Available Wyoming Mule Deer Hunts --- Search HF Aventures
Wyoming is home to a wide array of mule deer habitats. As such, these different climates are affected differently by the same weather patterns. Harsh winters can have a negative effect throughout the state, and this winter has shown to prove that statement right once again. Oftentimes, severe winter storms can be very isolated and only affect certain regions. When it comes to drought and hot, dry conditions, it can be more widespread, and regions of the state that are lower in elevation are more susceptible to poor habitat and nutrition. Those regions with higher elevations are naturally cooler and are more drought resistant. Dryer, hotter weather can be a good thing to a certain extent in areas that are prone to heavy snowfall and elevated winter mortality rates, especially having this type of weather over winter months. This pretty much lays out how the state is doing right now for mule deer quality and populations.
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Starting out in the east, mule deer populations are struggling. Harsh winters in 2018-2020 and now 2023, along with very liberal doe and fawn quotas in years prior to 2019, really hurt populations as a whole. Then there was the drought from 2020 to 2022, and fawn recruitment is at near record low numbers. Add on top of these bouts of EHD and you can see why there are such heavy license cuts in this part of the state. The controlled hunts in this part of the state are not exempt from this either. Units 10, 11, 34, and 89 are all still suffering losses; however, a small tag increase is being proposed for unit 89 for the 2023 season. Unit 87 is under objective, but it isn’t nearly in as bad of shape as the rest of this area. If you are looking at this part of the state for a hunt, be careful and look at license numbers as they have likely been cut again in most units and regions for 2023, making draw odds considerably tougher.
Western Wyoming deer populations have also been struggling to reach herd objectives for over a decade. With harsh winters in 2011 and again in 2017, deer numbers keep getting knocked down just when they start to recover. Then throw in the winter of 2022/2023, which has broken records for both snowfall totals and number of days below 0 temps in multiple areas, especially where deer traditionally migrate for the winter months. Early estimations are predicting a 35%-55% loss of total animals across many of the western herds. Units like 36, 37, 90, and 102 that have more of a desert type habitat are showing a slightly higher survival rate this winter than other units. The silver lining for these units is that with the above normal winter moisture, it from years of drought. Regions G and H that were sitting well below objective before this winter will see the lowest deer population ever on record with winter mortality of mule deer likely exceeding 50%. Deer in regions K and W in Southern Wyoming are also struggling while coming out of the toughest winter in several decades, and they will take years to recover. Expect some significant tag reductions in these areas for non-residents this season.
| Archery Season | September 1-30 |
| General Season | November 1 - December 31 |
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Limited quota units along the southern Absaroka Range may be the one bright spot in the state as the winter was not nearly as severe in these units. They also continue to have high fawn recruitment and bolster their population along with solid buck to doe ratios in past years. Units 117, 118, 119, and 120 all look to have solid futures for continued success on mature bucks. This good population growth in this area is part of the reason for the resurgence of trophy class animals becoming more of the norm in unit 128 during the limited quota late November hunt. In the past, it has been difficult to determine which hunt held the top spot for a chance at a trophy buck, but with multiple years of consistent harvest on trophy bucks, 128 has taken that spot for the time being. Unit 101 will produce a few great bucks as well from time to time, but that is a different hunt entirely with lower deer numbers and desert type habitat.
The glaring problem with how Wyoming manages their deer harvest is the inability to manage the majority of its deer hunters across the state. General deer hunting makes up the lion’s share of harvest throughout the state, yet the only number they can limit is the non-resident number of licenses. By state statute, the WYGF Commission cannot limit or cap the number of tags sold to residents in the general units. In 2022, there were 19,081 resident-harvested deer and 10,234 non-resident-harvested deer, which is down 11,959 deer harvested from 2020 numbers. This shows a significant drop in deer numbers throughout the state. The only cuts the WYGF Commission can make following this horrific winter will be to non-resident applicants. Expect to see some major cuts of non-resident tags in the majority of the state for 2023. The proposals being discussed to control resident hunters for this year is to shorten season dates. Where this may work to save a few deer and keep harvest numbers down, it affects non-residents equally and just as many hunters will be hunting in a more constricted timeframe.
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Overall, Wyoming is struggling to maintain its mule deer population, and it seems only Mother Nature can turn it around with some timely moisture and mild winters. There are not many bright spots in the state for this upcoming season, and hunters will want to be cautious about burning points this year. With a little bit of luck and some proper management from WYGF, the mule deer will hopefully rebound and hunts in the future won’t look quite so bleak as 2023.
Wyoming has a fair amount of whitetail in the central and eastern portions of the state. While 90% of them are located on private land with a few wandering onto public land, if you are interested in hunting whitetail in Wyoming, you will need to secure permission before you obtain the permit. We work with some great outfitters that have good whitetail leases. If you are interested in booking one of these hunts, contact us and we will put you in touch with the best in Wyoming.
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The application deadline to apply for Wyoming deer is 11:59 P.M. MDT on May 31, 2023.
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(License fees include $15 non-refundable application fees but do not account for the 2.5% processing fee.) |
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| Youth | Regular | Special | Youth | Regular | |
| Deer | $125 | $389 | $677 | $10 | $41 |
| Antelope | $125 | $341 | $629 | $10 | $31 |
| *The application dates to apply online for points are July 1-October 31. **The archery license is $72 for non-residents, $16 for residents, $16 for non-resident youth, and $6 for resident youth. |
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