Can a hunter draw this area on a nonresident general licence?

Yes. A nonresident can apply for a Region C general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region, including hunt area 31. The nonresident draw awards three quarters of Region C general licences to the preference-point draw, ranked from highest to lowest points, and a quarter to a random draw open to all applicants in the pool regardless of points.

What deer species are legal on the general-licence season here?

The general-licence hunt permits antlered mule deer with three or more points on either antler, or any white-tailed deer of any age or sex. The point requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer have no antler restriction.

How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually access by vehicle?

Vehicle access to public land in hunt area 31 is severely limited. The largest public parcels—BLM and State Trust Land blocks—lack road access to their interiors, and hunters using public ground must be prepared to walk from the perimeter. Access to private land typically requires either hiring an outfitter or paying a trespass fee.

Which white-tailed deer seasons run in this hunt area?

Two separate white-tailed deer hunts are valid here. The first permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer only, valid on private land from September 1–30 (archery and regular seasons concurrent, both dates 9/1–9/30). The second permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer in the entire area, with archery from September 1–30 and regular season October 1–December 31.

What weather should a hunter expect in October in this hunt area?

October highs average around 60°F and lows around 32°F, with about half an inch of snow typical for the month. Days cool considerably as the month progresses, and the first frosts solidify ground conditions.

Wyoming Hunt Area 31 (Salt Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

52%

Elevation

4,500–5,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 31 ranges from 4,500 to 5,600 feet, with most ground around 4,900 feet, across rolling sagebrush-grassland that breaks into rougher terrain toward the eastern ridge country. The area spans 191 square miles of mostly gentle slopes—mean angle 5.9 degrees—with half the ground in grass and meadow and most of the rest in sagebrush. Winter range and year-round range each cover 40% of the hunt area. The terrain is accessible on foot, but vehicle entry to public land in the center of the area is extremely limited; most public access lies around the perimeter. Intensive energy development along the northern stretch adds infrastructure but fragments the country. Most of the interior—roughly half the hunt area—is private land, and securing permission on it requires either an outfitter or a trespass fee arrangement.

A resident buying a general deer licence over the counter can hunt the general-licence seasons here. A nonresident wanting to hunt this area must draw a Region C general licence. Public access to hunt area 31 is rated poor, and the practical reality matches that assessment. About 100 square miles of the area—blocks of BLM and State Trust Land—can generally be counted on, but those parcels sit in the middle where road access is absent or minimal. Hunters willing to walk in, particularly from public land edges, will find fewer competitors than those who stay vehicle-accessible. Dispersed camping is permitted on BLM ground. Public lands that can be reached by vehicle draw heaviest pressure early in the season, especially in the first few days of the general October season; hunters planning to enter later in the month face a different crowd and terrain than early arrivals.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 31 (Salt Creek) 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 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular September 1 – September 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid in the entire area
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – December 31
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered mule deer three (3) points or more on either antler or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 10

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

White-tailed doe or fawn hunting on private land only runs through September, when temperatures are warm and deer are in velvet-shedding phase. Highs average in the mid-70s with lows in the low 40s, and snowfall is negligible. Early-season archery hunting here means moving quietly through sagebrush and grassland where white-tailed deer concentrate on private ground; vehicle access to private land requires prior arrangement with landowners.

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

This white-tailed doe or fawn hunt valid across the entire hunt area splits into two windows—archery through September and regular season from October through December. September hunting occurs during the tail end of velvet shed, when deer are still adjusting to changing light and temperature; October brings early fall migration as bucks begin moving and does cluster in response, followed by the rut phases from late October through December, when movement intensifies and buck behavior shifts dramatically. Weather cools sharply from September highs near 76°F to October highs around 60°F, and by December highs drop to near 37°F with December snowfall reaching 3.6 inches. Access remains difficult—vehicle routes to public land are minimal, and hunters serious about this hunt will walk from public edges or arrange private-land access.

Type Gen — Antlered mule deer three (3) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

The general-licence hunt for antlered mule deer with three or more points or any white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–10, making it a short but action-packed season spanning velvet-shed transition into early fall migration. Mule deer are scattered at low densities throughout the hunt area, while white-tailed deer are occasional; both species are responding to cooling temperatures and shifting behavior in response to hunting pressure. Temperatures drop from September highs around 76°F to October highs around 60°F, with negligible September snow and a trace of moisture possible by early October. Public access to interior hunt areas requires walking, but hunters on foot through the sagebrush and grassland edges may encounter fewer competitors than those trying to drive in, and resident hunters need only a general licence to hunt.

Land and access

private land48%

Private

BLM43%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 52% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 100 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 40% 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.

Where deer are mapped

Winter Range40%

used in winter

Yearlong Range40%

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 meadow51%

Sagebrush47%

Other cover1%

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	37°F	13°F	2.1 in
February	39°F	15°F	3.1 in
March	50°F	23°F	2 in
April	57°F	30°F	0.7 in
May	67°F	39°F	0 in
June	79°F	48°F	0 in
July	89°F	55°F	0 in
August	87°F	53°F	0 in
September	76°F	43°F	0 in
October	60°F	32°F	0.5 in
November	47°F	22°F	1.8 in
December	37°F	14°F	3.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter draw this area on a nonresident general licence?: Yes. A nonresident can apply for a Region C general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region, including hunt area 31. The nonresident draw awards three quarters of Region C general licences to the preference-point draw, ranked from highest to lowest points, and a quarter to a random draw open to all applicants in the pool regardless of points.
What deer species are legal on the general-licence season here?: The general-licence hunt permits antlered mule deer with three or more points on either antler, or any white-tailed deer of any age or sex. The point requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer have no antler restriction.
How much of this hunt area can a hunter actually access by vehicle?: Vehicle access to public land in hunt area 31 is severely limited. The largest public parcels—BLM and State Trust Land blocks—lack road access to their interiors, and hunters using public ground must be prepared to walk from the perimeter. Access to private land typically requires either hiring an outfitter or paying a trespass fee.
Which white-tailed deer seasons run in this hunt area?: Two separate white-tailed deer hunts are valid here. The first permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer only, valid on private land from September 1–30 (archery and regular seasons concurrent, both dates 9/1–9/30). The second permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer in the entire area, with archery from September 1–30 and regular season October 1–December 31.
What weather should a hunter expect in October in this hunt area?: October highs average around 60°F and lows around 32°F, with about half an inch of snow typical for the month. Days cool considerably as the month progresses, and the first frosts solidify ground conditions.

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