Can a hunter on a general deer licence hunt hunt area 33?

A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved; the licence is valid across all general-licence hunt areas including hunt area 33. A nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region and covers hunt area 33 as well. Three quarters of Region Y general licences go to a preference-point draw ranked by points held, and a quarter go to random draw; nonresidents without points may enter the random pool.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take in hunt area 33?

Most hunts here are white-tailed deer only—two seasons restrict the take to does or fawns, two restrict it to white-tailed only. The one fall hunt that permits both species is the early-season general-licence archery hunt in September through October 15, which allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Mule deer are not legal on the other general-licence hunts or on either Type 8 season.

What public land can a hunter count on in hunt area 33?

About 172 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land are dependably open, roughly 40% of the hunt area. Much of that public ground is scattered and lacks direct public access from roads and trailheads, and many parcels are landlocked. Accessible public land borders Wyoming Highways 190 and 191 and county roads; hunters willing to walk away from their vehicles will find more options than those relying on drive-up access.

When do the general-licence seasons run in hunt area 33?

The early-season general-licence hunts run from September 1 through October 31, with both archery and rifle opportunities. A single any-white-tailed-deer general-licence season runs November 1 through November 15. An antlerless-white-tailed-deer general-licence season follows from November 16 through December 31. Each season has its own legal animals and methods, so a hunter should check which season matches their intended hunt.

Is most of the white-tailed deer hunting in hunt area 33 on public or private land?

Nearly all white-tailed deer hunting occurs on private land, where outfitting and trespass-fee arrangements are the typical path to access. High white-tailed deer densities concentrate along creek bottoms and irrigated cropland, which are mostly privately owned. Public-land hunters pursuing white-tailed deer face limited opportunity compared to the private-land seasons.

Wyoming Hunt Area 33 (Red Fork) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

40%

Elevation

4,600–8,400 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 33 spans 431 square miles of mixed sagebrush-grassland with scattered stands of ponderosa pine. Terrain rises from 4,600 feet in the east to 8,400 feet in the west, with the typical elevation around 5,300 feet. The ground is overwhelmingly gentle—79% slopes gently, and only 2% grades steep. Sagebrush dominates the landscape at 59%, with grassland and meadow covering 30%; conifers, riparian areas and other cover make up the balance. Cottonwood creek corridors with irrigated cropland adjacent cut through the area and concentrate white-tailed deer, while mule deer range across the broader terrain. The western ridges and rougher country hold different hunting pressure and access patterns than the bench country downstream.

Getting onto this area requires strategy. About 172 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land offer dependably open public ground—roughly 40% of the hunt area—but it is scattered and often landlocked with no direct public access from roads or trailheads. The accessible public lands border Wyoming Highways 190 and 191 and county roads, but many parcels require walking away from the vehicle to reach. Private land makes up 60% of the hunt area, and most white-tailed deer hunting happens there. Outfitted hunts and trespass-fee arrangements are common on private ground, and access without prior arrangement is difficult to secure. Hunters willing to foot it through the sagebrush and timber on accessible public land will find fewer competitors than those arriving at highway pullouts, but expect heavier pressure on weekends and during the early part of the season. Dispersed camping on BLM lands is an option.

The seasons span the fall deer movement and rut in several distinct windows, and weather shifts decisively across them. September sits warm—highs around 73 degrees—with minimal snow. October cools to highs near 58 degrees and brings the first serious moisture, with about 0.8 inches of snowfall typical. November turns cold fast, with highs dropping to the mid-40s and snowfall climbing to 2.4 inches. December is full winter: highs in the mid-30s, lows in the low teens, and 4.3 inches of snow the typical monthly total.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 33 (Red Fork) 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 31
Type Gen — general licence · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular November 1 – November 15
Type Gen — general licence · Antlerless white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular November 16 – December 31

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)

Hunting does and fawns on private land only in September with a rifle tests a hunter's access to private ground. White-tailed doe and fawn density is highest along creek corridors and adjacent irrigated cropland, much of which is private. Early September brings warm weather—highs around 73 degrees—and deer are active in cool mornings and evenings. Most opportunity here requires either outfitter access or trespass-fee arrangements secured well in advance.

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

This extended archery and rifle season for does and fawns across the entire hunt area spans September archery into a regular rifle hunt that stretches through December. During the archery phase in September, warm temperatures and deer still in their summer patterns favor early morning and late evening glassing of sagebrush benches. When rifle season opens October 15, the shift to cooler weather and fall movement patterns brings does and fawns into migration corridors and staging areas; October sees highs drop from September's 73 degrees to the upper 50s. The November rut draws white-tailed does into the breeding action and toward the bucks moving through all available terrain, and temperatures continue falling as snowfall climbs. By late December, snow is regular—averaging 4.3 inches monthly—and deer concentrate in lower elevation riparian habitat and around irrigated ground. Most doe and fawn hunting remains on private land, though public lands see some traffic, especially early in rifle season when access is most secure.

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

This early-season general-licence hunt for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer spans archery in September and rifle hunting through October 15. Mule deer are found throughout the area, while white-tailed deer concentrate on lower-elevation creek bottoms and irrigated ground. In September, warm weather pushes both species into morning and evening activity patterns; deer are still in backcountry patterns rather than concentrated migration corridors. When rifle season opens October 15, temperatures drop rapidly—highs fall from 73 degrees to near 58 degrees—and early fall migration begins as day length shortens. October's average snowfall of 0.8 inches occasionally drives deer toward lower country. Much of this hunting occurs on the accessible public lands bordering the highways, where hunter pressure is heaviest early and on weekends; foot access into landlocked BLM parcels offers a way to spread pressure. Mule deer buck antler growth in this area averages fair rather than exceptional.

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

Hunting any white-tailed deer in November on a general licence is timed to the primary rut, when does are in estrus and bucks range widely across all terrain. November brings a hard cooling trend—highs drop to the mid-40s, and typical snowfall of 2.4 inches mid-month can push deer toward lower elevations and creek corridors. Hunting pressure concentrates on highway-accessible public lands, where morning and evening glassing and walking become increasingly productive as the rut peaks. Most doe and fawn hunting happens on private land; public-land hunters should be selective about timing their effort around weather and rut phase.

Type Gen — Antlerless white-tailed deer · whitetail only (November–December)

A late-season antlerless-white-tailed-deer hunt from November 16 into December spans the late rut and winter consolidation, when white-tailed does and fawns are grouping in preparation for winter. December temperatures are full winter—highs in the mid-30s, lows in the low teens—and average snowfall of 4.3 inches drives concentration into riparian corridors and lower-elevation habitat, particularly around irrigated cropland. By December, hunter pressure on accessible public lands drops compared to earlier seasons, but reliable snow cover and cold require hunters to be prepared for winter conditions. Late-season success often depends on access to the private creek-bottom country where deer concentrate, though public-land hunters pursuing concentrate areas near accessible water and lower terrain may find openings when conditions drive animals toward limited cover.

Land and access

private land60%

Private

BLM31%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 40% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 172 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range89%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range82%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range6%

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

Summer Range5%

used in summer

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

Sagebrush59%

Grass and meadow30%

Conifer7%

Riparian2%

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	36°F	13°F	3 in
February	37°F	14°F	3.9 in
March	48°F	22°F	2.6 in
April	54°F	29°F	1.5 in
May	64°F	38°F	0.1 in
June	76°F	47°F	0 in
July	86°F	54°F	0 in
August	84°F	52°F	0 in
September	73°F	43°F	0 in
October	58°F	31°F	0.8 in
November	45°F	21°F	2.4 in
December	35°F	13°F	4.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter on a general deer licence hunt hunt area 33?: A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved; the licence is valid across all general-licence hunt areas including hunt area 33. A nonresident must draw a Region Y general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region and covers hunt area 33 as well. Three quarters of Region Y general licences go to a preference-point draw ranked by points held, and a quarter go to random draw; nonresidents without points may enter the random pool.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take in hunt area 33?: Most hunts here are white-tailed deer only—two seasons restrict the take to does or fawns, two restrict it to white-tailed only. The one fall hunt that permits both species is the early-season general-licence archery hunt in September through October 15, which allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Mule deer are not legal on the other general-licence hunts or on either Type 8 season.
What public land can a hunter count on in hunt area 33?: About 172 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land are dependably open, roughly 40% of the hunt area. Much of that public ground is scattered and lacks direct public access from roads and trailheads, and many parcels are landlocked. Accessible public land borders Wyoming Highways 190 and 191 and county roads; hunters willing to walk away from their vehicles will find more options than those relying on drive-up access.
When do the general-licence seasons run in hunt area 33?: The early-season general-licence hunts run from September 1 through October 31, with both archery and rifle opportunities. A single any-white-tailed-deer general-licence season runs November 1 through November 15. An antlerless-white-tailed-deer general-licence season follows from November 16 through December 31. Each season has its own legal animals and methods, so a hunter should check which season matches their intended hunt.
Is most of the white-tailed deer hunting in hunt area 33 on public or private land?: Nearly all white-tailed deer hunting occurs on private land, where outfitting and trespass-fee arrangements are the typical path to access. High white-tailed deer densities concentrate along creek bottoms and irrigated cropland, which are mostly privately owned. Public-land hunters pursuing white-tailed deer face limited opportunity compared to the private-land seasons.

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