Can a hunter take white-tailed deer in hunt area 96?

White-tailed deer are virtually absent from this hunt area, making them an unrealistic target. The mule deer seasons here allow either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, but the opportunity to encounter and harvest a white-tailed deer is minimal.

Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw a general deer license in this hunt area?

Residents do not use preference points for any Wyoming deer hunt. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer license over the counter with no draw required, and a resident may hold only one general license per year.

What rut phase are mule deer in during the September archery and October rifle seasons here?

During September archery, mule deer are in the velvet shed and early fall transition phase as they prepare to shed their velvet. The October rifle season coincides with early fall migration and the nocturnal buck phase, when bucks are on the move and active primarily after dark.

How much of hunt area 96 can a hunter actually access on public land?

Approximately 91% of the hunt area is public land—roughly 616 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. However, private land inholdings, road conditions, seasonal closures and the remote nature of the country mean hunters should verify specific access before heading out.

What is the weather like during the September and October seasons in hunt area 96?

September weather ranges from warm, dry and windy in the 70s to freezing cold with significant snow, and early fall storms can push mule deer off high ground. October cools further, with highs around 56 degrees and increased snowfall averaging 1.6 inches for the month.

Wyoming Hunt Area 96 (Green Mountain) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

91%

Elevation

6,200–9,200 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 96 is a diverse landscape across 679 square miles, ranging from forested ridges on Green Mountain and the eastern portion of Crooks Mountain down through rolling sagebrush foothills to open steppe dotted with alkaline shrubs and greasewood flats. Sagebrush dominates the country at 92% of cover, with scattered conifer stands making up 4% and grass meadows another 3%. Terrain is predominantly gentle, suited to foot travel across rolling country that drops from around 9,200 feet in the high ground to 6,200 feet on the low desert. Ephemeral streams and creek drainages cut downslope throughout the area, providing reliable water as they flow from the mountains into the flats.

About 91% of the hunt area—roughly 616 square miles—consists of public land that a hunter can generally count on. Public ownership does not, however, guarantee straightforward access: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings embedded in public country all still apply. Most private holdings are concentrated along stream corridors such as Willow Creek and Crooks Creek, and access across those lands is very limited. The hunt area is remote and far from services or cell coverage, so hunters should plan for extra fuel, water, food and spare tires. Road conditions vary significantly: many dirt tracks become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, though roads through sandier terrain often remain drivable even with light precipitation.

Mule deer are the primary quarry here, found mostly on and around Green Mountain and Crooks Mountain. White-tailed deer are virtually absent from the hunt area. In September, weather can range from dry and warm to freezing with significant snow, and fall storms in the early season can push mule deer downslope from higher elevations. Rut timing for mule deer in this area typically peaks in late November, well after the archery and regular seasons close.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 96 (Green Mountain) 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 Q, 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 15 – October 20

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)

Hunting antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer spans two separate windows across late summer and fall. The archery season runs from September 1 through September 30, when mule deer are shedding velvet and transitioning into early fall patterns as they prepare for the approaching rut, though September weather here can swing from warm and dry to freezing with significant snow that may trigger early migration from higher elevations. The rifle season follows from October 15 through October 20, coinciding with early fall migration and nocturnal buck behavior as mule deer move through staging areas on their way to winter grounds—bucks are active primarily after dark during this phase. Temperatures cool noticeably from September into October, dropping from around 71 degrees in the high of the day to the high 50s, with October snowfall averaging 1.6 inches and roads becoming increasingly variable in condition. Access across public land is possible but requires awareness of road conditions and the remote character of the country, particularly in the rifle season when variable weather and early snow add to the challenge. White-tailed deer are present only in negligible numbers and should not be expected in this area.

Land and access

BLM83%

Generally open to public hunting

private land9%

Private

State Trust Land8%

Generally open to public hunting

About 91% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM and State Trust Land, roughly 616 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.

Where deer are mapped

Yearlong Range26%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range5%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range5%

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

Sagebrush92%

Conifer4%

Grass and meadow3%

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	31°F	12°F	2.9 in
February	34°F	13°F	4.3 in
March	44°F	21°F	3.4 in
April	52°F	27°F	2.7 in
May	63°F	36°F	0.2 in
June	74°F	45°F	0 in
July	83°F	52°F	0 in
August	81°F	51°F	0 in
September	71°F	42°F	0.2 in
October	56°F	31°F	1.6 in
November	41°F	20°F	2.5 in
December	31°F	12°F	4 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter take white-tailed deer in hunt area 96?: White-tailed deer are virtually absent from this hunt area, making them an unrealistic target. The mule deer seasons here allow either antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, but the opportunity to encounter and harvest a white-tailed deer is minimal.
Does a Wyoming resident need preference points to draw a general deer license in this hunt area?: Residents do not use preference points for any Wyoming deer hunt. Wyoming residents purchase a general deer license over the counter with no draw required, and a resident may hold only one general license per year.
What rut phase are mule deer in during the September archery and October rifle seasons here?: During September archery, mule deer are in the velvet shed and early fall transition phase as they prepare to shed their velvet. The October rifle season coincides with early fall migration and the nocturnal buck phase, when bucks are on the move and active primarily after dark.
How much of hunt area 96 can a hunter actually access on public land?: Approximately 91% of the hunt area is public land—roughly 616 square miles of BLM and State Trust Land. However, private land inholdings, road conditions, seasonal closures and the remote nature of the country mean hunters should verify specific access before heading out.
What is the weather like during the September and October seasons in hunt area 96?: September weather ranges from warm, dry and windy in the 70s to freezing cold with significant snow, and early fall storms can push mule deer off high ground. October cools further, with highs around 56 degrees and increased snowfall averaging 1.6 inches for the month.

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