Does a region licence cover hunt area 34?

No. Hunt area 34 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn specifically. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota area like this one.

What deer species can a hunter take in hunt area 34?

The legal species depends on the season. Type 1 permits both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Types 3 and 8 permit white-tailed deer only—mule deer are not legal on those hunts. Type 7 permits either species, but only east of Bucknum Road and south of the railroad right-of-way.

Can a nonresident hunter gain an edge with preference points in this hunt area?

Yes. For nonresidents, three quarters of the licences are awarded by preference points to the highest scorers, and a quarter go to a random draw. Points matter significantly. Wyoming residents, however, draw at random with no preference-point system at all for any deer hunt.

What access does hunt area 34 provide to public land?

About 61% of the area—roughly 885 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land where hunters can generally operate. An additional eleven walk-in areas on private land add access. Roads and trailheads can become rough in wet or snowy weather, so access is subject to conditions.

When do the seasons run in hunt area 34?

Type 1 runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle) for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Type 3 runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–November 30 (rifle) for white-tailed deer only. Types 7 and 8 (doe or fawn) run August 15–December 15 throughout those full dates.

Wyoming Hunt Area 34 (North Natrona) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

61%

Elevation

4,800–9,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 34 spans sagebrush grassland in the center, irrigated agricultural ground in the southeast, and rocky uplifts in the northwest that climb toward the Bighorn Mountains. The terrain is gentle overall, averaging 4.3 degrees of slope with 90% of it grading as gentle ground. At lower elevations, sagebrush dominates the landscape at 65%, with grass and meadow filling 30% and other cover taking up the remainder; at middle elevations, sagebrush holds 88% with grass and meadow at 11%; higher elevations shift to 73% sagebrush, 24% grass and meadow, and small patches of conifer at 2%. The country runs from 4,800 feet at its low point to 9,100 feet at the top, with typical ground around 5,600 feet. Mule deer concentrate in the transitional country of the northwest, where rocky terrain harbors mixed sagebrush grassland, limber pine, juniper, curl-leaf mountain mahogany and conifer forest; in the lower-elevation sagebrush regions they cluster in drainages where vegetation thickens and food quality improves. White-tailed deer occupy private agricultural lands almost entirely and are scarce on native rangeland.

Public land—roughly 61% of the area, about 885 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land—is the main access base, though roads and trailheads can become unreliable in wet or snowy weather and private inholdings still fragment the country. Eleven enrolled walk-in areas on private land add reach into ground that would otherwise be closed. The hunt area sits adjacent to the city of Casper, making hotels, gas and restaurants accessible; primitive camping is available on open BLM lands, and a handful of groomed BLM campsites exist in the area, though state lands prohibit camping. Hunters planning extended backcountry time in the remote northwestern sections should stock extra fuel, water and supplies before heading out.

The four seasons here span two deer species under different rules. Type 1 hunts both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer in September and October, mixing archery and regular rifle seasons. Type 3 hunts any white-tailed deer only from September through November on both bow and rifle. Types 7 and 8 are doe or fawn seasons running August through December—Type 7 valid only east of Bucknum Road and south of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad right-of-way, Type 8 for white-tailed doe or fawn across the full area. Most seasons here are competitive draws requiring nonresidents to hold preference points; residents enter a random draw with no points system at all.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 34 (North Natrona) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. A region licence does not reach it — a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, so there is no fallback for this hunt.

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 1 · 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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid east of Bucknum Road (Natrona County Road 125) and south of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad right-of-way
Regular August 15 – December 15
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular August 15 – December 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.

Mandatory CWD sampling in 2026

A CWD sample is required from every deer harvested in hunt area 34 in 2026, on every licence type. A sample can be left at a game check station or the Casper regional office of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, or collected by the hunter and sent to the Wildlife Health Laboratory.

In the words of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department: “HA 34 requires mandatory CWD sampling for all license types.” The areas under mandatory sampling change every year, so confirm the current list before hunting — 2026 mandatory CWD sampling areas.

Hunting each season

Type 1 — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Archery for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs September 1 through 30, when bucks are shedding velvet and remain mostly active through daylight, feeding heavily in preparation for the rut. Early September temperatures average highs around 73 degrees with cool mornings near 43 degrees, and snow is essentially absent. Access to public land is reliable during this early-fall window, and private walk-in areas are open. The hunt permits both mule deer species under different rules—any mule deer must be antlered, while white-tailed deer are legal regardless of sex or age. Rifle hunting for the same animals continues October 15 through 31, when bucks shift nocturnal and move between summer grounds and staging areas ahead of the rut. October weather cools sharply, with highs dropping to 58 degrees and lows reaching 32 degrees; snow becomes sporadic at around 1.2 inches for the month, though it can complicate road access. This regular-season window uses the same public land and walk-in options as archery and faces the same species restrictions—antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer.

Type 3 — Any white-tailed deer · whitetail only (September–November)

White-tailed deer hunting under Type 3 permits runs September 1 through 30 on the bow when bucks shed velvet and feed actively in daylight before the rut arrives. Early-autumn conditions—highs around 73 degrees, lows in the low 40s, essentially no snow—favor archery access to public land and enrolled walk-in areas. Rifle seasons extend from October 15 through November 30, spanning the nocturnal early-fall phase through the heart of the primary rut in mid-to-late November and into early winter consolidation. October and November weather deteriorates steadily: October sees highs of 58 degrees and around 1.2 inches of snow, while November brings highs only to 44 degrees with 3.2 inches and increasingly unreliable road conditions. November's rut activity concentrates bucks and does, elevating encounter odds though weather and snow cover complicate access. This hunt is white-tailed only—mule deer are not legal—and it depends almost entirely on private agricultural land east of town, where white-tailed deer congregate.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid east of Bucknum… (August–December)

Doe or fawn hunting valid east of Bucknum Road and south of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad right-of-way spans August 15 through December 15 on a rifle, opening during summer bachelor patterns in mid-August when does and fawns range through native rangeland. August conditions are warm and dry, with highs near 84 degrees and almost no snow, favoring access by foot to the public-land blocks in the designated zone. As autumn progresses through September and October, cooling temperatures and increasing snow—October brings 1.2 inches monthly—complicate travel but concentrate does and fawns in drainages and transitional cover. November's rut and December's cold drive animal movement, with November adding 3.2 inches of snow and December bringing the season's heaviest snowfall at 5.5 inches and lows to 14 degrees. This hunt permits either mule deer or white-tailed deer doe or fawn within its geographic restriction, and access relies on public land in the northern and central portions of the area.

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

White-tailed doe or fawn hunting runs August 15 through December 15 across the full hunt area, beginning in mid-August when does and fawns are in bachelor bands on ranches with irrigated feed. August is warm and dry, with highs around 84 degrees and no snow, offering straightforward access to enrolled walk-in areas and any private ground a hunter has arranged. As the season extends into fall, cooling temperatures—September highs drop to 73 degrees, October to 58 degrees—and mounting snow bring does down from summer range and concentrate them on agricultural fields and in drainages. November's primary rut in mid-month through the season's end in December means bucks accompany does, and December's snow—5.5 inches monthly with lows to 14 degrees—can isolate remote private parcels. This white-tailed-only hunt depends almost entirely on private agricultural land and walk-in areas in the southeast and central portions of the hunt area, not the public-land blocks of the northwest.

Land and access

BLM48%

Generally open to public hunting

private land34%

Private

State Trust Land13%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership5%

Ownership unclassified

About 61% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 885 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 has 11 enrolled walk-in areas. 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 Range31%

used in winter

Yearlong Range26%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

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

Sagebrush65%

Grass and meadow30%

Other cover6%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush88%

Grass and meadow11%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush73%

Grass and meadow24%

Conifer2%

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	14°F	4.5 in
February	37°F	15°F	5.6 in
March	47°F	23°F	3.7 in
April	54°F	29°F	2.3 in
May	64°F	38°F	0 in
June	76°F	47°F	0 in
July	85°F	54°F	0 in
August	84°F	52°F	0 in
September	73°F	43°F	0 in
October	58°F	32°F	1.2 in
November	44°F	22°F	3.2 in
December	34°F	14°F	5.5 in

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

Common questions

Does a region licence cover hunt area 34?: No. Hunt area 34 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn specifically. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in a limited-quota area like this one.
What deer species can a hunter take in hunt area 34?: The legal species depends on the season. Type 1 permits both antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer. Types 3 and 8 permit white-tailed deer only—mule deer are not legal on those hunts. Type 7 permits either species, but only east of Bucknum Road and south of the railroad right-of-way.
Can a nonresident hunter gain an edge with preference points in this hunt area?: Yes. For nonresidents, three quarters of the licences are awarded by preference points to the highest scorers, and a quarter go to a random draw. Points matter significantly. Wyoming residents, however, draw at random with no preference-point system at all for any deer hunt.
What access does hunt area 34 provide to public land?: About 61% of the area—roughly 885 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land where hunters can generally operate. An additional eleven walk-in areas on private land add access. Roads and trailheads can become rough in wet or snowy weather, so access is subject to conditions.
When do the seasons run in hunt area 34?: Type 1 runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–31 (rifle) for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Type 3 runs September 1–30 (archery) and October 15–November 30 (rifle) for white-tailed deer only. Types 7 and 8 (doe or fawn) run August 15–December 15 throughout those full dates.

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