Wyoming Hunt Area 88 (Kendrick) deer hunting
Hunt area 88 spreads across 223 square miles of sagebrush grassland interspersed with irrigated farmland and creek-bottom riparian strips. The terrain is predominantly gentle—89% of it slopes under 9 degrees—and elevation ranges from 5,100 to 6,800 feet, with typical ground around 5,500 feet. Sagebrush dominates the cover at 74%, with grass and meadow making up 8%, riparian zones 2%, and other cover 16%. The country supports both mule deer on the open rangelands and sagebrush and white-tailed deer concentrated along the agricultural drainages. In wet years deer spread across the wider landscape; in drought conditions they concentrate on farmed ground, and landowners sometimes open their land to hunting when crop damage becomes severe.
Access to public ground is difficult. BLM and State Trust Land comprise 38% of the hunt area—roughly 85 square miles—but roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all limit entry. The Natrona County Walk-In Areas 11, 12, 13, and 17 are available during their posted seasons and require no permission, though hunters should expect crowding there, especially on opening weekends. Private land covers 48% of the area, and serious hunters should plan to contact landowners well before the season. The hunt area lies directly adjacent to the city of Casper, making hotels, restaurants, and fuel readily available; primitive and groomed campsites sit on BLM lands in the southwestern portion, with additional developed camping at nearby Alcova and Pathfinder Reservoirs.
Seasons here span from August through December, targeting different animals and genders across the rut cycle. Most hunts focus on the early fall transition and the approaching rut, when bucks shift to nocturnal patterns and does move between summer and winter range. White-tailed deer hunting requires footwork on private agricultural land along creek bottoms or persistence on the walk-in areas; mule deer hunting happens across both public sagebrush and irrigated private ground.
Licence and how this hunt area is drawn
Hunt Area 88 (Kendrick) 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 deerLegal: white-tailed deer onlyArchery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
- Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer only valid in Area 88Legal: white-tailed deer onlyRegular August 15 – October 14
- Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deerLegal: white-tailed deer onlyArchery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – November 30
- Type Gen — general licence · Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deerLegal: mule deer and white-tailed deer, under different rulesArchery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – October 21
- Type 7 · Doe or fawn valid on private landArchery September 1 – September 30Regular October 15 – December 15
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–November)
The Type 3 hunt for any white-tailed deer runs an archery-only window from September 1–30 and then a regular-rifle window from October 15–November 30, spanning the velvet-shed transition, early migration, pre-rut staging, primary rut, and into the late rut and winter consolidation. September archery finds deer transitioning from summer patterns; temperatures drop from the mid-70s to the low-40s across the month and snow is not expected. The October through November rifle season coincides with bucks shifting to nocturnal activity, does beginning their migration, and peak breeding activity in mid-November. October sees highs fall from the upper 50s to the mid-40s with roughly an inch of snow possible; November temps drop into the 40s for highs and low 20s for lows, with an average of 2.4 inches of snow. White-tailed deer hunting happens almost entirely on private agricultural land along creek bottoms, where riparian access is concentrated; hunters targeting this hunt should plan to secure private-land permission beforehand.
Type 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer only… · whitetail only (August–October)
The Type 8 doe or fawn hunt restricted to Area 88 runs regular rifle only from August 15–October 14, spanning summer range patterns, the velvet-shed transition, and into the early fall migration phase. August temperatures average highs near 86°F and lows around 53°F with no snow expected; September cools to highs in the mid-70s and lows in the low-40s, still snowless. By October, hunting occurs as bucks and does begin nocturnal shifts and migration; highs drop to the upper 50s and lows to the low 30s, with roughly an inch of snowfall possible. This hunt targets white-tailed deer only and is valid nowhere else in Wyoming, making it specific to hunt area 88's private agricultural ground along riparian corridors. Hunters must secure access to private land to make this hunt productive.
Type 8 — Doe or fawn white-tailed deer · whitetail only (September–November)
The Type 8 doe or fawn white-tailed deer hunt spans archery from September 1–30 and regular rifle from October 15–November 30, starting as bucks shed velvet and continue into migration and the primary rut. September archery finds cooling temperatures—highs in the mid-70s, lows in the low-40s—with no snow, and deer still transitioning out of summer habitat. The rifle season from mid-October through November coincides with peak migration, nocturnal buck activity, pre-rut staging, peak breeding, and the transition into winter consolidation. October brings highs around 59°F and roughly an inch of snow; November sees highs drop to the mid-40s and snowfall average 2.4 inches. This hunt is restricted to white-tailed deer and is hunted on private agricultural land and the walk-in areas; crowding is likely on public walk-in ground, especially on weekends and opening days.
Type Gen — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)
The general-license Type Gen hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer during archery September 1–30 and regular rifle October 15–21, covering the velvet-shed transition and the start of the early fall migration phase. September archery finds mild temperatures—highs in the mid-70s, lows in the low-40s—with no snow expected, and deer still moving between summer and fall range. The short October rifle window catches bucks transitioning to nocturnal patterns and beginning their migration; temperatures range from highs around 60°F to lows around 33°F, with roughly an inch of snow possible. Mule deer hunting occurs across both public sagebrush grassland and private farm ground; white-tailed deer are concentrated on private riparian land and the walk-in areas. Crowding is likely on public land and walk-in areas given the general-license draw's accessibility and the area's proximity to Casper.
Type 7 — Doe or fawn valid on private land (September–December)
The Type 7 hunt for doe or fawn valid on private land spans archery from September 1–30 and regular rifle from October 15–December 15, beginning in the velvet-shed transition and continuing through migration, the full primary rut, and into late-rut winter consolidation. September archery experiences cool early-fall conditions with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the low-40s; no snow falls in September. The rifle season, running mid-October through mid-December, tracks the nocturnal buck phase, pre-rut staging, peak breeding, and the transition into winter range—critical timing for does as they prepare for winter. October brings highs around 59°F with roughly an inch of snow; November sees highs drop to the mid-40s and 2.4 inches of snow on average; December continues cooling with highs around 35°F and 4.7 inches of average snowfall. This hunt is valid on private land only—public ground is not legal—so hunters must establish private-land access before the season opens. Either mule deer or white-tailed deer may be taken.
Land and access
About 38% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 85 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 has 4 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
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
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 | 15°F | 3.8 in |
| February | 37°F | 15°F | 5.3 in |
| March | 48°F | 24°F | 2.7 in |
| April | 56°F | 30°F | 2 in |
| May | 66°F | 39°F | 0 in |
| June | 79°F | 47°F | 0 in |
| July | 88°F | 54°F | 0 in |
| August | 86°F | 53°F | 0 in |
| September | 75°F | 44°F | 0 in |
| October | 59°F | 33°F | 1.1 in |
| November | 46°F | 23°F | 2.4 in |
| December | 35°F | 15°F | 4.7 in |
Snowfall is the monthly total, not depth lying on the ground.
Common questions
- Can a resident buy a general deer license for this area without entering a draw?
- Yes. Wyoming residents buy a general deer license over the counter from mid-July onward—unlimited statewide, no draw, no preference points, and a resident may hold only one per year. This license is valid in all general-licence hunt areas in Wyoming, including hunt area 88.
- How do nonresidents obtain a general license for hunt area 88?
- Nonresidents must draw a Region general license for Region D, which includes hunt area 88 and other general-licence areas in that region. Three quarters of Region D licences go to the preference-point draw, awarded to the highest-point applicants first; the remaining quarter go to a random draw. Nonresidents without preference points can enter only the random draw.
- Which species and animal types can a hunter take on the different hunts in this area?
- Type 3 and Type 8 hunts allow white-tailed deer only—mule deer are not legal on these hunts. The general-license hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer (buck, doe, or fawn). Type 7 hunts on private land allow either species.
- What is the walk-in area access situation in hunt area 88?
- Four Natrona County Walk-In Areas—11, 12, 13, and 17—are open during posted seasons and require no permission slip or application. Hunters should be prepared for crowding, especially on opening day and weekends. Walk-in enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability may change.
- How much public land can a hunter actually access in hunt area 88, and what is the terrain like?
- About 38% of the area—roughly 85 square miles—is public BLM and State Trust Land, but roads, trailheads, seasonal closures, and private inholdings still restrict actual entry. The terrain is predominantly gentle, with 89% of the ground sloping gently, making foot travel feasible where access exists. Mule deer occupy the open sagebrush; white-tailed deer concentrate in riparian drainages and on agricultural land.
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.