Can a hunter use a general deer licence to hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 32?

Yes, on the November white-tailed deer hunt (November 1–15) a general licence is valid. The September and October–December white-tailed deer hunts are Type 8, which require a separate Type 8 licence, not a general licence. A resident buys a general licence over the counter; a nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence.

Which deer species are legal in the October general-licence mule deer season here?

Antlered mule deer are legal in the October 15–21 general mule deer hunt. Any white-tailed deer are also legal in that same hunt—the hunt permits both species, but white-tailed deer have no antler requirement while mule deer must be antlered. Mule deer are not legal in the white-tailed-only hunts.

Is there public land a hunter can count on reaching in hunt area 32?

Public land makes up 36% of the hunt area, about 52 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. However, the vast majority of public parcels are landlocked with no public road or trailhead access. A hunter must secure permission from private landowners to reach most of them. Plan for advance coordination and expect access to be difficult.

When does the September archery season for white-tailed deer run, and what animals are legal?

The September 1–30 archery season for white-tailed deer is valid across the entire hunt area. Doe or fawn white-tailed deer are legal on this hunt. A separate September 1–30 archery season for doe or fawn white-tailed deer is also valid, but only on private land.

Does a nonresident need preference points to draw a general licence for hunt area 32?

Points matter significantly for nonresidents. In the Region Y general-licence draw, three quarters of licences go to the preference-point pool, awarded by points from highest to lowest, and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants. Residents have no preference-point draw for deer at all—the resident general licence is purchased over the counter with no draw.

Wyoming Hunt Area 32 (Beartrap Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

36%

Elevation

5,100–8,600 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Deer region

Hunt area 32 stretches from the Bighorn Mountain divide down the mountain slope, covering 143 square miles. The country is extremely rough, cut by canyons that run west to east across the slope. Higher ground opens into mountain grasslands studded with timbered ridges and canyon walls; lower elevations expose limestone outcrops interspersed with ponderosa pine and curl-leaf mountain mahogany. Elevation ranges from 5,100 to 8,600 feet, with typical ground around 7,500 feet. Terrain is moderate overall, with 62% gentle ground and 35% moderate slopes. Sagebrush and grass meadow dominate lower elevations, while mid elevations shift toward more sagebrush with declining conifer; higher country opens into grassland with scattered sagebrush and forest.

Mule deer are found throughout the hunt area; white-tailed deer occupy the low elevation creek corridors and irrigated ground. Most white-tailed deer hunting takes place on private land, where access arrangements are scarce and often require outfitting or fee hunting. Public land here is a severe constraint. The vast majority of public parcels are landlocked with no public road or trailhead access; hunters must secure permission from private landowners to reach them. A resident purchasing a general deer licence can hunt general-licence hunts on foot, but finding accessible ground requires advance planning and likely private-land permission. A nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence to access the general hunts; three quarters of those licences go to the preference-point draw and a quarter to random draw.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 32 (Beartrap 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 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 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 15 – December 31
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 21
Type Gen — general licence · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular November 1 – November 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 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid… · whitetail only (September)

The September doe or fawn white-tailed hunt on private land occurs during the velvet shed period, when bucks are still in bachelor groups and does with fawns occupy traditional summer range. September weather brings mild highs around 63°F and minimal snowfall, favoring foot travel through the lower creek corridors where white-tailed deer concentrate. Access is limited to private land, where arranging permission is difficult and often requires outfitting or fee hunting. This hunt is open to Type 8 licence holders only and permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer, not bucks or mule deer.

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

The September-through-December doe or fawn white-tailed hunt spans the entire area, from velvet shed through the primary rut and into winter consolidation. An archery phase runs September 1–30 during mild weather with minimal snow, while the regular season opens October 15 and extends through December 31, carrying hunters through sharp cooling and steadily increasing snowfall—October normals average 4.6 inches, November 7.4 inches, and December 7.3 inches. As the season progresses, doe and fawn movements follow the rut cycles and winter consolidation, carrying the hunt through changing access conditions and weather. A Type 8 licence is required; mule deer are not legal, and only doe or fawn white-tailed deer may be taken.

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

The October general-licence mule deer and any white-tailed deer hunt runs archery through September 30 and regular October 15–21, encompassing the early transition between velvet shed and the nocturnal buck phase. Archery hunting occurs in mild September conditions with minimal snow, while the regular phase compresses into early October's cooling weather with around 4.6 inches of normal snowfall. Early October brings mule deer into migration corridors and early rut staging; white-tailed deer are legal under any-deer rules regardless of sex or age. A general licence is valid here; a resident purchases over the counter while a nonresident enters the region draw. Mule deer must be antlered, but white-tailed deer carry no antler restriction.

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

The November white-tailed deer hunt opens November 1–15 as the primary rut peaks and begins its transition to late-rut winter consolidation. November brings sharp cooling, with highs dropping to around 37°F and snowfall averaging 7.4 inches, pushing deer toward winter range and creek bottoms where white-tailed concentrations grow. Any white-tailed deer are legal—buck, doe or fawn—under the general licence, which a resident purchases over the counter and a nonresident draws from the region pool. Mule deer are not legal on this hunt.

Land and access

private land64%

Private

BLM30%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

About 36% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 52 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 25% 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

Summer Range78%

used in summer

Winter Range22%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range14%

the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it

Yearlong Range8%

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

Sagebrush39%

Grass and meadow33%

Conifer23%

Other cover3%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush51%

Grass and meadow30%

Conifer19%

Higher elevations

Grass and meadow37%

Sagebrush34%

Conifer30%

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	30°F	12°F	5.9 in
February	31°F	12°F	7.4 in
March	40°F	19°F	9 in
April	46°F	25°F	8.3 in
May	55°F	34°F	1.3 in
June	65°F	42°F	0 in
July	74°F	49°F	0 in
August	73°F	47°F	0 in
September	63°F	39°F	0.7 in
October	48°F	29°F	4.6 in
November	37°F	19°F	7.4 in
December	30°F	12°F	7.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general deer licence to hunt white-tailed deer in hunt area 32?: Yes, on the November white-tailed deer hunt (November 1–15) a general licence is valid. The September and October–December white-tailed deer hunts are Type 8, which require a separate Type 8 licence, not a general licence. A resident buys a general licence over the counter; a nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence.
Which deer species are legal in the October general-licence mule deer season here?: Antlered mule deer are legal in the October 15–21 general mule deer hunt. Any white-tailed deer are also legal in that same hunt—the hunt permits both species, but white-tailed deer have no antler requirement while mule deer must be antlered. Mule deer are not legal in the white-tailed-only hunts.
Is there public land a hunter can count on reaching in hunt area 32?: Public land makes up 36% of the hunt area, about 52 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. However, the vast majority of public parcels are landlocked with no public road or trailhead access. A hunter must secure permission from private landowners to reach most of them. Plan for advance coordination and expect access to be difficult.
When does the September archery season for white-tailed deer run, and what animals are legal?: The September 1–30 archery season for white-tailed deer is valid across the entire hunt area. Doe or fawn white-tailed deer are legal on this hunt. A separate September 1–30 archery season for doe or fawn white-tailed deer is also valid, but only on private land.
Does a nonresident need preference points to draw a general licence for hunt area 32?: Points matter significantly for nonresidents. In the Region Y general-licence draw, three quarters of licences go to the preference-point pool, awarded by points from highest to lowest, and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants. Residents have no preference-point draw for deer at all—the resident general licence is purchased over the counter with no 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