Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 80?

Wyoming residents do not have deer preference points at all. The resident deer draw for hunt area 80 is random, with no point cutoff or point system. Nonresidents, by contrast, do use preference points; within the nonresident pool three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take in hunt area 80?

Hunt area 80 offers three seasons with different legal animals: two are white-tailed deer only (any white-tailed deer in the September-December season, and doe or fawn white-tailed deer in the September-December season), and one permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer in September-October. Mule deer are not legal in the white-tailed-only hunts.

How much of hunt area 80 can a hunter actually access, and what lands are open?

About 56 percent of hunt area 80 is public land (roughly 435 square miles of BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land) that a hunter can generally count on, and 44 percent is private. However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still apply. Access is rated fair overall, and private land dominates the river bottoms and lower country where white-tailed deer concentrate.

When do the hunts in hunt area 80 run, and what are the differences between them?

The archery season for any white-tailed deer and antlered mule deer runs September 1–30. The regular season for any white-tailed deer runs October 1–December 31. The doe or fawn white-tailed deer season runs September 1–December 31. The antlered mule deer hunt also has a regular season October 1–14, much shorter than the white-tailed season.

Wyoming Hunt Area 80 (Spring Creek) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

56%

Elevation

6,500–11,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 80 spans the western Platte Valley and the Sierra Madre massif—a large, complex terrain where cottonwood bottoms and irrigated hay meadows rise through sagebrush country toward heavily timbered peaks along the Continental Divide. The country is almost entirely low-angle ground, and 56 percent is public land (BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land) in large blocks across the western and central portions, while private land dominates the irrigated river bottoms and southeastern foothills. Access to this area is rated fair; the northern checkerboard landownership and large private ranches across the lower country mean that significant blocks are unavailable to the public or open only to outfitted hunters. Riparian meadows and creek drainages are common and often privately owned, as are the irrigated lands that concentrate white-tailed deer.

White-tailed deer here are tied to river and creek bottoms and the irrigated hayfields—private ground where their presence is not negotiable. Mule deer occupy the sagebrush draws, mid-elevation riparian areas, and the forested high country. Between October and November mule deer migrate from high summer range toward lower elevations to winter; mild fall weather extends their stay above, while severe snow drives them toward the lower benches, open timber, and south-facing slopes. Heavy hunting pressure in the forested areas forces mule deer into timber as a refuge, and inclement weather may push them toward the North Platte River bottoms. The hunter's access to mule deer therefore hinges on the public land network in the mid and high country; white-tailed deer access depends on private-land arrangements in the lowlands.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 80 (Spring Creek) 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)

The any white-tailed deer season runs from early September through the end of December, spanning archery and regular hunting. September archery hunts white-tailed deer as they transition from summer patterns into the early fall migration, with warm daytime temperatures around 70 degrees and cool mornings near 41 degrees—conditions that keep deer active in open country. From October through November the rut becomes the dominant driver: white-tailed deer shift into nocturnal behaviors in early October, then concentrate and move through staging areas before and during the November rut, and finally consolidate as winter approaches. October brings cooler weather (highs near 56 degrees, lows near 31, with about 1.7 inches of snowfall), and by December temperatures drop sharply (highs around 32 degrees, lows around 14, with 10.2 inches of monthly snow) as deer shift toward winter range. Access to white-tailed deer depends heavily on private-land arrangements, as the species concentrates in river and creek bottoms and irrigated meadows. This hunt permits any white-tailed deer—buck, doe, or fawn.

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

The doe or fawn white-tailed deer season spans the full September-to-December window across both archery and regular hunting periods. Early September finds white-tailed deer in the velvet-shed transition, still warm and active (highs near 70 degrees, lows near 41), and hunting pressure is light on most public ground. From October onward the rut shapes behavior: early-October nocturnal phases keep deer elusive, the late-October staging period concentrates animals along migration corridors, the November rut draws deer into visible patterns, and winter consolidation in December spreads them toward lower elevations and snow-driven refuges. October weather chills quickly to highs around 56 degrees and lows near 31, with roughly 1.7 inches of snowfall, while December brings harsh conditions (highs near 32 degrees, lows near 14, with 10.2 inches of monthly snow) that drive deer toward shelter. Like any white-tailed deer hunts, this season depends on access to private river bottoms and irrigated lands where the species is primarily found. This hunt permits doe and fawn only—not antlered deer.

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

The antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer hunt is split into two distinct windows: September archery and an early-October regular season lasting only through October 14. The September archery period hunts mule deer in the velvet-shed transition with warm conditions (highs around 70 degrees, lows near 41) and minimal snowfall, when mule deer are still at higher elevations and active in sagebrush and riparian areas. The October regular hunt catches mule deer in early migration as they move from high summer range toward lower elevations, and also early pre-rut nocturnal phases that make them harder to find. October weather turns cold and unstable (highs dropping to around 56 degrees, lows near 31, with 1.7 inches of monthly snowfall) as the season closes mid-month. Early closure means this hunt misses the November rut when mule deer concentrate along migration corridors and in staging areas; hunters pursuing this permit are targeting early-season animals and migratory patterns. Antlered mule deer are restricted to the point or antler requirement, while any white-tailed deer (buck, doe, or fawn) are legal under the same hunt.

Land and access

private land44%

Private

BLM40%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest11%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land6%

Generally open to public hunting

About 56% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 435 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.

Where deer are mapped

Winter Range65%

used in winter

Yearlong Range56%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range36%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range9%

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

Sagebrush89%

Other cover9%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush88%

Other cover7%

Riparian4%

Grass and meadow1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush58%

Conifer34%

Grass and meadow4%

Aspen3%

Riparian1%

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	14°F	9.3 in
February	35°F	15°F	7.9 in
March	44°F	22°F	6.9 in
April	52°F	27°F	4.3 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.3 in
June	74°F	43°F	0 in
July	81°F	50°F	0 in
August	79°F	48°F	0 in
September	70°F	41°F	0.1 in
October	56°F	31°F	1.7 in
November	42°F	21°F	6.4 in
December	32°F	14°F	10.2 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in hunt area 80 use a general or region licence, or is a specific draw required?: Hunt area 80 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for both residents and nonresidents. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, never in limited-quota hunt areas, so a hunter must draw a licence for this area specifically.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 80?: Wyoming residents do not have deer preference points at all. The resident deer draw for hunt area 80 is random, with no point cutoff or point system. Nonresidents, by contrast, do use preference points; within the nonresident pool three quarters of the licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take in hunt area 80?: Hunt area 80 offers three seasons with different legal animals: two are white-tailed deer only (any white-tailed deer in the September-December season, and doe or fawn white-tailed deer in the September-December season), and one permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer in September-October. Mule deer are not legal in the white-tailed-only hunts.
How much of hunt area 80 can a hunter actually access, and what lands are open?: About 56 percent of hunt area 80 is public land (roughly 435 square miles of BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land) that a hunter can generally count on, and 44 percent is private. However, public ownership does not guarantee easy entry; roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings all still apply. Access is rated fair overall, and private land dominates the river bottoms and lower country where white-tailed deer concentrate.
When do the hunts in hunt area 80 run, and what are the differences between them?: The archery season for any white-tailed deer and antlered mule deer runs September 1–30. The regular season for any white-tailed deer runs October 1–December 31. The doe or fawn white-tailed deer season runs September 1–December 31. The antlered mule deer hunt also has a regular season October 1–14, much shorter than the white-tailed season.

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