Can a hunter use a general Wyoming deer license to hunt in this area?

Yes, this hunt area is open to hunters holding a general deer license. Wyoming residents purchase a general license over the counter with no draw or preference points required; nonresidents must draw a Region D general license, which is valid across the general-license hunt areas of that region.

What deer species can be hunted here, and does it matter which season a hunter chooses?

Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal in the Type Gen season (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer). However, the Type 3 and Type 8 seasons are white-tailed only; mule deer are not legal in those hunts regardless of antlers. White-tailed deer are scarce in most of the area and concentrated on private lands.

When do the mule deer seasons run, and what is the difference between archery and rifle hunting?

The Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs September 1–30 for archery and October 15–21 for regular (rifle) hunting. Archery opens early in the velvet-shed phase when deer are still in bachelor groups. The rifle season coincides with early migration and the onset of the pre-rut, when mule deer bucks become more active during daylight hours.

What access can a hunter expect, and are there walk-in areas?

About 54% of the area is public land (BLM and State Trust Land) that can generally be counted on for access, though roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all apply. Carbon County Walk In Area 13 and Natrona County Walk In Area 161 are available during their posted open periods with no permission required. Most county roads become nearly impassable when wet.

What is the white-tailed deer hunting opportunity like in this area?

White-tailed deer are relatively rare across most of hunt area 70 and concentrated on river and creek bottoms and irrigated lands that are predominantly private. The Type 3 and Type 8 seasons offer white-tailed-only hunting September 1–30 for archery and October 1–December 31 for rifle, but most white-tailed opportunity is limited to private ground access.

Wyoming Hunt Area 70 (Shirley Mountain) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

54%

Elevation

5,800–9,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 70 spans 1,150 square miles of topographically diverse country ranging from 5,800 feet along the North Platte River to 9,100 feet in the Pedro and Shirley Mountains. The terrain is predominantly gentle, averaging 5 degrees of slope, with 86% of it graded gentle and most of the remainder moderate. The landscape shifts from broad, rolling sagebrush plains and grasslands in the Shirley Basin and I-80 corridor to steep irregular mountains, rugged canyons, and broken rimrock in the higher ranges. Sagebrush dominates the plant community at 78%, with grass and meadow at 15%, conifer at 4%, and riparian zones at 2%. Mule deer occupy sagebrush draws, riparian areas, and the rocky canyon country, using the dramatic topographic relief for cover and escape terrain. White-tailed deer are relatively scarce throughout most of the hunt area, concentrated on river and creek bottoms and irrigated lands that are predominantly privately owned.

Public land that a hunter can generally count on makes up about 54% of the area—around 617 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. Private land comprises 42%, much of it checkerboarded with public ground, especially in the southern half. Access to northern public lands typically runs through county roads including the Hanna Leo Draw Road and Leo Shirley Basin Road, though most roads in the area become nearly impassable when wet. Walk-in areas are available through Carbon County Walk In Area 13 and Natrona County Walk In Area 161. The Pine Draw Hunter Management Area offers private ground access during its enrolled period, requiring a printed permission slip before hunting. Roads and trailheads control how much public ground a hunter can reach, and seasonal closures may apply.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 70 (Shirley Mountain) 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 1 – December 31
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 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)

The Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer opens with archery September 1–30 as mule deer shed velvet and move through early fall in bachelor groups, then continues with rifle hunting October 15–21 during early migration when bucks begin spending more daylight hours outside cover. September temperatures average highs around 63°F and lows around 39°F with about 1.2 inches of snowfall; October arrives colder with highs around 49°F, lows around 28°F, and about 6.6 inches of snowfall mid-month. The rifle portion opens into the onset of the pre-rut phase, and by the third week of October many mule deer bucks shift toward more visible movement and may begin the rut. Access follows the established road network and public land in the northern portion of the area, with the southern checkerboard of public and private ground requiring awareness of property lines. White-tailed deer remain scarce and concentrated on private lands throughout the season.

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

Rifle hunting for any white-tailed deer under the Type 3 season runs October 1–December 31, a period spanning early migration, the pre-rut staging, the primary rut, and winter consolidation. Early October brings highs around 49°F and lows around 28°F with 6.6 inches of monthly snowfall; by December temperatures drop to highs around 26°F and lows around 11°F with 10 inches of snowfall. White-tailed deer are most abundant on river and creek bottoms and irrigated lands—predominantly private ground—so opportunity is limited outside these areas. Where private access is available, hunters may encounter white-tailed deer moving in response to rut activity from late October through November, then consolidating into winter range. Archery for this season also runs September 1–30 during velvet shed and early fall transition, when white-tailed deer use sagebrush draws and riparian areas but remain concentrated on private lands.

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

The Type 8 season for doe or fawn white-tailed deer runs archery September 1–30 and rifle October 1–December 31, with the rifle period spanning early migration through the primary rut and into winter. September hunting occurs during velvet shed and early fall movement, with average highs around 63°F and lows around 39°F; rifle season encounters cooling conditions from October highs of 49°F dropping through December to 26°F highs and 11°F lows, with October bringing 6.6 inches of snowfall and December 10 inches. White-tailed deer females and fawns concentrate on river and creek bottoms and irrigated lands, which are predominantly privately owned; access to doe or fawn opportunity is therefore limited to areas where private land access can be arranged. Hunters without private access will find few white-tailed deer on public ground across most of the hunt area.

Land and access

BLM47%

Generally open to public hunting

private land42%

Private

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership4%

Ownership unclassified

About 54% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 617 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. 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 Range78%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range41%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range12%

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

Summer Range10%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush78%

Grass and meadow15%

Conifer4%

Other cover2%

Riparian2%

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	27°F	11°F	8.2 in
February	29°F	11°F	9.4 in
March	38°F	18°F	10.9 in
April	45°F	24°F	13.9 in
May	55°F	33°F	1.7 in
June	66°F	41°F	0 in
July	75°F	49°F	0 in
August	73°F	47°F	0 in
September	63°F	39°F	1.2 in
October	49°F	28°F	6.6 in
November	35°F	19°F	9.5 in
December	26°F	11°F	10 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general Wyoming deer license to hunt in this area?: Yes, this hunt area is open to hunters holding a general deer license. Wyoming residents purchase a general license over the counter with no draw or preference points required; nonresidents must draw a Region D general license, which is valid across the general-license hunt areas of that region.
What deer species can be hunted here, and does it matter which season a hunter chooses?: Both mule deer and white-tailed deer are legal in the Type Gen season (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer). However, the Type 3 and Type 8 seasons are white-tailed only; mule deer are not legal in those hunts regardless of antlers. White-tailed deer are scarce in most of the area and concentrated on private lands.
When do the mule deer seasons run, and what is the difference between archery and rifle hunting?: The Type Gen season for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer runs September 1–30 for archery and October 15–21 for regular (rifle) hunting. Archery opens early in the velvet-shed phase when deer are still in bachelor groups. The rifle season coincides with early migration and the onset of the pre-rut, when mule deer bucks become more active during daylight hours.
What access can a hunter expect, and are there walk-in areas?: About 54% of the area is public land (BLM and State Trust Land) that can generally be counted on for access, though roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures all apply. Carbon County Walk In Area 13 and Natrona County Walk In Area 161 are available during their posted open periods with no permission required. Most county roads become nearly impassable when wet.
What is the white-tailed deer hunting opportunity like in this area?: White-tailed deer are relatively rare across most of hunt area 70 and concentrated on river and creek bottoms and irrigated lands that are predominantly private. The Type 3 and Type 8 seasons offer white-tailed-only hunting September 1–30 for archery and October 1–December 31 for rifle, but most white-tailed opportunity is limited to private ground access.

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