Can a hunter with a general deer licence hunt area 39?

Yes. Hunt area 39 is a general-licence area in Region M. Wyoming residents buy a general licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved, and a nonresident must draw a Region M general licence to hunt there.

Which deer species does this hunt area permit?

Hunt area 39 has seasons for both white-tailed and mule deer, but the rules differ by season type. The archery and regular white-tailed seasons permit only white-tailed deer. The general-licence season permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, with the antler restriction applying to mule deer only.

How much of hunt area 39 is actually huntable public land?

About 65% of the area—roughly 166 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land where hunters can generally count on access. The remaining 35% is private land, and the public and private ground is interspersed throughout the area, so route-finding is necessary.

Does a nonresident need preference points to draw the Region M general licence for this area?

No—the Region M general licence is valid immediately. Within the nonresident draw, three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw and a quarter go to a random draw; nonresidents with no points can draw in the random quarter.

When does hunting pressure peak in this area?

Pressure concentrates in the eastern and western portions of the hunt area. The central country, while still huntable, typically receives less pressure and may offer quieter ground for hunters able to access the public land there.

Wyoming Hunt Area 39 (Bates Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

65%

Elevation

4,500–7,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 39 is rolling country across the foothills and ridges of north-central Wyoming, with juniper, sagebrush and grassland interspersed by draws and canyons. Three-quarters of the area is gentle ground; elevation runs from 4,500 to 7,200 feet, with typical country around 5,300 feet. Lower slopes are nearly all sagebrush; mid-elevation ground mixes sagebrush with grass and meadow; higher ground introduces scattered conifer. White-tailed deer and mule deer both inhabit the area, though mule deer here tend toward smaller bucks.

About 65% of the area is public land — BLM and State Trust Land — offering general access for hunters willing to navigate a landscape where private inholdings and road conditions still control entry. Two Hunter Management Areas, Kirby Creek and Upper Nowood, are enrolled on private ground and require printed permission before hunting. Pressure tends to concentrate in the eastern and western portions of the hunt area, leaving central country quieter but still accessible. Public land is interspersed with private, and that mix makes careful route-finding necessary.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 39 (Bates 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 M, 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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – December 15
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – December 15
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 24

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

White-tailed deer hunting here runs across two archery and regular-season windows. During September archery, bucks are in velvet and widely scattered across the sagebrush and grassland; the season starts with warm conditions (highs around 73 degrees) and mild weather that suits foot hunting. The regular season from November through mid-December coincides with the rut's approach and peak, when bucks shift to migration patterns and establish rutting behavior; November brings cooling (highs dropping to 44 degrees) and moderate snowfall, while December grows cold and snowy with monthly totals around 5.3 inches. Public land access remains possible throughout, though snow depth will affect travel time and hiking comfort as the season progresses.

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

A hunter pursuing doe or fawn white-tailed deer can take advantage of nearly the full fall window, starting with September archery when animals are still in their bachelor patterns and scattered across the landscape. The archery phase offers mild weather similar to the Type 3 season. The regular season runs October through mid-December, beginning with the early fall migration phase when does are moving and the rut has not yet engaged bucks, then pushing into the peak rut and its aftermath. October weather stays cool but dry; November brings significant snowfall around 2.6 inches and dropping temperatures; December temperatures bottom out with an average high of 34 degrees and over 5 inches of snow. Doe-or-fawn hunts overlap with both the busier periods and the quieter parts of the season depending on where a hunter accesses public land.

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

General-licence hunters after antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer have a narrow window spanning September and the first third of October. September archery hunting happens when both species are still in velvet or early rut transition, widely scattered in the open sagebrush and grassland, with warm days and cool nights that favor midday movement. The regular season in mid-October catches the tail of the early fall migration phase, with bucks on the move but not yet in hard rut; conditions cool rapidly from the high 50s into the 30s, and snow becomes possible as the month advances. This hunt's short duration means hunters must be ready at the outset of archery season.

Land and access

BLM52%

Generally open to public hunting

private land35%

Private

State Trust Land13%

Generally open to public hunting

About 65% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 166 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.

It also holds 2 Hunter Management Areas. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Hunter Management Area requires a printed permission slip from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before hunting it. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where deer are mapped

Winter Range70%

used in winter

Yearlong Range62%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range38%

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

Sagebrush97%

Grass and meadow3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush89%

Grass and meadow10%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush75%

Grass and meadow19%

Conifer6%

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	34°F	11°F	4.2 in
February	37°F	13°F	4.2 in
March	48°F	23°F	2.2 in
April	56°F	30°F	1.1 in
May	66°F	40°F	0 in
June	77°F	48°F	0 in
July	87°F	55°F	0 in
August	85°F	53°F	0 in
September	73°F	44°F	0 in
October	58°F	32°F	0.5 in
November	44°F	21°F	2.6 in
December	34°F	12°F	5.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter with a general deer licence hunt area 39?: Yes. Hunt area 39 is a general-licence area in Region M. Wyoming residents buy a general licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points involved, and a nonresident must draw a Region M general licence to hunt there.
Which deer species does this hunt area permit?: Hunt area 39 has seasons for both white-tailed and mule deer, but the rules differ by season type. The archery and regular white-tailed seasons permit only white-tailed deer. The general-licence season permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, with the antler restriction applying to mule deer only.
How much of hunt area 39 is actually huntable public land?: About 65% of the area—roughly 166 square miles—is BLM or State Trust Land where hunters can generally count on access. The remaining 35% is private land, and the public and private ground is interspersed throughout the area, so route-finding is necessary.
Does a nonresident need preference points to draw the Region M general licence for this area?: No—the Region M general licence is valid immediately. Within the nonresident draw, three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw and a quarter go to a random draw; nonresidents with no points can draw in the random quarter.
When does hunting pressure peak in this area?: Pressure concentrates in the eastern and western portions of the hunt area. The central country, while still huntable, typically receives less pressure and may offer quieter ground for hunters able to access the public land there.

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