Can a hunter in Wyoming draw hunt area 81 on a region licence?

No. Hunt area 81 is a limited-quota hunt area and requires a separate draw application specific to this area. A general or region licence from the hunt area's region does not cover it.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 81?

No. Resident deer hunters in Wyoming enter a random draw for this hunt area; there is no preference-point system for residents. Nonresident hunters, by contrast, compete in a draw where three-quarters of licences go to applicants ranked by preference points, and a quarter to a random draw.

Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness on this area without a guide?

No. Wyoming law requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide within the Encampment River Wilderness Area. The nearby Encampment River Canyon Wilderness Study Area does not carry this requirement.

What deer species can a hunter legally pursue on each hunt type in this area?

Type 3 (Any white-tailed deer, September–December) is white-tailed only; mule deer are not legal. Type 8 (Doe or fawn white-tailed deer, September–December) is also white-tailed only. Type 1 (Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, September–October) permits both species under different rules: mule deer must be antlered, while white-tailed deer may be any sex or age.

When does the Type 1 hunt run in this area?

Type 1 runs in two windows: archery from September 1 through September 30, then regular hunting from October 1 through October 14. These are the only legal hunting periods for this hunt type.

Wyoming Hunt Area 81 (Blackhall) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

74%

Elevation

7,100–11,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 81 spans 304 square miles between 7,100 and 11,000 feet, with typical ground near 8,500 feet. The country is topographically diverse: open sagebrush slopes, forested ridges in the Sierra Madre Mountains, brushy draws and riparian meadows along creeks, and pockets of irrigated land along Highway 230. The Encampment River runs through the area in canyon terrain with timbered sides. Conifer dominates at higher elevations—a mix of spruce-fir, lodgepole pine, and aspen with open parks interspersed—while lower slopes favor sagebrush and mountain shrubs. About 63% of the area is gentle ground; the rest rolls moderate or steeper. Terrain averages 8.9 degrees of slope overall.

Most of this hunt area sits on public land: roughly 224 square miles of National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land form a dependable backbone for access, with private land accounting for about 26%. The Encampment River Wilderness Area covers a section of the ground; it is roadless and requires nonresidents to hunt only with a licensed guide or resident guide. The nearby Encampment River Canyon Wilderness Study Area, managed by the BLM, is accessible for hunting without a guide requirement. Roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still apply across all public ground, and private inholdings interrupt access in places. White-tailed deer concentrate on river and creek bottoms and near irrigated meadows, much of which lies on private land. Mule deer use sagebrush draws, riparian areas, timbered forest, and rocky terrain across both public and private ground.

Hunting pressure and deer movement shift noticeably between early and late season. Between October and November, mule deer migrate from high summer range to lower foothills and basin wintering areas, though mild fall weather can hold them at elevation longer. Heavy timber serves as a refuge for both species during hunting season. As winter weather tightens, mule deer seek open-timbered west-facing slopes and shrub-covered south-facing ground at mid-elevation. Recent fire activity has increased herbaceous growth in burn areas, affecting where deer forage and move through the country.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 81 (Blackhall) 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 for any white-tailed deer spans archery in September and regular seasons through December. During September archery, mule deer are in velvet and white-tailed deer are beginning to shed it; the weather is warm, with highs around 66°F and minimal snow. Archery hunters work sagebrush draws, riparian corridors, and forest edges where deer feed in cool mornings and evenings. From October onward, white-tailed deer drift toward river bottoms and creek corridors as early fall migration begins and the pre-rut and rut phases take hold through November and into December. October brings cooling and increased snowfall—about 4.2 inches across the month—pushing deer downslope and concentrating them in riparian areas and irrigated meadows, much of which is private land. November and December bring the primary rut and winter consolidation, with temperatures dropping sharply and December snowfall averaging 26.9 inches monthly. Public access to National Forest and BLM ground remains available, though seasonal closures and snow depth limit trailhead use as winter advances.

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

Hunting for doe or fawn white-tailed deer runs through the full September-to-December season. Early-season hunting in September finds deer dispersed across sagebrush and forested country as they shed velvet in warm conditions with minimal precipitation. From October onward, as weather cools and the rut phases progress, does and fawns move downslope into riparian bottoms and irrigated meadows where most white-tailed habitat concentrates on private ground. October snowfall averages 4.2 inches and drives deer to lower elevations; by December, with temperatures falling to lows around 11°F and average snowfall of 26.9 inches, deer seek shelter in timbered country and shrub-covered south-facing slopes. Hunters in October can access National Forest and BLM land, but the most productive white-tailed habitat lies on private river and creek bottoms and near irrigated lands, requiring permission.

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

This hunt allows archery for antlered mule deer and any white-tailed deer during September, then regular hunting for the same animals through October 14. During September archery, both species are transitioning from summer to early fall patterns with velvet shedding; highs average 66°F and snow is minimal. Mule deer occupy sagebrush draws, timbered canyons, and high-elevation forest parks, while white-tailed deer concentrate in riparian areas and along irrigated lands. October hunting finds both species in early fall migration with the mule deer beginning to shift from high elevation toward lower foothills and winter range; temperatures cool to highs around 52°F and snowfall increases to about 4.2 inches monthly. White-tailed deer move steadily toward river and creek bottoms. Public access across National Forest and BLM ground is available, though the Encampment River Wilderness Area requires nonresidents to hunt with a licensed guide or resident guide.

Land and access

National Forest60%

Generally open to public hunting

private land26%

Private

BLM10%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land4%

Generally open to public hunting

About 74% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 224 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 includes designated wilderness. Wyoming law requires a nonresident to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide in designated wilderness.

Where deer are mapped

Summer Range62%

used in summer

Winter Range38%

used in winter

Yearlong Range31%

the only layer that means year-round use

Crucial Winter Range7%

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

Sagebrush68%

Other cover11%

Riparian8%

Grass and meadow6%

Conifer5%

Aspen2%

Mid elevations

Conifer42%

Sagebrush27%

Grass and meadow23%

Aspen5%

Riparian2%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Conifer79%

Grass and meadow12%

Sagebrush6%

Aspen2%

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	32°F	11°F	26.1 in
February	34°F	12°F	23.5 in
March	42°F	18°F	20.2 in
April	49°F	24°F	12 in
May	58°F	32°F	1.5 in
June	69°F	40°F	0 in
July	76°F	46°F	0 in
August	74°F	45°F	0 in
September	66°F	38°F	0.2 in
October	52°F	28°F	4.2 in
November	40°F	19°F	19.3 in
December	31°F	11°F	26.9 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in Wyoming draw hunt area 81 on a region licence?: No. Hunt area 81 is a limited-quota hunt area and requires a separate draw application specific to this area. A general or region licence from the hunt area's region does not cover it.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw hunt area 81?: No. Resident deer hunters in Wyoming enter a random draw for this hunt area; there is no preference-point system for residents. Nonresident hunters, by contrast, compete in a draw where three-quarters of licences go to applicants ranked by preference points, and a quarter to a random draw.
Can a nonresident hunt designated wilderness on this area without a guide?: No. Wyoming law requires nonresidents to be accompanied by a licensed guide or a resident guide within the Encampment River Wilderness Area. The nearby Encampment River Canyon Wilderness Study Area does not carry this requirement.
What deer species can a hunter legally pursue on each hunt type in this area?: Type 3 (Any white-tailed deer, September–December) is white-tailed only; mule deer are not legal. Type 8 (Doe or fawn white-tailed deer, September–December) is also white-tailed only. Type 1 (Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, September–October) permits both species under different rules: mule deer must be antlered, while white-tailed deer may be any sex or age.
When does the Type 1 hunt run in this area?: Type 1 runs in two windows: archery from September 1 through September 30, then regular hunting from October 1 through October 14. These are the only legal hunting periods for this hunt type.

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