Can a hunter use a general deer licence to hunt this area?

Yes. Hunt area 66 is a general-licence area hunted on a standard Wyoming general deer licence. Wyoming residents purchase a general licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required. Nonresidents must draw a Region D general licence, valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region.

Which deer species are legal in this hunt area?

Both mule deer and white-tailed deer hunt here, but the species allowed and antler rules vary by season. The general licence hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. A separate white-tailed-only season allows any white-tailed deer during a longer window. Doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunts run archery and regular seasons across different date ranges.

How much public land can a hunter actually access here?

About half the area—roughly 500 square miles—is public ground (BLM, State Trust Land, and National Forest). However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads can become impassable in snow and mud, trailheads may be congested, and private inholdings still restrict movement in places. A Walk-In Area offers a secondary option for mule deer on enrolled private land.

Where do white-tailed deer hunt in this area work best?

White-tailed deer concentrate in riparian creek bottoms and irrigated hayfields, most of which lie on private land. A few pockets of suitable habitat exist on public ground, but they draw crowds. Hunters targeting white-tailed deer should expect to contact ranches for access or use the Walk-In Area if it is open.

When do the archery and rifle seasons run?

Archery for mule deer and all-white-tailed-deer hunts opens September 1 and closes September 30. General-licence regular season runs October 15–21. White-tailed-only regular season extends October 15–November 30. A white-tailed doe or fawn archery hunt also runs September 1–30, with a separate regular season October 15–November 30. A doe-only hunt valid only in Area 88 runs August 15–October 14.

Wyoming Hunt Area 66 (Bates Hole-Hat Six) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

50%

Elevation

5,000–8,800 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 66 sits in rolling sagebrush country at elevations between 5,000 and 8,800 feet, with typical ground around 6,400 feet. The terrain is gentle, averaging 6.0 degrees of slope. Mule deer here occupy sagebrush slopes and foothill benches, with scattered canyons holding cottonwood and riparian growth. White-tailed deer concentrate on the irrigated hayfields and creek bottoms, primarily on private land. About half the area is publicly owned—BLM, State Trust Land, and National Forest—giving hunters a dependable base to work from, though road access can deteriorate quickly during wet or snowy weather. Primitive camping sits on accessible BLM ground, and full facilities stand nearby in Casper.

Getting in requires attention to maps and GPS; the public ground here draws hunters regularly, and opening weekends can be crowded, especially near major roads and trailheads. Those seeking quieter country find it by moving off the main roads on foot. A Walk-In Area on private land near Natrona County opens a second avenue for mule deer hunting. White-tailed deer hunting on public ground is patchy—a few pockets exist, but most suitable riparian habitat lies on private ranches. A hunter serious about white-tailed deer should plan to contact private landowners; those pursuing mule deer can largely stay public and still find productive ground.

The seasons here span a long window with two distinct phases. The archery hunt in early September takes advantage of velvet shedding activity, when deer are still on summer range and temperatures are warm. The regular seasons run across October and November, beginning as deer shift movement patterns and culminating during the rut and into early winter consolidation. White-tailed and mule deer seasons overlap in some windows but differ in others, and a doe-only hunt targeting white-tailed deer spans the late summer through autumn. Hunters should verify current regulations, as season length and structure change year to year.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 66 (Bates Hole-Hat Six) 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 D, 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 21
Type 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer only valid in Area 88
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular August 15 – October 14
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
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 in September takes place as deer shed their velvet and begin transitioning away from pure summer range. Early-month temperatures run warm—highs near 72°F—and cool into the 40s by month's end, with light snowfall possible late in the season. Road access is generally reliable, and the early season sees lighter pressure than October and November. The general-licence archery hunt allows either mule deer with antlers or white-tailed deer of any sex or age, making it flexible for hunters who encounter either species.

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

The regular-season hunt for any white-tailed deer spans October 15 through November 30, beginning as deer shift into early migration and nocturnal patterns and continuing through the primary rut into winter consolidation. October opens with highs around 57°F and lows near freezing, cooling steadily through November into the 40s for highs and low 20s for lows; snowfall picks up, averaging nearly 2 inches in October and 3+ inches in November, making road travel increasingly uncertain. Hunters must be prepared for variable weather and potentially difficult access. This hunt allows any white-tailed deer—buck, doe, or fawn—across the entire area and the full span of rut activity.

Type 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer only… · whitetail only (August–October)

The regular-season doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunt runs August 15 through October 14, valid only within Area 88, and covers the transition from summer bachelor patterns through early velvet shedding and into early migration. August brings warm highs near 82°F and overnight lows around 51°F with minimal snow, while October begins cool at 57°F highs and adds increasing precipitation toward month's end. Access is typically good through most of the hunt, though late-season weather may complicate travel on secondary roads. This hunt is restricted to white-tailed deer females and fawns within Area 88 only; mule deer are not legal.

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

The archery and regular-season doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunt spans September 1 through November 30 with a break in early October, allowing hunters to pursue white-tailed females and fawns across the early velvet transition through the rut into winter consolidation. The archery window in September offers warm early-month conditions (highs ~72°F) before cooling late in the month with minor snowfall; the regular season begins October 15 in cooling conditions and extends through November as temperatures drop into the 40s for highs and 20s for lows, with snowfall climbing to 3+ inches monthly by late season. Hunters should expect increasingly difficult access as fall weather develops. This hunt permits only white-tailed deer does and fawns across the full area, not mule deer.

Land and access

private land49%

Private

BLM30%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land18%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest1%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership1%

Ownership unclassified

About 50% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 496 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 1 enrolled walk-in area. 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

Winter Range60%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range36%

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

Summer Range28%

used in summer

Yearlong Range23%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush67%

Grass and meadow18%

Other cover11%

Riparian4%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush84%

Grass and meadow8%

Conifer5%

Other cover1%

Riparian1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush72%

Conifer14%

Grass and meadow12%

Riparian1%

Other cover1%

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	33°F	13°F	4.7 in
February	35°F	14°F	6.2 in
March	45°F	22°F	3.5 in
April	53°F	28°F	3.6 in
May	63°F	37°F	0.1 in
June	75°F	46°F	0 in
July	84°F	53°F	0 in
August	82°F	51°F	0 in
September	72°F	43°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	31°F	1.9 in
November	43°F	22°F	3.3 in
December	33°F	14°F	5.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general deer licence to hunt this area?: Yes. Hunt area 66 is a general-licence area hunted on a standard Wyoming general deer licence. Wyoming residents purchase a general licence over the counter with no draw and no preference points required. Nonresidents must draw a Region D general licence, valid across all general-licence hunt areas in that region.
Which deer species are legal in this hunt area?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer hunt here, but the species allowed and antler rules vary by season. The general licence hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. A separate white-tailed-only season allows any white-tailed deer during a longer window. Doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunts run archery and regular seasons across different date ranges.
How much public land can a hunter actually access here?: About half the area—roughly 500 square miles—is public ground (BLM, State Trust Land, and National Forest). However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads can become impassable in snow and mud, trailheads may be congested, and private inholdings still restrict movement in places. A Walk-In Area offers a secondary option for mule deer on enrolled private land.
Where do white-tailed deer hunt in this area work best?: White-tailed deer concentrate in riparian creek bottoms and irrigated hayfields, most of which lie on private land. A few pockets of suitable habitat exist on public ground, but they draw crowds. Hunters targeting white-tailed deer should expect to contact ranches for access or use the Walk-In Area if it is open.
When do the archery and rifle seasons run?: Archery for mule deer and all-white-tailed-deer hunts opens September 1 and closes September 30. General-licence regular season runs October 15–21. White-tailed-only regular season extends October 15–November 30. A white-tailed doe or fawn archery hunt also runs September 1–30, with a separate regular season October 15–November 30. A doe-only hunt valid only in Area 88 runs August 15–October 14.

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