Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 47?

Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required. Nonresidents must draw a Region general licence valid across all general-licence hunt areas in Region R, which includes this area. A general licence is the standard way to hunt both of the general-licence seasons here.

Which deer species does this area permit hunters to shoot?

Hunt area 47 offers hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, but the animal you may shoot depends on which season you hunt. The two general-licence seasons and one doe-or-fawn season permit either species, while the white-tailed-only season and the irrigated-land doe-or-fawn hunt are restricted to white-tailed deer only. A mule deer is not legal on the white-tailed-only hunts.

What does the second general-licence season actually cover?

The October 25–31 general-licence season is valid only on irrigated land or within one-half mile of it, making it more restricted than the October 15–24 season that applies area-wide. Hunters planning this later period need to verify irrigated-land boundaries and account for the smaller footprint of legal country.

Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in hunt area 47?

A nonresident must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide to hunt in designated wilderness. A nonresident hunting alone cannot legally use wilderness ground in this area.

How much public land can a hunter access here?

About 82% of the hunt area—roughly 461 square miles—is public land or enrolled walk-in areas where hunters can generally count on access. The Big Horn County Walk-In Areas provide defined entry points during their open periods. Private land covers the remaining 18%, and public land still requires respect for roads, trailheads and seasonal closures.

Wyoming Hunt Area 47 (Weber Canyon) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

82%

Elevation

3,800–9,500 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 47 rolls across basin, foothills and high country between 3,800 and 9,500 feet, with most ground sitting around 4,600 feet. The eastern portion rises toward the Bighorn Mountains, where higher elevations carry mountain shrub, curl-leaf mahogany and scattered timber. Across most of the area, sagebrush dominates the rolling hills and plains, grading into grassland and scattered riparian draws. The terrain is predominantly gentle—78% of it slopes under 9 degrees—making foot access practical across much of the country. Mule deer occupy sagebrush draws, hill complexes and rimrock areas throughout the hunt area, with concentrations along the Bighorn River and agricultural margins where the basin opens onto private irrigated land. White-tailed deer are present and concentrated on creek bottoms and along the Bighorn River, though much of the best white-tailed country sits on private land. Roads become nearly impassable when wet, a practical concern for hunters planning access during fall weather.

About 82% of hunt area 47 is public ground—BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas and National Forest—where a hunter can generally count on access, though roads, trailheads and seasonal closures still apply. The Big Horn County Walk-In Areas 38, 35, 27 and 8 provide additional opportunities during their open periods. Private land makes up the remaining 18%, including much of the irrigated river bottoms where white-tailed deer concentrate. The hunt area contains designated wilderness, which requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide.

Hunt area 47 offers five seasons spanning September through December, mixing general-licence hunts valid statewide with a limited-quota white-tailed-only option. The general-licence archery season opens early in the season when deer are still in dispersed patterns, while the general-licence regular seasons divide between broader hunting and a later, irrigated-land-restricted period. The white-tailed-only season runs the full fall and winter, offering an alternative to the general-licence animals. A doe-or-fawn hunt restricted to irrigated land rounds out the options, while a statewide doe-or-fawn season extends into winter across both this area and neighboring hunt area 46.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 47 (Weber Canyon) 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 R, 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 Gen — general licence · Any deer valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Regular October 25 – October 31
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – December 15
Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 15
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer; also valid in Area 46
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular September 1 – 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 Gen — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Archery hunting for antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer runs September 1–30, opening when velvet is still coming off and deer remain dispersed across sagebrush and foothill country before the fall migration takes shape. Temperatures start in the mid-70s and drop to the low 40s, with virtually no snow, making glassing and stalking practical in stable conditions. Access to public land and walk-in areas is straightforward. The hunt permits both mule and white-tailed deer under the same season—antlered mule deer only, or any white-tailed deer of either sex.

Type Gen — Any deer valid on or within… (October)

The October 15–24 regular season for any deer pursues both species across the full hunt area as deer enter the nocturnal-buck phase and begin shifting toward migration corridors. High temperatures drop from near 60 degrees to the mid-50s, with light snow possible late in the window, and access roads remain passable in most of the area. Both mule and white-tailed deer are legal, but this season applies area-wide and is not restricted to irrigated land. The October 25–31 general-licence season that follows is limited to irrigated land and the surrounding one-half-mile buffer, concentrating the hunt where white-tailed deer congregate in agricultural country. Weather cools further into the 40s with potential snow, and hunters must identify and access the narrower irrigated-land geography.

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

The white-tailed-only archery period September 1–30 mirrors the general-licence archery season—early fall weather with temperatures from 75 to 43 degrees and no snow—but targets white-tailed deer alone across the full hunt area. This season opens the earliest pathway for a dedicated white-tailed hunt before the species migrates heavily into irrigated private land. From October 15 through December 15, a second white-tailed window spans the nocturnal-buck phase into the primary rut (mid-November) and the late rut into winter. October weather cools through the 50s with light snow; November snow increases to roughly 1.5 inches monthly as temperatures drop to the mid-40s daytime and teens at night; December brings high temperatures near freezing and roughly 2.6 inches of snow. Access is available across public land and walk-in areas throughout, though roads become difficult when wet during the longer season.

Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on or within… (September–November)

Hunting doe or fawn white-tailed deer on irrigated land and within one-half mile of it runs September 1–30 in archery, with temperatures 75 to 43 degrees and no snow, concentrating the early season in agricultural margins where females gather. The regular season, October 15–November 15, spans the nocturnal-buck phase through the primary rut as temperatures fall from the 50s to the low 20s and snowfall increases from roughly 0.5 inches in October to 1.5 inches in November. This hunt is restricted to irrigated private land and its buffer, requiring hunters to locate and gain access to those specific boundaries; walk-in areas may not encompass the productive irrigated country.

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

Doe or fawn white-tailed deer are huntable September 1–December 31, valid in hunt area 47 and also in neighboring hunt area 46, offering a long season that spans early fall through the rut into deep winter. September archery happens in warm, pre-migration conditions with temperatures from 75 to 43 degrees. October regular hunting begins as temperatures drop to the 50s and deer respond to the nocturnal-buck phase and migration staging. The season carries through the primary rut in November (40s daytime, teens at night, 1.5 inches of snow) and into December winter consolidation (highs near 32 degrees, lows near 9 degrees, 2.6 inches of snow). Public land access is available throughout both hunt areas and walk-in sections, though roads degrade in wet conditions and winter snow may restrict travel.

Land and access

BLM72%

Generally open to public hunting

private land18%

Private

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas4%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest3%

Generally open to public hunting

About 82% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land, State Wildlife Areas and National Forest, roughly 461 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 76% 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 4 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.

This hunt area includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range50%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range45%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range29%

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

Summer Range7%

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush57%

Grass and meadow23%

Other cover16%

Riparian4%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush65%

Grass and meadow30%

Other cover5%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush54%

Grass and meadow28%

Conifer18%

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	31°F	7°F	2.6 in
February	37°F	12°F	2.5 in
March	50°F	23°F	1.1 in
April	59°F	31°F	0.1 in
May	69°F	41°F	0 in
June	79°F	49°F	0 in
July	89°F	55°F	0 in
August	87°F	53°F	0 in
September	75°F	43°F	0 in
October	59°F	31°F	0.5 in
November	44°F	19°F	1.5 in
December	32°F	9°F	2.6 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 47?: Yes. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required. Nonresidents must draw a Region general licence valid across all general-licence hunt areas in Region R, which includes this area. A general licence is the standard way to hunt both of the general-licence seasons here.
Which deer species does this area permit hunters to shoot?: Hunt area 47 offers hunts for both mule deer and white-tailed deer, but the animal you may shoot depends on which season you hunt. The two general-licence seasons and one doe-or-fawn season permit either species, while the white-tailed-only season and the irrigated-land doe-or-fawn hunt are restricted to white-tailed deer only. A mule deer is not legal on the white-tailed-only hunts.
What does the second general-licence season actually cover?: The October 25–31 general-licence season is valid only on irrigated land or within one-half mile of it, making it more restricted than the October 15–24 season that applies area-wide. Hunters planning this later period need to verify irrigated-land boundaries and account for the smaller footprint of legal country.
Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness in hunt area 47?: A nonresident must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide to hunt in designated wilderness. A nonresident hunting alone cannot legally use wilderness ground in this area.
How much public land can a hunter access here?: About 82% of the hunt area—roughly 461 square miles—is public land or enrolled walk-in areas where hunters can generally count on access. The Big Horn County Walk-In Areas provide defined entry points during their open periods. Private land covers the remaining 18%, and public land still requires respect for roads, trailheads and seasonal closures.

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