Can a resident or nonresident hunter buy a general deer licence valid in hunt area 40?

Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference-point involvement — this is a random draw for the general licence itself, not a points-based draw. Nonresidents must draw a Region M general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region; roughly three-quarters of Region M general licences go to nonresidents with the most preference points, and about a quarter go to a random draw open to all.

Which deer species can a hunter take in hunt area 40 under each licence type?

The Type Gen season permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer — the antler restriction applies to mule deer only, and any white-tailed deer of either sex is legal. Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only: Type 3 is any white-tailed deer, while Type 8 is doe or fawn white-tailed deer, so a mule deer cannot be taken in those hunts regardless of antlers.

What are the archery and rifle seasons for mule deer and white-tailed deer in hunt area 40?

All three licence types have archery from September 1 to September 30. Type Gen rifle runs October 15 to October 24 and permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Type 3 rifle runs October 15 to November 30 and permits any white-tailed deer. Type 8 rifle also runs October 15 to November 30 and permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer only.

How much of hunt area 40 is public land a hunter can count on using?

About 55% of the hunt area, roughly 397 square miles, is dependably open public ground — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest. The remainder is private or mixed ownership. Public land access still depends on maintained roads, trailheads and seasonal closures, and private inholdings may block entry to some public parcels.

Where in hunt area 40 is public land concentrated, and where is it harder to reach?

The north has substantial National Forest ground and the west has BLM. The east and south are a patchwork of private and mixed private-public ownership, making route-finding more complex. Hunting pressure is heaviest south of Tensleep along the highways, so hunters seeking quieter ground may find it away from those corridors.

Wyoming Hunt Area 40 (Buffalo Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

55%

Elevation

4,400–9,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 40 is rolling juniper, sagebrush and grassland country, cut by draws and canyons and rising toward higher ground on the east. Elevation ranges from 4,400 to 9,600 feet, with typical terrain around 5,500 feet and slope averaging 7.8 degrees — about three-quarters of the ground is gentle. Lower elevations carry mostly sagebrush with some grassland and riparian strips; mid elevations mix sagebrush, grassland and scattered conifer; higher ground brings in more conifer and less sagebrush. Deer are scattered through the area, but most concentrate near water and around private hay fields, so the best hunting often hinges on access to the private ground where animals congregate.

Public land lies mostly in the north on National Forest and in the west on BLM, giving a hunter a solid foundation there. The east and south are a patchwork of private and mixed private-public ground, making those sections harder to plan — roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all affect what a hunter can actually reach. About 55% of the hunt area is dependably open public ground. The Washakie County Walk-In Area 2 provides walk-on access during its posted season, and the Upper Nowood Hunter Management Area is available with a printed permission slip from the agency. Hunting pressure concentrates south of Tensleep along the highways, leaving quieter ground elsewhere.

The three seasons here span September through November. Early in that window, when velvet is shed and bucks are still largely nocturnal, archery hunters see deer scattered and moving. As regular seasons begin in mid-October, bucks shift into nocturnal patterns through early November, then the rut drives activity through the remainder of the month. Weather cools steadily from September highs near 72°F to November highs near 44°F, and snow begins to accumulate: October typically sees about an inch, November around 3.5 inches.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 40 (Buffalo 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 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
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer; also valid in Area 35
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer; also valid in Area 35
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30

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 mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Archery hunting for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs the first month of fall as bucks shed velvet and remain largely scattered and nocturnal. Deer are distributed throughout the hunt area, though most concentrate near water and around private hay fields where access depends on individual landowner permission. Temperatures run warm, with highs near 72°F and virtually no snow, so early-season mobility is high and glassing sagebrush and grassland for feeding animals can be productive. Public land offers a straightforward base for scouting and hunting, though the mixed private-public ground to the east and south requires careful planning to avoid trespassing.

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

The rifle season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer spans October 15 to October 24 as bucks move into nocturnal patterns and begin early fall migration. This is a short window: weather is cooling with highs dropping to near 57°F and occasional snow, and hunting becomes more timing-dependent as animals shift between summer and fall range. Access is similar to archery season, with good public-land foundation in the north and west and mixed or private country in the east and south, though seasonal closures on public land should be checked before the season.

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

The white-tailed deer season runs archery from September 1 to September 30 and rifle from October 15 through November 30, covering a long window that encompasses velvet shed, early migration, the rut and winter consolidation. Archery hunting sees scattered animals in warm weather; by rifle season opening in mid-October, bucks are nocturnal and begin to move, intensifying through the rut from mid-November onward as temperatures continue falling and snow accumulates to around 3.5 inches by month's end. Most deer are found near water and private hay fields, concentrating hunting value on ground where access can be arranged. This hunt is valid in hunt area 40 only, and the extended season through November allows hunters to pursue animals through multiple behavioral phases.

Land and access

private land43%

Private

BLM39%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest7%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership2%

Ownership unclassified

About 55% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 397 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 50% 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.

This hunt area has 1 enrolled walk-in area. It also holds 1 Hunter Management Area. Both are 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. 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

Yearlong Range69%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range43%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range31%

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

Sagebrush83%

Grass and meadow11%

Other cover5%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush65%

Grass and meadow21%

Conifer13%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush45%

Conifer31%

Grass and meadow24%

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	4.8 in
February	36°F	13°F	4.8 in
March	47°F	23°F	2.8 in
April	55°F	30°F	1.1 in
May	65°F	39°F	0.1 in
June	76°F	48°F	0 in
July	86°F	55°F	0 in
August	84°F	53°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0 in
October	57°F	32°F	0.9 in
November	44°F	21°F	3.5 in
December	34°F	12°F	6.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a resident or nonresident hunter buy a general deer licence valid in hunt area 40?: Wyoming residents buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference-point involvement — this is a random draw for the general licence itself, not a points-based draw. Nonresidents must draw a Region M general licence, which is valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region; roughly three-quarters of Region M general licences go to nonresidents with the most preference points, and about a quarter go to a random draw open to all.
Which deer species can a hunter take in hunt area 40 under each licence type?: The Type Gen season permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer — the antler restriction applies to mule deer only, and any white-tailed deer of either sex is legal. Type 3 and Type 8 are white-tailed deer only: Type 3 is any white-tailed deer, while Type 8 is doe or fawn white-tailed deer, so a mule deer cannot be taken in those hunts regardless of antlers.
What are the archery and rifle seasons for mule deer and white-tailed deer in hunt area 40?: All three licence types have archery from September 1 to September 30. Type Gen rifle runs October 15 to October 24 and permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Type 3 rifle runs October 15 to November 30 and permits any white-tailed deer. Type 8 rifle also runs October 15 to November 30 and permits doe or fawn white-tailed deer only.
How much of hunt area 40 is public land a hunter can count on using?: About 55% of the hunt area, roughly 397 square miles, is dependably open public ground — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest. The remainder is private or mixed ownership. Public land access still depends on maintained roads, trailheads and seasonal closures, and private inholdings may block entry to some public parcels.
Where in hunt area 40 is public land concentrated, and where is it harder to reach?: The north has substantial National Forest ground and the west has BLM. The east and south are a patchwork of private and mixed private-public ownership, making route-finding more complex. Hunting pressure is heaviest south of Tensleep along the highways, so hunters seeking quieter ground may find it away from those corridors.

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