Do Wyoming resident hunters need preference points to draw hunt area 87?

No. Residents have no deer preference points in Wyoming, and the resident deer draw is random. For nonresidents, three-quarters of the available licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, and one-quarter enters a random draw open to all applicants regardless of points.

What species of deer does hunt area 87 permit?

Both hunts permit mule deer and white-tailed deer, but under different rules. The antler restriction on Type 2 applies only to mule deer; any white-tailed deer is legal under both hunts regardless of antlers. White-tailed deer are uncommon in this area and are found primarily along creeks and irrigated lands.

How much of hunt area 87 can a hunter actually access on public ground?

Roughly 64% of the area—about 783 square miles—is dependably open public land (BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas). The southern third of the area, however, is a checkerboard of private and public land where public parcels surrounded by private cannot be reached without permission or without crossing private ground. The northern two-thirds generally offer better access, though private inholdings and few roads still restrict movement.

When do the archery and regular seasons run in hunt area 87?

Archery runs September 1–30 for both types. Regular season runs October 15–31 for both types. September typically sees highs around 71°F and minimal snow, while October cools to highs around 56°F with about 2 inches of snowfall possible, though conditions can vary widely from dry and warm to freezing with heavy snow.

Wyoming Hunt Area 87 (Ferris) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

64%

Elevation

5,800–10,000 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 87 spans 1,222 square miles across country that shifts dramatically from south to north. The southern third is a checkerboard of rocky rims, sagebrush mesas, alkaline flats, and active sand dunes, with scattered granite outcrops breaking the low ground. The northern portion rises into sagebrush-covered sand hills cut by large granite formations. East to west, the Ferris and Seminoe Mountains bisect the area—the Ferris extremely steep and densely timbered on northern slopes, reaching 10,000 feet, while the Seminoe Mountains are more rugged and sparse, topping out around 8,200 feet. Both ranges have burned in recent wildfires. Riparian meadows line the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers, the Seminoe and Pathfinder Reservoirs, and several major creeks. The terrain is 87% gentle ground, with mean slope of 4.6 degrees; the higher mountains rise above the typical 6,600-foot elevation across the area. Sagebrush dominates the cover—90% of the land—with conifers on about 2%, grass and meadow 2%, riparian growth 2%, and other cover making up the remainder.

Getting onto public land here hinges on geography. The northern two-thirds of the area has reasonably open access to public ground, with private lands generally bunched along watercourses, though roads remain few and private inholdings still complicate entry. The southern third, the checkerboard, is a different problem: public parcels surrounded by private land have no road access and are essentially unreachable without crossing private ground or obtaining permission. Roughly 64% of the area is dependably open to hunting—about 783 square miles of BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas—but that figure masks the southern third's fragmentation. Two walk-in areas, Carbon County Walk In Area 10 and Carbon County Walk In Area 5, provide designated access to private ground during their open periods. Mule deer concentrate in the foothills and sand dunes around the mountains; white-tailed deer are sparse here, found mainly along the creek bottoms and irrigated lands near the Ferris Mountains and along the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers. Roads in the alkaline southern flats become treacherous when wet, while sandy or rocky ground elsewhere can remain passable with precipitation.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 87 (Ferris) 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 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 15 – October 31
Type 2 · Antlered mule deer three (3) points or less on either antler or any white-tailed deer
Legal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rules
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 31

Where a hunt above sets an antler requirement on mule deer and then allows any white-tailed deer, that point requirement is a mule deer rule only. And “any white-tailed deer” means any— buck, doe or fawn. WGFD writes “antlered” where it means a buck and “antlerless” or “doe or fawn” where it means a female, so an unqualified “any” sets no restriction on sex or age.

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

Hunting either type in September (September 1–30, archery) takes place as velvet is shedding and deer transition into early fall patterns. Mule deer are dispersed across summer range and foothills, not yet concentrated, while the sparse white-tailed population remains near creeks and irrigated ground. September weather is mild—highs around 71°F with lows around 43°F and minimal snowfall—and roads remain generally passable. Access to public land in the north is better than in the southern checkerboard, and walk-in areas provide private-ground entry during their open periods. Type 1 permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer; Type 2 restricts mule deer to three points or less on either antler, while any white-tailed deer remains legal under the same antler rules as Type 1.

Type 2 — Antlered mule deer three (3) points… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Hunting either type in October (October 15–31, regular season) coincides with fall migration and early pre-rut staging as deer move toward winter range. Mule deer concentrate more heavily in the foothills and sand dunes around the Ferris and Seminoe Mountains. Weather turns colder—highs dropping to around 56°F with lows near freezing—and snowfall averages 2 inches for the month, though conditions can swing from dry and warm to heavy snow and ice. Precipitation makes roads in alkaline southern areas muddy and difficult, while higher or rockier ground may remain drivable. Access patterns remain as in September: the north offers more public-land routes, while the southern checkerboard remains constrained. Type 1 permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer; Type 2 restricts mule deer to three points or less on either antler, while any white-tailed deer is legal without antler restriction.

Land and access

BLM57%

Generally open to public hunting

private land32%

Private

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

unclassified ownership4%

Ownership unclassified

About 64% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and State Wildlife Areas, roughly 783 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 70% 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.

This hunt area has 2 enrolled walk-in areas. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. 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

Winter Range30%

used in winter

Yearlong Range22%

the only layer that means year-round use

Summer Range10%

used in summer

Crucial Winter Range10%

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

Sagebrush90%

Other cover3%

Conifer2%

Grass and meadow2%

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	31°F	14°F	4.4 in
February	34°F	15°F	5.5 in
March	44°F	22°F	5 in
April	52°F	28°F	3.9 in
May	62°F	37°F	0.1 in
June	74°F	45°F	0 in
July	83°F	53°F	0 in
August	81°F	52°F	0 in
September	71°F	43°F	0.3 in
October	56°F	32°F	2 in
November	41°F	22°F	4.4 in
December	31°F	14°F	5.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter on a region licence hunt in hunt area 87?: No. Hunt area 87 is a limited-quota area drawn specifically, and a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region. A hunter must draw a licence for this hunt area itself to hunt here.
Do Wyoming resident hunters need preference points to draw hunt area 87?: No. Residents have no deer preference points in Wyoming, and the resident deer draw is random. For nonresidents, three-quarters of the available licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded by points, and one-quarter enters a random draw open to all applicants regardless of points.
What species of deer does hunt area 87 permit?: Both hunts permit mule deer and white-tailed deer, but under different rules. The antler restriction on Type 2 applies only to mule deer; any white-tailed deer is legal under both hunts regardless of antlers. White-tailed deer are uncommon in this area and are found primarily along creeks and irrigated lands.
How much of hunt area 87 can a hunter actually access on public ground?: Roughly 64% of the area—about 783 square miles—is dependably open public land (BLM, State Trust Land, and State Wildlife Areas). The southern third of the area, however, is a checkerboard of private and public land where public parcels surrounded by private cannot be reached without permission or without crossing private ground. The northern two-thirds generally offer better access, though private inholdings and few roads still restrict movement.
When do the archery and regular seasons run in hunt area 87?: Archery runs September 1–30 for both types. Regular season runs October 15–31 for both types. September typically sees highs around 71°F and minimal snow, while October cools to highs around 56°F with about 2 inches of snowfall possible, though conditions can vary widely from dry and warm to freezing with heavy snow.

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