Can a hunter use a general Wyoming deer licence in hunt area 98?

Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved. A nonresident must draw a Region Q general licence to hunt here, since the general licence is valid only in the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Preference points are relevant for nonresidents entering the draw; residents are not involved in any points system for deer.

What species and sex can a hunter legally take in the general hunt here?

Hunt area 98's general hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The antler requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer of any sex or age may be taken. However, white-tailed deer are essentially absent from this area, so hunters should expect to encounter mule deer.

What firearm types are legal in hunt area 98's general deer season?

Only archery and muzzle-loading firearms are permitted. No conventional centerfire or rimfire rifles are allowed. This restriction reflects the low deer densities and open terrain where uncontrolled harvest would be a concern.

How much of hunt area 98 can a hunter actually access for public hunting?

About 75% of the area is public land, but access to it is uneven. The northern portion has reasonably good access to public ground. The southern half is fragmented into a checkerboard where private land alternates with public parcels, and many public sections do not touch a road. Without permission, a hunter cannot reach isolated public land surrounded by private property. The Chain Lakes WHMA grants access to roughly 100 square miles in the northwest but holds few deer.

When do hunt area 98's deer seasons run?

The general hunt spans two windows: archery from September 1 through September 30, and muzzle-loading firearms (called regular season) from October 15 through October 20. Both windows are part of a single hunt with the same legal animals and firearm restrictions.

Wyoming Hunt Area 98 (Chain Lakes) deer hunting

Licence

General licence area

Open public land

75%

Elevation

6,500–8,100 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Deer region

Hunt area 98 spreads across a largely open, high-desert landscape. The southern and eastern portions are rocky mesas surrounded by alkaline flats, while the northern and western ground rolls in sandy hills rising toward Green Mountain. Sagebrush covers 98% of the area, with scattered riparian meadows only along major creeks. The terrain is uniformly gentle, with a mean slope of 1.8 degrees — most of it is walkable foot country, but the open sage and sparse cover offer little concealment and make stalking difficult. Mule deer densities are very low throughout hunt area 98, with slightly better concentrations in the southern, southwestern and northeastern corners. White-tailed deer are essentially absent from the area. The primitive-weapon restriction — archery and muzzle-loading firearms only — reflects both the open terrain, where even low numbers are vulnerable to harvest, and the sparse tree cover that makes conventional firearm hunting impractical.

Three quarters of the area is public land (BLM, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land), but public access in the southern half is heavily fragmented by private ownership in a "checkerboard" pattern where every other square mile is held privately. Public parcels that do not border public roads are generally inaccessible without permission. Large ranches dominate this southern portion, and significant blocks are unavailable to public hunting or available only to outfitted clients. The Chain Lakes WHMA in the northwest corner provides access to roughly 100 square miles of public and private deeded land but is too arid to support substantial deer numbers. The northern portion of the area offers considerably better access to public land, though few public roads cross the area overall. October weather here is unpredictable, ranging from dry, windy and warm to freezing with heavy snow. Roads in the alkaline flats become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, while sandy roads often remain drivable through light precipitation.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 98 (Chain Lakes) 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, archery or muzzle-loading firearms only
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)

The archery window runs from September 1 through September 30, when mule deer are shedding velvet and transitioning into early fall patterns, moving through the open sage country without the cover to conceal them. Early September brings warm days with highs around 72 degrees and minimal snowfall, cooling gradually through the month. The sparse vegetation offers long sightlines but no hiding places, making a stalk visible from a distance; glassing likely spots and waiting for deer to move is often more effective than pushing through the brush. Archery hunters can access the same public land as all seasons, though the fragmented southern checkerboard remains difficult to reach without private permission. The muzzle-loading regular season follows from October 15 through October 20, coinciding with early fall migration when nocturnal buck activity increases and deer begin shifting as temperature and light change. October weather grows unpredictable — temperatures can remain in the 70s and 80s on some days but may drop to freezing with significant snowfall, and roads in alkaline flats become muddy and dangerous after precipitation. Both windows are restricted to antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, with no other species legal.

Land and access

BLM64%

Generally open to public hunting

private land25%

Private

State Wildlife Areas9%

Generally open to public hunting

State Trust Land2%

Generally open to public hunting

About 75% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Land, roughly 820 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 Range24%

the only layer that means year-round use

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

Sagebrush98%

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	13°F	3.2 in
February	35°F	14°F	3.3 in
March	45°F	22°F	3.3 in
April	54°F	28°F	2.2 in
May	65°F	37°F	0 in
June	77°F	45°F	0 in
July	85°F	52°F	0 in
August	83°F	51°F	0 in
September	72°F	42°F	0.1 in
October	57°F	31°F	1 in
November	42°F	21°F	2.6 in
December	32°F	13°F	3.7 in

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

Common questions

Can a hunter use a general Wyoming deer licence in hunt area 98?: Yes. A Wyoming resident buys a general deer licence over the counter with no draw involved. A nonresident must draw a Region Q general licence to hunt here, since the general licence is valid only in the general-licence hunt areas of that region. Preference points are relevant for nonresidents entering the draw; residents are not involved in any points system for deer.
What species and sex can a hunter legally take in the general hunt here?: Hunt area 98's general hunt permits antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer. The antler requirement applies to mule deer only; white-tailed deer of any sex or age may be taken. However, white-tailed deer are essentially absent from this area, so hunters should expect to encounter mule deer.
What firearm types are legal in hunt area 98's general deer season?: Only archery and muzzle-loading firearms are permitted. No conventional centerfire or rimfire rifles are allowed. This restriction reflects the low deer densities and open terrain where uncontrolled harvest would be a concern.
How much of hunt area 98 can a hunter actually access for public hunting?: About 75% of the area is public land, but access to it is uneven. The northern portion has reasonably good access to public ground. The southern half is fragmented into a checkerboard where private land alternates with public parcels, and many public sections do not touch a road. Without permission, a hunter cannot reach isolated public land surrounded by private property. The Chain Lakes WHMA grants access to roughly 100 square miles in the northwest but holds few deer.
When do hunt area 98's deer seasons run?: The general hunt spans two windows: archery from September 1 through September 30, and muzzle-loading firearms (called regular season) from October 15 through October 20. Both windows are part of a single hunt with the same legal animals and firearm restrictions.

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