Can a hunter in hunt area 53 use a general deer licence?

Yes. Wyoming residents may buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw required. Nonresidents must draw a Region general licence to hunt general-licence areas in region R, which includes hunt area 53.

What species of deer are legal in hunt area 53?

Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal, but under different rules. The archery and regular rifle seasons here require antlered mule deer with at least three points on either antler, while any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—is legal without restriction.

What dates does the general deer hunt run in hunt area 53?

The hunt has two seasons: archery from September 1 through September 30, and regular rifle from October 15 through October 24. Both windows are part of the same general hunt and use the same antler restrictions.

How much of hunt area 53 can a hunter realistically access?

About 88% of the area is public land where hunters have general access. Private land makes up 8% of the area, though white-tailed deer often concentrate there along the Bighorn River. The Yellowtail Hunter Management Area on private ground is open with a printed permission slip.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to hunt area 53?

No. Wyoming residents have no preference points for deer; the resident draw for any hunt area is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, benefit from preference points in the regional draw: three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw (awarded by points), and a quarter enter a random draw.

Wyoming Hunt Area 53 (Devils Canyon) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

88%

Elevation

3,600–10,000 ft

Terrain

Moderate

Deer region

Hunt area 53 spans rolling basins and high-elevation mountains across 230 square miles in the Bighorn Basin and Bighorn Mountains. The western portion is open country—plains and rolling hills dominated by sagebrush, with scattered grass meadows and small timber stands. The eastern flank rises into the mountains, where steep terrain, canyons and ridges break the country into draws and bench systems. Elevation runs from 3,600 feet in the basin to 10,000 feet in the high ranges, typical ground sitting around 6,200 feet. Slope averages 10.8 degrees across the area, with 57% gentle ground, 34% moderate terrain and 7% steep slopes.

Sagebrush dominates at lower elevations and on the rolling hills, mixed with grass meadows on creek bottoms and irrigated flats. As elevation climbs, mountain shrub—curleaf mahogany and similar growth—takes over the foothills, and conifer forest becomes dominant in the high peaks and ridges. Mule deer scatter throughout the area but concentrate in the mountain-shrub foothills and canyon systems of the Bighorn Mountains. White-tailed deer are tied closely to riparian corridors and irrigated ground, which are mostly private; most white-tailed deer in the hunt area occur along the Bighorn River and its associated private lands.

About 88% of the area is public land—Bureau of Land Management, National Forest and State Trust Land—where a hunter generally has access to walk and hunt. Four percent is public land closed to hunting. The remaining 8% is private ground. Seasonal roads in the mountains can become difficult when wet. A Hunter Management Area called Yellowtail is open to hunting with a printed permission slip from Wyoming Game and Fish.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 53 (Devils 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 three (3) points or more on either antler or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 24

Where a hunt above sets an antler requirement on mule deer and then allows any white-tailed deer, that point requirement is a mule deer rule only. And “any white-tailed deer” means any— buck, doe or fawn. WGFD writes “antlered” where it means a buck and “antlerless” or “doe or fawn” where it means a female, so an unqualified “any” sets no restriction on sex or age.

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 three (3) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Archery hunting from September 1 through 30 finds mule deer in the velvet shed and early fall transition, still spread across their summer haunts in the high basins and foothills. Daytime highs average 66 degrees Fahrenheit, with cool mornings near 42 degrees and minimal snow. Public access is widespread across Bureau of Land Management and National Forest ground; some mountain roads become difficult when wet. The hunt requires antlered mule deer carrying at least three points on either antler, or any white-tailed deer. Rifle hunting from October 15 through 24 occurs as mule deer move during early fall migration and transition to more nocturnal patterns; bucks shift from summer ground toward lower elevations and draw systems as days shorten. Conditions cool sharply, with highs dropping to 51 degrees and lows to 30 degrees, and snowfall averages 2.4 inches for the month—enough to affect high-country access and push deer downslope. Roads in the mountains can become muddy and rough. The same antler restrictions apply: antlered mule deer with three points or more, or any white-tailed deer.

Land and access

BLM49%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest35%

Generally open to public hunting

private land8%

Private

National Park Service4%

Public land closed to hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 88% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 202 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 1 Hunter Management Area. 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

Parturition Areas57%

spring birthing ground, months before any hunting season

Yearlong Range51%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range32%

used in summer

Winter Range30%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range18%

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

Sagebrush76%

Grass and meadow18%

Other cover4%

Conifer3%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush70%

Conifer27%

Grass and meadow3%

Higher elevations

Conifer56%

Sagebrush27%

Grass and meadow16%

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	30°F	11°F	5.7 in
February	32°F	13°F	5.4 in
March	42°F	20°F	3.2 in
April	49°F	27°F	2.1 in
May	58°F	37°F	0.3 in
June	68°F	45°F	0 in
July	78°F	52°F	0 in
August	76°F	50°F	0 in
September	66°F	42°F	0.1 in
October	51°F	30°F	2.4 in
November	39°F	20°F	3.5 in
December	30°F	12°F	5.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in hunt area 53 use a general deer licence?: Yes. Wyoming residents may buy a general deer licence over the counter with no draw required. Nonresidents must draw a Region general licence to hunt general-licence areas in region R, which includes hunt area 53.
What species of deer are legal in hunt area 53?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal, but under different rules. The archery and regular rifle seasons here require antlered mule deer with at least three points on either antler, while any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—is legal without restriction.
What dates does the general deer hunt run in hunt area 53?: The hunt has two seasons: archery from September 1 through September 30, and regular rifle from October 15 through October 24. Both windows are part of the same general hunt and use the same antler restrictions.
How much of hunt area 53 can a hunter realistically access?: About 88% of the area is public land where hunters have general access. Private land makes up 8% of the area, though white-tailed deer often concentrate there along the Bighorn River. The Yellowtail Hunter Management Area on private ground is open with a printed permission slip.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to hunt area 53?: No. Wyoming residents have no preference points for deer; the resident draw for any hunt area is random. Nonresidents, by contrast, benefit from preference points in the regional draw: three quarters of nonresident licences go to the preference-point draw (awarded by points), and a quarter enter a random draw.

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