Can a Wyoming resident hunt antlered deer on a general licence in hunt area 4?

Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required, and it is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas including hunt area 4. A resident may hold only one general deer licence per year. The general hunt here is for antlered deer, though one state property is closed to hunting.

Can a nonresident draw a general licence to hunt hunt area 4?

No. Nonresidents cannot buy a general licence; they must draw a Region A general licence to hunt the general-licence hunt areas within that region. Within each region, three quarters of the general-licence pools go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, and a quarter to random selection. Nonresidents therefore benefit from building preference points.

What deer species are legal on the Type Gen and Type 8 hunts in hunt area 4?

The Type Gen hunt (antlered deer) is valid for either mule deer or white-tailed deer. The Type 8 hunt (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) is valid for white-tailed deer only and is restricted to private land. Mule deer are legal only under Type Gen and only with antlers.

How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 4?

About 39% of the area is public—roughly 125 square miles of National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM—though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings within public tracts still apply. Walk-in areas and the Department's Sand Creek Wildlife Habitat Management Area provide additional access without advance permission. Most public hunting opportunity here is for white-tailed deer.

When does each season run in hunt area 4?

The Type Gen season (antlered deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 1–20. The Type 8 season (doe or fawn white-tailed deer on private land only) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 1–20. Both seasons span two separate periods with different rut phases and weather, though the dates are the same for each hunt type.

Wyoming Hunt Area 4 (Sand Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

39%

Elevation

3,500–6,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 4 sits in the rolling hills and steep terrain of the Black Hills and their surrounding plains. Ponderosa pine dominates the ridges and slopes, mixed with bur oak, aspen and paper birch where openings break the cover. Lower elevations hold agricultural fields and upland edges where deer densities run highest. The ground slopes gently overall—75% of it is gentle terrain—and elevation spans from 3,500 feet in the plains to 6,700 feet on the higher ridges, with typical ground around 5,400 feet. Lower elevations are split between grass and meadow (43%) and conifer (31%), while higher conifer zones run dense at 82% coverage.

Most deer on this area live on private land, and access there requires outfitting fees or landowner permission. Public hunting is primarily for white-tailed deer; mule deer occur throughout but at low densities on public ground. About 39% of the area—roughly 125 square miles—is National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM where a hunter can generally count on access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. The Black Hills National Forest dominates public holdings here and requires a travel management map for the Bearlodge Ranger District to find open roads and legal camping. Walk-in areas provide additional entry points without requiring advance permission. Hunter crowding on accessible public land can be heavy during peak season. The Department's Sand Creek Wildlife Habitat Management Area welcomes hunting and camping. One state property within the area is closed to deer hunting.

The archery season runs early in the fall when velvet is shedding and deer are still on summer patterns, with warm days and no snow. The regular rifle season falls through the pre-rut and primary rut, when bucks move more actively and weather cools sharply, bringing November snowfall. Most bucks taken here are young, under four years old.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 4 (Sand 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 A, 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 Gen — general licence · Antlered deer; except the lands of the State of Wyoming's Ranch A property shall be closed
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20

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 Gen — Antlered deer (September–November)

Hunting antlered deer in the archery season (September 1–30) coincides with velvet shedding and early fall transition, when bucks are still on summer patterns and cover more ground at dusk and dawn. September weather runs warm with highs around 70 degrees and no snow, allowing long glassing and stalking days across the rolling hills and open meadows. Walk-in areas and the Black Hills National Forest provide entry points, though the Bearlodge Ranger District travel management map is essential for determining which roads are open and where dispersed camping is legal. The regular rifle season (November 1–20) falls into the early pre-rut and primary rut phases when bucks move more actively and travel corridors funnel animals through staging areas. November temperatures drop sharply to highs around 43 degrees with snowfall averaging 6.2 inches, which can concentrate deer and slow hunting conditions on accessible ridges and saddles. Public land offers white-tailed deer opportunity primarily; mule deer are present but sparse on National Forest ground. The general licence hunt is closed on one state property.

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

Hunting doe or fawn white-tailed deer under the Type 8 hunt is restricted entirely to private land and runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 1–20. The archery period occurs during velvet shedding and early fall when does move through meadows and agricultural edges with fawns still at heel, and September warmth allows extended glassing across open country. The regular rifle season overlaps the pre-rut and primary rut phases, when cooler November weather and snowfall around 6.2 inches bring does down from higher cover into accessible areas. Access to private land requires outfitting agreements or permission; this hunt is not available on the public ground that comprises the general hunt opportunity.

Land and access

private land60%

Private

National Forest36%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 39% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM, roughly 125 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 2 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

Summer Range49%

used in summer

Winter Range38%

used in winter

Yearlong Range25%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range12%

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

Grass and meadow43%

Conifer31%

Other cover16%

Sagebrush10%

Mid elevations

Conifer66%

Grass and meadow16%

Sagebrush11%

Other cover8%

Higher elevations

Conifer82%

Grass and meadow9%

Sagebrush5%

Other cover4%

Aspen1%

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	13°F	9 in
February	35°F	13°F	9.1 in
March	45°F	21°F	6.3 in
April	52°F	28°F	5 in
May	61°F	38°F	0.1 in
June	72°F	47°F	0 in
July	80°F	53°F	0 in
August	79°F	52°F	0 in
September	70°F	43°F	0 in
October	55°F	31°F	2.3 in
November	43°F	21°F	6.2 in
December	34°F	14°F	8.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a Wyoming resident hunt antlered deer on a general licence in hunt area 4?: Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required, and it is valid statewide on all general-licence hunt areas including hunt area 4. A resident may hold only one general deer licence per year. The general hunt here is for antlered deer, though one state property is closed to hunting.
Can a nonresident draw a general licence to hunt hunt area 4?: No. Nonresidents cannot buy a general licence; they must draw a Region A general licence to hunt the general-licence hunt areas within that region. Within each region, three quarters of the general-licence pools go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, and a quarter to random selection. Nonresidents therefore benefit from building preference points.
What deer species are legal on the Type Gen and Type 8 hunts in hunt area 4?: The Type Gen hunt (antlered deer) is valid for either mule deer or white-tailed deer. The Type 8 hunt (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) is valid for white-tailed deer only and is restricted to private land. Mule deer are legal only under Type Gen and only with antlers.
How much public land can a hunter access in hunt area 4?: About 39% of the area is public—roughly 125 square miles of National Forest, State Trust Land and BLM—though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings within public tracts still apply. Walk-in areas and the Department's Sand Creek Wildlife Habitat Management Area provide additional access without advance permission. Most public hunting opportunity here is for white-tailed deer.
When does each season run in hunt area 4?: The Type Gen season (antlered deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 1–20. The Type 8 season (doe or fawn white-tailed deer on private land only) runs archery September 1–30 and regular rifle November 1–20. Both seasons span two separate periods with different rut phases and weather, though the dates are the same for each hunt type.

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