Can a hunter in Wyoming buy a general deer licence and hunt this area without a draw?

A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved and no preference points required—the resident deer draw is random, and residents build no points. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence directly; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region B general licence, which is valid across all general-licence areas in that region. The nonresident draw allocates three quarters of licences to the preference-point pool (awarded by points, highest first) and a quarter to a random draw.

What species of deer can be legally taken in this hunt, and are there antler restrictions?

The general hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The antler restriction applies only to mule deer; white-tailed deer may be any animal regardless of sex or age. Mule deer must be antlered, but white-tailed deer have no antler or sex requirement.

How much of hunt area 9 is public land a hunter can access?

Approximately 27% of the area—around 172 square miles—is dependably open public land: BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land. However, these tracts are scattered and do not form large contiguous blocks. Seasonal closures, private inholdings, and road access issues mean public land is not always straightforward to reach.

Where are most deer in this hunt area, and what does that mean for a nonresident planning a hunt?

The majority of mule deer reside on private land, and white-tailed deer are found almost exclusively on private holdings along the eastern edge. A nonresident should expect to spend time scouting and securing permission on private ground before the season; relying solely on public land typically results in low success.

Wyoming Hunt Area 9 (Blacktail Creek) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

27%

Elevation

3,700–5,600 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 9 is low-elevation prairie and sagebrush broken by gently rolling terrain and a few deeply cut draws. The country sits between 3,700 and 5,600 feet, with typical ground around 4,100 feet and a mean slope of 2.8 degrees—terrain graded almost entirely gentle. Grass and meadow dominate at 86% of the cover, with sagebrush at 10% and other vegetation making up the rest. Mule deer inhabit the mixed grass prairie, sagebrush flats, and rolling hills, with some using the higher, rockier slopes of Elk Mountain; both mule deer and white-tailed deer use cultivated fields scattered across the area. Mule deer densities are low overall, and the majority stay on private land year-round. White-tailed deer occupy a smaller footprint, restricted almost entirely to private holdings along the eastern edge.

Access here is constrained. Public land makes up about 27% of the hunt area—roughly 172 square miles of BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land—but these parcels do not form large, contiguous blocks. The Thunder Basin National Grasslands and BLM holdings provide the most accessible public ground, though roads, trailheads, and seasonal closures still apply. Many roads visible on mapping software are private and require permission. A GPS or mapping application with landownership layers is essential for hunters attempting to navigate public or State land. Crowding can become an issue on publicly accessible areas during the season.

Mule deer hunting on public land produces low success because mule deer densities are sparse and most animals remain on private ground. Success on private land is typically fair, but a hunter must secure permission beforehand. White-tailed deer hunting opportunities are scarce and nearly all occur on private land along the eastern margin of the area. This hunt is managed for recreation rather than for trophy animals.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 9 (Blacktail Creek) 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 B, 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 Gen — general licence · 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 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 Gen — Antlered mule deer or any… · mule deer & whitetail (September–October)

Archery season (September 1–30) and regular rifle season (October 1–15) comprise a single hunt allowing antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. Early September archery overlaps the velvet shed and early fall transition, when mule deer bucks are still in bachelor groups and moving between bedding and feeding areas; white-tailed deer remain scattered across private and public ground. Weather in early September brings highs around 77°F and minimal snow, making conditions warm for the archery opener. By October, when rifle season arrives, deer transition into early fall migration and the nocturnal buck phase—mule deer begin drifting toward traditional autumn corridors and feeding patterns shift toward dawn and dusk, while white-tailed deer remain largely on private land along the eastern edge. October temperatures cool markedly, with highs falling to 61°F and snowfall averaging around 0.6 inches for the month. Access on public land can draw crowds during rifle season, and mule deer success on public ground is typically low because most animals stay on private land; success is fairer on private ground where permission can be secured.

Land and access

private land73%

Private

BLM11%

Generally open to public hunting

National Forest9%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land7%

Generally open to public hunting

About 27% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, roughly 172 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 22% 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 Range66%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range36%

used in winter

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

Grass and meadow86%

Sagebrush10%

Other cover3%

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	36°F	12°F	2.6 in
February	39°F	14°F	3.4 in
March	50°F	24°F	1.5 in
April	58°F	31°F	1.1 in
May	68°F	41°F	0 in
June	79°F	51°F	0 in
July	89°F	58°F	0 in
August	87°F	56°F	0 in
September	77°F	46°F	0 in
October	61°F	33°F	0.6 in
November	47°F	22°F	1.4 in
December	36°F	13°F	2.5 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter in Wyoming buy a general deer licence and hunt this area without a draw?: A Wyoming resident can purchase a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved and no preference points required—the resident deer draw is random, and residents build no points. A nonresident cannot buy a general licence directly; instead, a nonresident must draw a Region B general licence, which is valid across all general-licence areas in that region. The nonresident draw allocates three quarters of licences to the preference-point pool (awarded by points, highest first) and a quarter to a random draw.
What species of deer can be legally taken in this hunt, and are there antler restrictions?: The general hunt allows antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The antler restriction applies only to mule deer; white-tailed deer may be any animal regardless of sex or age. Mule deer must be antlered, but white-tailed deer have no antler or sex requirement.
How much of hunt area 9 is public land a hunter can access?: Approximately 27% of the area—around 172 square miles—is dependably open public land: BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land. However, these tracts are scattered and do not form large contiguous blocks. Seasonal closures, private inholdings, and road access issues mean public land is not always straightforward to reach.
Where are most deer in this hunt area, and what does that mean for a nonresident planning a hunt?: The majority of mule deer reside on private land, and white-tailed deer are found almost exclusively on private holdings along the eastern edge. A nonresident should expect to spend time scouting and securing permission on private ground before the season; relying solely on public land typically results in low success.
What are the archery and rifle seasons for general deer on area 9, and what is the rut phase for each?: The general hunt opens with archery September 1–30, during the velvet shed and early fall transition when bucks are still in bachelor groups and moving between summer range. Regular season runs October 1–15, coinciding with early fall migration and the nocturnal buck phase when deer are more active at dawn and dusk and beginning to consolidate. Temperatures cool across both seasons, from highs around 77°F in September to 61°F by October, and snow is minimal (less than 1 inch in each month on average).

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