Can a hunter use a general deer licence in hunt area 51?

Yes. Hunt area 51 is a general-licence hunt area; a Wyoming resident can buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved, and the Type Gen hunts here are valid on a general licence. Nonresidents cannot buy a general licence but may apply to draw a Region general licence valid across all general-licence areas in Region R, which includes this hunt area.

Can a hunter access the country on foot in hunt area 51?

Yes. About three-quarters of the area is public land, roughly 130 square miles of BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest. Two walk-in areas provide guaranteed access during their open periods. Muddy roads can become impassable when wet, and private inholdings still block some routes, so scouting ground before the season and being prepared for difficult travel matter.

What seasons run when in hunt area 51?

Archery for mule deer and white-tailed deer runs September 1–30. Regular seasons begin October 15; the Type 3 any white-tailed deer hunt runs October 15–December 15, while the general-licence mule deer hunts run October 15–24. A second general-licence mule deer window runs October 25–31 and is valid only near irrigated land. Doe-or-fawn hunts begin October 15 and run into November or December depending on type.

Does hunt area 51 require a nonresident to apply for preference points to draw a general licence here?

The Type Gen general-licence hunts in hunt area 51 do not require preference points; they are hunted on a general licence that does not go through a draw. However, a nonresident cannot buy a general licence directly—they must draw a Region general licence through the random draw pool (in which one-quarter of licences are awarded) or the preference-point pool (in which three-quarters are awarded to top-point holders) to hunt any general-licence area, including this one.

Wyoming Hunt Area 51 (Beaver Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

74%

Elevation

3,700–8,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 51 spreads across rolling hills and plains of the Bighorn Basin, with higher foothill country rising toward the Bighorn Mountains in the east. Elevations range from 3,700 to 8,000 feet, with much of the ground around 4,500 feet; 76% of the terrain is gentle, rolling country that works on foot. Sagebrush dominates across the elevation bands, and in the lower reaches it shares the ground with substantial grass and meadow. Riparian corridors and pockets of timber along creeks add diversity, especially in the foothills. Mule deer hold the sagebrush draws, rocky hill complexes and canyon rims throughout the area, while white-tailed deer concentrate along Shell Creek and the Bighorn River, most of which runs through private land. The creeks and irrigated agricultural ground that hold white-tailed deer are largely private, so public-ground hunting here favors mule deer, though public access to the open ridges and basin ground is widespread.

About 74% of the hunt area is public ground—roughly 130 square miles of BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest where a hunter can generally count on entry. The private 26% includes most of the riparian corridors and agricultural zones where white-tailed deer concentrate. Two walk-in areas, Big Horn County Walk In Areas 5 and 64, offer dependable access to public sagebrush and rolling ground. Seasonal closures, muddy roads that become impassable during wet weather, and private inholdings all still apply—access is not straightforward everywhere, and scouting before the season matters. The open public ground means mule deer hunters can plan a hunt here without depending on private-land permission, though most white-tailed deer require it.

Seasons split between general-licence hunts that anyone can draw or buy into, and Type-specific controlled hunts. The general-licence mule deer hunts (both archery and regular) are valid only within half a mile of irrigated land—a substantial restriction that narrows them to a band along creeks and agricultural zones. The unrestricted Type 3 white-tailed hunt and Type 8 doe-or-fawn white-tailed hunt run the full area and the full calendar. Type 7, a doe-or-fawn hunt on irrigated lands, also carries the half-mile restriction. Early-season archery favors mule deer on public ridges before the rut stirs movement; October's regular seasons split between the general hunt's narrow irrigated corridor and the unrestricted Type 3 and Type 7 hunts. The long Type 3 regular season runs through the rut and into winter consolidation, giving white-tailed hunters a four-month window as weather cools from autumn to deep cold.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 51 (Beaver 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 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 3 · Any 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
Type Gen — general licence · Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of irrigated land
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Regular October 25 – October 31
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
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 3 — Any white-tailed deer · whitetail only (September–December)

Archery hunters on the Type 3 any white-tailed deer hunt pursue them through September as the season opens and into early October as bucks shed their velvet. White-tailed deer are found primarily along the creek bottoms and irrigated ground, most of which is private land, so public-ground hunting for this species is limited early on. Weather in September runs warm with highs around 74°F and very little snow, making hiking comfortable and spotting possible across long distances. A hunter planning this hunt needs private-land access or must focus on public ground near the creeks where the species occurs.

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

The general-licence mule deer archery hunt through September works the open sagebrush, ridge and canyon-rim country where mule deer hold before the pre-rut movement begins. Early September is warm, around 74°F, with minimal snow; conditions favor spotting and stalking across the rolling public ground. The wide availability of public access makes this a realistic hunt for a nonresident or resident buying a general licence, and mule deer are spread throughout the open basin and foothills. Type Gen hunts are limited to within half a mile of irrigated land—this restriction narrows the hunt to a band around creeks but still covers significant public sagebrush and ridge country.

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

The October regular Type Gen mule deer hunt, October 15–24, runs as bucks enter the nocturnal phase and begin shifting toward the rut. This window is tight—only ten days—and hunting pressure increases as the season widens. The hunt remains restricted to within half a mile of irrigated land, concentrating effort around creek bottoms and foothills where the half-mile line crosses public ground; private land dominates the actual creeks themselves. A hunter must have scouted beforehand to identify where the restriction boundary sits on public-accessible country.

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

The Type 7 doe-or-fawn hunt runs archery through September and regular October 15–November 15, valid only within half a mile of irrigated land. This restriction limits hunting to a band along creeks and agricultural zones, most of which is private; doe-or-fawn hunters pursuing this licence need either private access or public ground that falls within the irrigated-land buffer. Archery occurs in warm early-season conditions, while the regular window spans the pre-rut and primary rut as bucks' activity peaks and then consolidates. Weather cools from the mid-50s in October to the low 40s by November, and snowfall climbs to 2.1 inches monthly by late fall.

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

The Type 8 doe-or-fawn white-tailed deer hunt runs September 1–December 31, the longest hunt on the area and valid across the full 177 square miles without land restriction. White-tailed deer concentrate along Shell Creek and the Bighorn River, heavily on private ground, so this hunt's advantage is the long calendar rather than wide access—a hunter with private-land permission can hunt does and fawns from the warm September opening through the rut and into deep winter. A public-ground hunter has fewer white-tailed deer to chase but can hunt the full four months. Conditions shift dramatically: September highs around 74°F give way to December lows near 10°F, with snowfall climbing from nearly nothing in September to 3.4 inches by December.

Land and access

BLM70%

Generally open to public hunting

private land26%

Private

State Trust Land3%

Generally open to public hunting

About 74% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 130 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

Yearlong Range60%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range53%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range41%

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

Sagebrush39%

Grass and meadow28%

Other cover25%

Riparian8%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush64%

Grass and meadow28%

Other cover8%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush75%

Grass and meadow20%

Other cover4%

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	32°F	9°F	4.2 in
February	36°F	12°F	3 in
March	49°F	22°F	1.6 in
April	57°F	30°F	0.2 in
May	67°F	40°F	0 in
June	77°F	48°F	0 in
July	87°F	54°F	0 in
August	85°F	52°F	0 in
September	74°F	43°F	0 in
October	58°F	31°F	0.4 in
November	44°F	20°F	2.1 in
December	33°F	10°F	3.4 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 51?: Yes. Hunt area 51 is a general-licence hunt area; a Wyoming resident can buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved, and the Type Gen hunts here are valid on a general licence. Nonresidents cannot buy a general licence but may apply to draw a Region general licence valid across all general-licence areas in Region R, which includes this hunt area.
Which deer species does a hunter find here?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer live in hunt area 51, but each hunts differently. Mule deer occupy the sagebrush ridges, hill draws and canyon rims across the open public ground. White-tailed deer concentrate along Shell Creek and the Bighorn River, most of which run through private land; a hunter pursuing them on public ground has fewer options. Most hunt types here permit one species or the other, not both, so a hunter must read the licence carefully to know which animal is legal.
Can a hunter access the country on foot in hunt area 51?: Yes. About three-quarters of the area is public land, roughly 130 square miles of BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest. Two walk-in areas provide guaranteed access during their open periods. Muddy roads can become impassable when wet, and private inholdings still block some routes, so scouting ground before the season and being prepared for difficult travel matter.
What seasons run when in hunt area 51?: Archery for mule deer and white-tailed deer runs September 1–30. Regular seasons begin October 15; the Type 3 any white-tailed deer hunt runs October 15–December 15, while the general-licence mule deer hunts run October 15–24. A second general-licence mule deer window runs October 25–31 and is valid only near irrigated land. Doe-or-fawn hunts begin October 15 and run into November or December depending on type.
Does hunt area 51 require a nonresident to apply for preference points to draw a general licence here?: The Type Gen general-licence hunts in hunt area 51 do not require preference points; they are hunted on a general licence that does not go through a draw. However, a nonresident cannot buy a general licence directly—they must draw a Region general licence through the random draw pool (in which one-quarter of licences are awarded) or the preference-point pool (in which three-quarters are awarded to top-point holders) to hunt any general-licence area, including this one.

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