Can a hunter without preference points draw a nonresident general licence for hunt area 77?

A nonresident can draw a Region D general licence without preference points, since one quarter of the Region D general licences go to a random draw open to all applicants. The remaining three quarters are awarded by preference points top-down. Residents do not use points for the general deer licence at all—they buy one over the counter with no draw involved.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take on a general licence in this area?

The general licence hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. This means a hunter may take a mule deer buck with antlers, or any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—with no antler requirement on the whitetail.

When does the general licence archery season run in hunt area 77?

Archery for the general licence hunt runs September 1 through September 30. Regular rifle season for the general licence runs October 1 through October 14.

Does a resident need preference points to hunt the general deer licence in hunt area 77?

Wyoming residents do not use preference points for any deer hunt. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no points involved. The draw for a general licence applies only to nonresidents drawing a Region D general licence.

Wyoming Hunt Area 77 (Boulder Ridge) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

18%

Elevation

7,100–9,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 77 spreads across 377 square miles of rolling country between 7,100 and 9,700 feet, with typical ground around 7,500 feet. The terrain is almost entirely gentle—94% of the area slopes gently, the rest moderately—and the country breaks into distinct pieces: shortgrass prairie and open grassland make up much of the landscape, mixed with sagebrush across about half the acreage and riparian cottonwood and willow bottoms along the Big Laramie River. The western portions hold timbered slopes of aspen, fir and scattered open meadows; the southern edge transitions into mahogany hills. Most of the deer concentrate in the western half where public land patches exist, though access to hunt the area remains limited and hunters should plan on acquiring private-land permission before applying.

Public land totals about 18% of the area—roughly 69 square miles of BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas that a hunter can generally count on. The southwestern corner around Red Mountain, Ring Mountain and Jelm Mountain holds the best public-land access. Private land dominates the rest. A printed permission slip is required to hunt the Monolith Ranch Hunter Management Area. Highway 10 south of Woods Landing provides the main approach to the area.

Seasons here span both archery and regular rifle windows. Archery runs early in September during the early fall transition, when bucks are shedding velvet and activity concentrates around watering areas and thermal cover. Regular rifle seasons shift with advancing weather and rut timing: October hunts fall in the nocturnal buck phase and early pre-rut period, November hunts overlap the primary rut and early winter consolidation, and late December targets the post-rut recovery period as deer concentrate on winter range.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 77 (Boulder Ridge) 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 3 · Any white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – November 30
Type 3 · Antlerless white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular December 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
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 1 – October 14

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.

Mandatory CWD sampling in 2026

A CWD sample is required from every deer harvested in hunt area 77 in 2026, on every licence type. A sample can be left at a game check station or the Laramie regional office of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, or collected by the hunter and sent to the Wildlife Health Laboratory.

In the words of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department: “Hunters in Hunt Areas 15, 61, 74, 75, 76, and 77 must be aware that these areas are under mandatory CWD sampling.” The areas under mandatory sampling change every year, so confirm the current list before hunting — 2026 mandatory CWD sampling areas.

Hunting each season

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

The September-through-November hunt for any white-tailed deer—whitetail only—opens during the early fall transition when bucks shed velvet and daylight activity peaks around water and cover. Archery hunters work September when temperatures stay mild (highs near 71°F) and snow is minimal, relying on morning and evening movement and watering holes. October rifle hunting arrives as temperatures cool (highs around 57°F) and the first substantial snow begins to fall, pushing deer toward bedding cover and migration corridors in the nocturnal buck phase; early November continues cooling (highs 44°F) into the primary rut when deer are most active and visible. Late November hunts the tail end of the rut as herds consolidate for winter. Public land in the southwest corner provides the most reliable access, though most deer populations concentrate in the western portions where private land dominates.

Type 3 — Antlerless white-tailed deer · whitetail only (December)

The December hunt for antlerless white-tailed deer—whitetail only—targets the post-rut recovery period as temperatures plummet (highs 35°F, lows 12°F) and snowfall increases substantially to 5.1 inches for the month. Cold pushes deer into winter concentration areas, making them more predictable but also more challenging to reach as snow accumulates. Public land access remains limited to the southwest corner and requires preparation against the coldest weather of the autumn series.

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

The September-through-December hunt for doe or fawn white-tailed deer—whitetail only—spans the longest season on the area, opening during the early fall transition in September and running through the winter consolidation period in December. Archery hunters in September work mild weather (highs near 71°F) when does and fawns move around water and open ground, while rifle hunters from October onward pursue deer through the rut, primary rut, and into winter as temperatures drop and snow accumulates from 2.7 inches in October to 5.1 inches in December. This hunt provides access to antlerless deer across both public-land patches and areas where private permission can be arranged.

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

The September-through-October hunt for antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer—legal on both mule deer and whitetail—opens during the early fall transition when bucks shed velvet and activity peaks. Archery in September hunts mild conditions (highs near 71°F) when bucks work water and meadows; regular rifle in October (October 1–14) arrives as temperatures drop to highs around 57°F and snow becomes likely, pushing deer into migration and nocturnal patterns. This hunt is the only general-licence option for mule deer on the area, allowing a hunter to pursue either species, though most deer concentrate in the western portions where private land prevails.

Land and access

private land80%

Private

BLM10%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership1%

Ownership unclassified

About 18% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 69 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 12% 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.

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

Yearlong Range73%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range37%

used in winter

Summer Range21%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range6%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush50%

Grass and meadow30%

Riparian12%

Conifer5%

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	35°F	13°F	4.2 in
February	37°F	13°F	4.8 in
March	45°F	20°F	4.6 in
April	52°F	25°F	3.3 in
May	62°F	33°F	0.1 in
June	74°F	41°F	0 in
July	81°F	48°F	0 in
August	79°F	46°F	0 in
September	71°F	38°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	28°F	2.7 in
November	44°F	20°F	3.4 in
December	35°F	12°F	5.1 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter without preference points draw a nonresident general licence for hunt area 77?: A nonresident can draw a Region D general licence without preference points, since one quarter of the Region D general licences go to a random draw open to all applicants. The remaining three quarters are awarded by preference points top-down. Residents do not use points for the general deer licence at all—they buy one over the counter with no draw involved.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take on a general licence in this area?: The general licence hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. This means a hunter may take a mule deer buck with antlers, or any white-tailed deer—buck, doe or fawn—with no antler requirement on the whitetail.
What fraction of hunt area 77 is public land a hunter can count on?: About 18% of the area, roughly 69 square miles, is BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas. The best public-land access lies in the southwestern corner around Red Mountain, Ring Mountain and Jelm Mountain. Private land makes up 80% of the area, so hunters should plan on acquiring permission before applying.
When does the general licence archery season run in hunt area 77?: Archery for the general licence hunt runs September 1 through September 30. Regular rifle season for the general licence runs October 1 through October 14.
Does a resident need preference points to hunt the general deer licence in hunt area 77?: Wyoming residents do not use preference points for any deer hunt. A resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw and no points involved. The draw for a general licence applies only to nonresidents drawing a Region D general licence.

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