so hunters should plan for cold temperatures and the possibility of snow.

How much public land in hunt area 3 can a hunter depend on accessing?

About 10% of the hunt area—roughly 33 square miles—sits on State Trust Land, BLM or National Forest where a hunter can generally count on public access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Much of the publicly owned ground shown on maps is not accessible because of private inholdings or other barriers.

Wyoming Hunt Area 3 (Keyhole) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

10%

Elevation

3,900–5,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 3 is rolling country in the northeastern corner of the state, ranging from broad sagebrush and grassland basins around 4,200 feet to higher ponderosa pine ridges. The elevation band spans nearly 1,600 feet, but most ground slopes gently—86% of the area sits on slopes graded gentle. Grass and meadow dominate at 59% of the cover, with sagebrush taking 17% and scattered conifers filling 11%. The country spreads across 332 square miles, but only about 33 square miles of State Trust Land, BLM and National Forest sits where a hunter can depend on access; the rest is private ranch.

Entry here is constrained. The public ground available—roughly 10% of the area—borders county roads and state highways, but much mapped as public is not accessible on the ground, cut off by private inholdings or seasonal closures. The limited public land draws heavy pressure, and early-season congestion is routine. Crook County Walk-In Area 7 provides some relief for those checking ahead on its rules. Private land is dominant and leased to outfitters; finding ranches open to new hunters willing to pay trespass fees takes legwork. White-tailed deer are concentrated almost entirely on private ground, while mule deer use both the sagebrush basins and the ponderosa country. A hunter serious about this area must either work ranch access in advance or focus on the first hunt as the easiest entry point before pressure builds.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 3 (Keyhole) 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 A, 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 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered deer valid in the entire area; any white-tailed deer valid on private land
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 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 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid… · whitetail only (September–November)

The Type 8 archery season (September 1–30) allows hunters to pursue doe or fawn white-tailed deer on private land only, during early velvet-shed when bucks are shedding velvet and deer are shifting into early fall patterns. September weather is mild, with highs near 75 degrees and negligible snow, making for comfortable days afoot. Archery pressure is moderate and access hinges on private-land permission, which narrows options unless a hunter has arranged ranch access beforehand. The Type 8 regular season (November 1–20) also targets doe or fawn white-tailed deer on private land, spanning the early pre-rut staging phase through the primary rut when movement increases. November turns cold, with highs averaging 46 degrees and around 2.4 inches of monthly snow, and the shift toward rutting behavior concentrates deer activity. White-tailed deer remain primarily on private ground throughout, so access constraints persist.

Type Gen — Antlered deer valid in the entire area; any white-tailed deer valid on private land · mule deer & whitetail (September–November)

The Type Gen archery season (September 1–30) permits antlered mule deer across the entire hunt area and any white-tailed deer on private land only, during the early velvet-shed transition when deer are entering early fall movement. September conditions are mild with highs around 75 degrees and minimal snow, favoring archery tactics across the sagebrush and ponderosa cover. Public lands draw heavy early-season traffic, and hunters working public ground will encounter congestion, though later archery applicants face less crowding. The Type Gen regular season (November 1–20) extends the same animal permissions—antlered mule deer anywhere, any white-tailed deer on private land—through the early pre-rut staging phase and primary rut, when mule deer become more active and white-tailed deer intensify movement on private ranches. November's cold, with highs falling to 46 degrees and 2.4 inches of monthly snow, shifts hunting into winter conditions, and hunters coming after the first week encounter reduced pressure on the limited public ground.

Land and access

private land83%

Private

unclassified ownership7%

Ownership unclassified

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

BLM2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 10% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — State Trust Land, BLM and National Forest, roughly 33 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 20% 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 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.

Where deer are mapped

Winter Range24%

used in winter

Yearlong Range24%

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

Across the unit

Grass and meadow59%

Sagebrush17%

Other cover14%

Conifer11%

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	35°F	12°F	4.7 in
February	37°F	14°F	4.4 in
March	48°F	23°F	2.5 in
April	56°F	30°F	1.7 in
May	66°F	40°F	0 in
June	78°F	49°F	0 in
July	87°F	56°F	0 in
August	86°F	54°F	0 in
September	75°F	44°F	0 in
October	59°F	32°F	0.7 in
November	46°F	22°F	2.4 in
December	36°F	13°F	4.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a nonresident hunter draw a general deer licence valid in this hunt area?: A nonresident cannot buy a general deer licence; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region A general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region and does not require preference points to enter the random quarter of the draw. Three quarters of Region A's general licences go to nonresidents with the most preference points, and the remaining quarter is awarded by random draw to all nonresidents in the pool regardless of points.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take on the general Type Gen hunt here?: The Type Gen hunt permits antlered mule deer anywhere in the hunt area, and any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—but only on private land. The white-tailed portion is restricted to private land; mule deer have no land restriction.
When does the archery season run in this hunt area?: Archery runs September 1 through September 30 for both the Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) and Type Gen hunts. This window falls during early velvet-shed conditions when deer are transitioning into early fall patterns.
What is the typical weather a hunter should expect in November in hunt area 3?: November brings cooling conditions to the area, with high temperatures averaging 46 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 22 degrees. Snowfall averages 2.4 inches for the month, so hunters should plan for cold temperatures and the possibility of snow.
How much public land in hunt area 3 can a hunter depend on accessing?: About 10% of the hunt area—roughly 33 square miles—sits on State Trust Land, BLM or National Forest where a hunter can generally count on public access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. Much of the publicly owned ground shown on maps is not accessible because of private inholdings or other barriers.

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