Can a hunter use a general or region licence to hunt area 90?

No. Hunt area 90 is a limited-quota area drawn individually by the state; a general or region licence is not valid here. A hunter must draw a specific licence for this area through the resident or nonresident draw process.

Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw area 90?

No. Wyoming residents have no preference points system for deer. The resident draw for hunt area 90 is random, with no point requirement or advantage.

Which deer species can a hunter legally take in the Type 1 season on area 90?

The Type 1 hunt permits either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer (buck, doe, or fawn). Mule deer are subject to an antler requirement, but white-tailed deer have no antler or sex restriction.

Can a hunter find white-tailed deer throughout area 90, or are they concentrated in certain parts?

White-tailed deer are very few across hunt area 90. Mule deer are the primary quarry here, found at relatively low densities throughout the area but most concentrated along draws, riparian areas, rocky canyon areas, and especially along Beaver Rim in the south.

How many walk-in areas are available to hunters on area 90?

There are nine enrolled walk-in areas on hunt area 90. These allow a hunter to access enrolled private land during the open periods shown on the hunt planner map, subject to posted rules and without advance permission.

Wyoming Hunt Area 90 (Muskrat) deer hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

79%

Elevation

4,800–7,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 90 is a sprawling sagebrush grassland with scattered draws, washes, and low ridges stretching across 1,292 square miles of relatively flat country. Elevations range from 4,800 to 7,700 feet, with most ground sitting around 5,900 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle—96% of it slopes under 9 degrees—and the dominant cover is sagebrush, with small amounts of grass and meadow interspersed. The southern and eastern boundaries are marked by Beaver Rim, a significant uplift that rises visibly above the surrounding terrain and holds pockets of conifer timber, as do the Gas Hills in the east-central portion. Numerous springs and seeps support riparian growth along draws. The country is big and open, and much of it is foot country for a hunter willing to glass and walk the sagebrush, though the absence of reliable water sources across the area means a hunter must carry what they need.

About 79% of the area—roughly 1,015 square miles—is public land (BLM and State Trust Land) that a hunter can generally count on accessing, though roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still apply. Large contiguous blocks of public land in the central and western portions offer direct entry, while private land concentrated in the northeast can make access there more difficult. Nine enrolled walk-in areas provide additional defined points of entry during their open periods. The area is rated as having good access overall, but hunters must still plan around which roads are passable—sandy two-track routes can become impassable during wet snow or rain, a consideration when moving camps or vehicles.

The single season here spans September and October, running archery first and then a regular season in immediate succession. Hunting conditions cool over this span, with September highs around 73 degrees Fahrenheit dropping to October highs near 58 degrees, and October brings roughly an inch of snowfall on average while September typically sees none.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 90 (Muskrat) 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 1 – October 31

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)

The September archery window opens as velvet is shedding, with temperatures still pleasant—highs averaging 73 degrees—and mule deer shifting between summer and fall patterns. This early part of the season can be productive for glassing the open sagebrush and stalking in to antlered mule deer, while white-tailed deer remain sparse throughout the area. In October, the regular season begins with cooling weather and migration corridors activating as deer move and become more nocturnal; October highs drop to 58 degrees and the area receives roughly an inch of snowfall on average. Both windows access the same country: roughly 1,015 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land offering direct entry, along with nine walk-in areas during their open periods, though wet weather can make sandy two-track roads difficult to travel. Archery and rifle both permit antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, though white-tailed deer are uncommon across the hunt area and mule deer densities are relatively low throughout, with the best opportunity concentrated along Beaver Rim in the south and in riparian draws.

Land and access

BLM70%

Generally open to public hunting

private land21%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

About 79% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 1,015 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 9 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 Range32%

used in winter

Yearlong Range29%

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

Across the unit

Sagebrush94%

Grass and meadow4%

Other cover2%

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	10°F	2.5 in
February	36°F	13°F	3.9 in
March	47°F	22°F	1.8 in
April	55°F	29°F	1.2 in
May	66°F	39°F	0 in
June	77°F	47°F	0 in
July	86°F	54°F	0 in
August	84°F	53°F	0 in
September	73°F	44°F	0 in
October	58°F	32°F	1 in
November	43°F	21°F	1.7 in
December	32°F	11°F	3.3 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general or region licence to hunt area 90?: No. Hunt area 90 is a limited-quota area drawn individually by the state; a general or region licence is not valid here. A hunter must draw a specific licence for this area through the resident or nonresident draw process.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points to draw area 90?: No. Wyoming residents have no preference points system for deer. The resident draw for hunt area 90 is random, with no point requirement or advantage.
Which deer species can a hunter legally take in the Type 1 season on area 90?: The Type 1 hunt permits either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer (buck, doe, or fawn). Mule deer are subject to an antler requirement, but white-tailed deer have no antler or sex restriction.
Can a hunter find white-tailed deer throughout area 90, or are they concentrated in certain parts?: White-tailed deer are very few across hunt area 90. Mule deer are the primary quarry here, found at relatively low densities throughout the area but most concentrated along draws, riparian areas, rocky canyon areas, and especially along Beaver Rim in the south.
How many walk-in areas are available to hunters on area 90?: There are nine enrolled walk-in areas on hunt area 90. These allow a hunter to access enrolled private land during the open periods shown on the hunt planner map, subject to posted rules and without advance permission.

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