Can a hunter use a general or region licence in hunt area 79?

No. Hunt area 79 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn individually for each season. A general or region deer licence is not valid here; a hunter must draw a specific licence for this area or cannot hunt it.

Do Wyoming resident deer hunters need preference points to draw hunt area 79?

No. Wyoming residents have no preference-point system for deer; the resident draw is random. A nonresident, however, enters a preference-point pool where three quarters of the licences go to top-point holders and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants, so points matter significantly for nonresidents.

Which deer species can a hunter legally hunt in each season on area 79?

Type 3 (any white-tailed deer, September–December) and Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer, September–December) are white-tailed only—a mule deer is not legal on these hunts. Type 1 (September–October) permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, so both species are legal but under different antler rules.

How much of hunt area 79 is public land a hunter can count on?

About 48% of the area, roughly 442 square miles, is ground a hunter can generally count on—BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas. The remainder is private. Public land still has seasonal closures, trailheads, and private inholdings that complicate access.

When do the seasons run in hunt area 79?

Type 3 (any white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–December 31. Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) runs regular September 1–December 31. Type 1 (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–14.

Wyoming Hunt Area 79 (Kennaday Peak) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

48%

Elevation

6,300–12,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 79 spans 915 square miles from the North Platte River bottoms near 6,300 feet to Kennaday Peak at 12,000 feet, with typical elevation around 7,100 feet. The country is mostly gentle ground—87% slopes under 9 degrees—and breaks into distinct zones. River bottoms along the North Platte and other major creeks hold cottonwoods and irrigated hayfields that expand into large meadows; beyond these, sagebrush steppe dominates lower elevations. The eastern half rises into the timbered Snowy Range, where a large pine beetle kill has left thousands of acres of standing dead timber. Rocky rims and irregular breaks characterize terrain along the I-80 corridor. Most of this varied country is foot hunting, though access to private ranches along the North Platte is limited to outfitted hunters or is closed entirely.

Getting into public ground requires planning. The checkerboard of alternating public and private land along the northern and western edge means no simple boundary—what looks open on a map may front private ranches. Public land here is split between National Forest, BLM, and scattered State Trust Land sections; the Pennock Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) is managed for public hunting. About 48% of the area is ground a hunter can generally count on, roughly 442 square miles, but seasonal closures, trailheads, and private inholdings still complicate entry. White-tailed deer are concentrated on river and creek bottoms and near irrigated lands, nearly all of which are private. Mule deer use sagebrush draws, riparian areas, timbered forest, and rocky canyon country throughout the hunt area, making them the primary target on public ground.

The area's three seasons differ sharply in opportunity and timing. Early fall brings both archery and regular seasons for mule deer, while white-tailed hunts start in September and run through December. Rut timing shifts the deer's behavior across autumn, and snowfall accumulates from October onward, pushing mule deer from high country toward lower foothill and basin areas or toward the North Platte River and cedar breaks north of I-80. White-tailed deer stay near their private-land strongholds year-round, making them accessible mainly to hunters on or adjacent to private ground.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 79 (Kennaday Peak) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. A region licence does not reach it — a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, so there is no fallback for this hunt.

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 – December 31
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer
Legal: white-tailed deer only
Regular September 1 – December 31
Type 1 · 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.

Hunting each season

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

Hunting any white-tailed deer on this area means focusing on private river bottoms and irrigated lands where white-tailed deer concentrate year-round, nearly all of it closed to walk-in public hunting. The archery season (September 1–30) occurs as bucks shed velvet and begin moving between summer and fall patterns; early September is warm, with highs around 71°F and no snow. The regular season (October 1–December 31) spans the bucks' nocturnal phase through the peak rut and into late-season recovery. October brings cooling weather—highs near 57°F and about 1.4 inches of monthly snowfall—while December turns harsh, with highs around 33°F and roughly 6.3 inches of snow accumulation. Without reliable access to private land, most hunters will find this hunt difficult.

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

Doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunting covers the same private-land strongholds along river bottoms and irrigated meadows as the any-whitetail hunt, running the full season from September 1 through December 31. Early fall (September) is warm and dry with highs near 71°F; bucks are shedding velvet and beginning their fall movement, though does and fawns maintain more stable patterns on their preferred habitats. As October arrives, weather cools to highs around 57°F and snowfall reaches about 1.4 inches monthly. The rut intensifies through November and into December, when doe and fawn movement increases and winter weather sets in, with highs dropping to 33°F and snowfall around 6.3 inches per month. Success on this hunt depends entirely on private-land access.

Type 1 — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Mule deer hunting on this area splits into two distinct phases: early archery (September 1–30) focused on high country, then a short regular rifle season (October 1–14) as migration begins. During archery season, mule deer occupy sagebrush draws, riparian areas, timbered forests, and rocky canyons at various elevations; September weather is mild with highs near 71°F and essentially no snow, making high-elevation access reasonable. The regular season coincides with the bucks' nocturnal phase and the start of migration downslope as fall weather sets in. October highs average 57°F with about 1.4 inches of snowfall, and the timing often catches mule deer moving from summer range toward lower foothill and basin areas or down toward the North Platte River and cedar breaks. This hunt permits any white-tailed deer as well, but white-tailed opportunity on public land is minimal since the species prefers private river and irrigated lands.

Land and access

private land52%

Private

BLM25%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest15%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land6%

Generally open to public hunting

State Wildlife Areas2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 48% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 442 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 42% 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range64%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range60%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range20%

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

Summer Range16%

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

Lower elevations

Sagebrush86%

Other cover7%

Riparian4%

Grass and meadow2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush84%

Grass and meadow9%

Other cover4%

Riparian2%

Higher elevations

Conifer46%

Sagebrush37%

Grass and meadow5%

Aspen5%

Other cover3%

Riparian3%

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	34°F	14°F	5 in
February	36°F	15°F	5 in
March	45°F	22°F	4.7 in
April	53°F	27°F	2.8 in
May	64°F	35°F	0 in
June	75°F	43°F	0 in
July	83°F	50°F	0 in
August	81°F	48°F	0 in
September	71°F	40°F	0 in
October	57°F	31°F	1.4 in
November	43°F	21°F	3.9 in
December	33°F	14°F	6.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general or region licence in hunt area 79?: No. Hunt area 79 is a limited-quota hunt area and must be drawn individually for each season. A general or region deer licence is not valid here; a hunter must draw a specific licence for this area or cannot hunt it.
Do Wyoming resident deer hunters need preference points to draw hunt area 79?: No. Wyoming residents have no preference-point system for deer; the resident draw is random. A nonresident, however, enters a preference-point pool where three quarters of the licences go to top-point holders and a quarter go to a random draw open to all applicants, so points matter significantly for nonresidents.
Which deer species can a hunter legally hunt in each season on area 79?: Type 3 (any white-tailed deer, September–December) and Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer, September–December) are white-tailed only—a mule deer is not legal on these hunts. Type 1 (September–October) permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, so both species are legal but under different antler rules.
How much of hunt area 79 is public land a hunter can count on?: About 48% of the area, roughly 442 square miles, is ground a hunter can generally count on—BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas. The remainder is private. Public land still has seasonal closures, trailheads, and private inholdings that complicate access.
When do the seasons run in hunt area 79?: Type 3 (any white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–December 31. Type 8 (doe or fawn white-tailed deer) runs regular September 1–December 31. Type 1 (antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer) runs archery September 1–30 and regular October 1–14.

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