Wyoming hunt Planner

Welcome to our Hunt Planner. In the sections that follow you will find interactive maps, species specific hunt information, drawing odds, harvest information, public access and much more.

Please begin by selecting a species from the drop down menu below.

Resident status:

Select Hunt Area

Wyoming hosts both mule deer and white-tailed deer. Mule deer are Wyoming’s most abundant and sought-after deer. Mule deer are found from high in the western mountains to the low elevation creek bottoms of eastern Wyoming and most habitats in between.

Map Tools

GeoSpatial PDF

Public Access Summary

ArcGIS Open Data (Downloads)

View Mobile Map

Map Help

Hunt Area 98

 Apply Now
Apply For Season Dates Archery Dates License Limitations
GENERAL Oct. 15 - Oct. 20 Sep. 1 - Sep. 30 Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, archery or muzzle-loading firearms only
* Difficult Public Access
huntarea-deer-sample

Approx. % of Public Land: 70%
Access to Public Land: Fair
Access Notes: Roughly 75 percent of Area 98 is public land, with most of the private land being found in the southern half in what is called the "checkerboard," where every other square mile is private. As a result, public lands in the checkerboard that do not touch a public road are generally not accessible without permission of a private land owner. There are few public roads, and ranches in this area tend to be large, so significant blocks of the southern portion of the area are either unavailable to hunting or available only to outfitted clients or by trespass fee. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Chain Lakes WHMA provides access to ~100 square miles of public and deeded lands in the northwest corner of the checkerboard, but is too arid to hold many mule deer. There is good access to public land for most of the northern portion of the hunt area.
Mapping Resources: Rawlins, Bairoil, Red Desert

Additional Information: None
USFS Designated Wilderness Areas: None
Hunting Access in Wyoming - Public Access Summary

  • Nonresident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2026
  • Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: June 18, 2026
  • Preference Point Only***: July 1, 2026 - November 2, 2026
  • Resident Deadlines
  • Applications Open: January 2, 2026
  • Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Modify & Withdrawal Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • Tentative Draw Results Available: June 18, 2026

*** An applicant must be at least eleven (11) years old at the time of submitting an application to purchase a preference point and must be at least twelve (12) years old by December 31 of that year.

  • Nonresident Fees
  • Full Price Landowner License: $374.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth License**: $110.00
  • Full Price License: $374.00
  • Full Price Youth License**: $110.00
  • Preference Point Only Youth***: $10.00
  • Preference Point Only: $41.00
  • Reduced Price Doe/Fawn License: $34.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn License: $34.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $19.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $19.00
  • Special License: $1,200.00
  • Resident Fees
  • Full Price Landowner License: $42.00
  • Full Price Landowner Youth License**: $15.00
  • Full Price License: $42.00
  • Full Price Youth License**: $15.00
  • Reduced Price Doe/Fawn License: $22.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Doe/Fawn License: $22.00
  • Reduced Price Landowner Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $14.00
  • Reduced Price Youth Doe/Fawn License**: $14.00

** An applicant may apply for any big game license if he/she is eleven (11) years of age and has not attained eighteen (18) years of age at the time of application. Any person may take a big or trophy game animal at eleven (11) years of age if the person will attain twelve (12) years of age by the end of that calendar year. Persons who are less than eighteen (18) years of age and at least eleven (11) years of age at the time of application may apply for a youth license and remit youth fees. Applicants must be at least fourteen (14) years of age prior to September 15 of the application year in order to hunt wild bison. Applicants under the age of eighteen (18) may have their parent or legal guardian submit an application on their behalf.

There is no drawing for resident general deer and elk licenses

Buck/Any Drawing Odds

Doe/Fawn Drawing Odds

Topography and Vegetation: The southern and eastern portions of Area 98 consist of rocky rims and sagebrush covered mesas surrounded by alkaline saltbush and greasewood flats. The remainder of the area is mostly rolling sandy hills covered with sagebrush which rise up towards the foothills of Green Mountain, just outside the northern boundary of the area. Riparian meadows are scarce and found only along a few major creeks.
General Statement Regarding this Hunt Area: Mule deer densities are extremely low throughout the area, but highest in the southeast, southwest and northeast corners. There are essentially no white-tailed deer in the area. Primitive weapon restrictions are used in this area because of the low numbers of deer and their vulnerability to harvest in this open terrain. Many of these deer will live their entire life without ever seeing a tree. The southwestern portion of the area has been extensively developed for natural gas, providing a dense network of roads and acclimating deer to vehicles, but also necessitating greater care while hunting. October weather may vary from dry and windy with temperatures in the 70s and 80s to freezing cold with significant snowfall. Roads in the alkaline portions of this hunt area become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, while roads in more sandy areas often remain drivable even with a little precipitation.
Additional Hunting Opportunities: Cottontail rabbit are most abundant in desert scrub/greasewood habitats and around rock outcrops in this area. Sage-grouse are common in portions of the area with a hunting season that usually overlaps the latter part of archery season for deer. Consult the Chapter 11 Upland Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulation for season dates, license requirements and bag/possession limits. There are several small reservoirs that support recreational trout fisheries and limited waterfowl hunting in and near the northern portion of the area (see Chapters 46 and 14).
Herd Unit Job Completion Report: See the MD650 (Chain Lakes) Job Completion Report for more detailed information on management of this herd.

MULE DEER

Area 98 - General
2025 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 98
# Days Hunted 342
Days/Hunter 14.9
Total Area Harvest 23
Hunter Success 30.30%
View Full Harvest Report

WHITETAIL DEER

Area 98 - General
2025 HARVEST REPORT
Hunt Area 98
# Days Hunted 24
Days/Hunter 0
Total Area Harvest 0
Hunter Success 0.00%
View Full Harvest Report

Hunter Education Requirements

No person born on or after January 1, 1966, may take any wildlife by the use of firearms on land other than that of his own family, unless the person possesses or can demonstrate they have obtained a certificate of competency and safety in the use and handling of firearms.

All Elk Hunt Area 75 and 79 (Grand Teton National Park) hunters, regardless of age, must possess and exhibit a valid hunter safety certificate.

Compliance will be checked in the field.

Hunter Education Exemptions

If you meet the Armed Forces/Wyoming Peace Officer exemption requirements or you have obtained special 1 year authorization through the Hunter Mentor Program, you are exempt from hunter education.

Hunter Mentor Program

Any person born on or after January 1, 1966, who has not received a certificate of competency and safety in the use and handling of firearms, may apply to the Department for a special authorization to take wildlife with the use of a firearm while being accompanied by a mentor. A special authorization issued to an individual shall be valid for one (1) year from the date of issue and shall be in the possession of the recipient at all times while in the field.

Animal carcasses must be disposed of properly at designated sites that allow for it. Please click on this link to locate an area near you and check with the disposal site for details regarding your carcass disposal.

Carcass Disposal Sites in Wyoming

Lander Regional Office
260 Buena Vista
Lander, WY 82520
(307) 332-2688

select another species

About Deer Hunting in Wyoming

Limited Quota Deer Licenses

There are two categories of deer hunt areas in Wyoming: limited quota and general. Limited quota deer hunt areas have a set number of licenses valid for that specific hunt area. These areas have full-price "any" or "antlered" deer licenses (Type 0, 1, 2 or 9). Type 3 licenses are only valid for (any) white-tailed deer, and do NOT permit mule deer harvest. Many hunt areas also provide reduced-price limited quota "doe/fawn" licenses (Type 6, 7 or 8). Type 6 and 7 licenses permit the take of doe or fawn mule deer or white-tailed deer. Type 8 licenses are only valid for doe or fawn white-tailed deer.

General Deer Licenses

General deer licenses are full-price licenses that are unlimited in the number of licenses issued statewide and are available for purchase "over-the-counter" for Wyoming residents. Hunters may apply for or purchase a maximum of one general deer license per year. General deer licenses may be used in any hunt area open to general license hunting and are subject to the season dates and limitations for that hunt area as set forth in the Chapter 6 Deer Hunting Season Regulation. 

 

Nonresident deer hunters wishing to hunt a general area must obtain a Region General License specific to a select region. Region General Licenses allow a nonresident to hunt deer in any hunt area within that region that is open to general license hunting and are subject to the season dates and limitations for that hunt area as set forth in the Chapter 6 Deer Hunting Season Regulation. For example, nonresident Region B Licenses are valid in Deer Hunt Areas 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 21, which are open to general license hunting. However, Region B licenses are NOT valid in Deer Hunt Areas 10 and 22 (although these two hunt areas fall within Region B) as these hunt areas are limited quota. Many general license deer hunt areas also have additional limited quota full-price and/or reduced-price licenses available.

Location

In the table of tentative deer hunting season information for this coming year, some license types are denoted with an asterisk (*) as having difficult public access. For these license types, there is limited opportunity to harvest a deer on accessible public land. If applying for a license type(s) with difficult public access, hunters should recognize that hunter densities may be high on accessible public land or that deer densities may be low. In these cases, hunters should consider securing access to private land well in advance.

General Hunting Information

What do I need to go hunting in Wyoming
Guide to Hunting Access in Wyoming

Application Information

Wyoming Application Process
Hunting License Application

FAQs

Big Game License Applications
General Hunting and Trapping
General Wildlife