Where do I buy a Wyoming hunting license?

Wyoming hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is Wyoming hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Wyoming season dates change every year. Our Wyoming deer guide summarizes the 2025 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in Wyoming?

Besides mule deer, white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Wyoming for mule deer, elk, moose, pronghorn antelope, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, coyote. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in Wyoming?

Good starting points include Red Desert, Bighorn National Forest, Thunder Basin National Grassland. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

Wyoming Hunting Guide

What to hunt in Wyoming, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) links.

A point-based draw, vast public land and true Western mule deer country make Wyoming a bucket-list hunt worth the wait.

Terrain ranges from high sagebrush desert and badlands in the Red Desert and Bighorn Basin to timbered foothills and alpine benches in the Bighorns, Wind Rivers and Snowy Range, with cottonwood river bottoms in the northeast holding most of the whitetail.

Agency: Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD)
Region: Mountain West
Deer rank: #17 of 50
Species guides: 10

Wyoming hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Nonresident deer license (limited quota, adult)	~$374
Nonresident general deer license	~$374 where offered
Application fee (nonresident)	$15 per species
Preference point only (nonresident)	~$50
Resident deer license	~$52

Wyoming hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	Not legally required for deer hunters, but a fluorescent orange garment is strongly recommended, especially during general rifle season.
Baiting	Baiting big game, including deer, is illegal statewide.
Crossbows	Legal for hunters with a valid archery license; able-bodied hunters may use crossbows only during general (not archery-only) seasons unless they hold a disability permit.
Sunday hunting	Allowed statewide.
Legal firearms	Centerfire rifles and handguns of legal caliber, plus archery equipment, are permitted per season type; muzzleloader-only seasons exist in some units.
Tagging/reporting	Carcass coupon must be validated (notched) immediately upon kill and attached to the animal; hunter harvest reports are required after the season for many species/units.
CWD carcass transport	Wyoming has active CWD surveillance areas; hunters are encouraged to have deer tested and should debone meat and avoid transporting brain/spinal material out of state per destination-state rules.
Hunter education	Required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1966.

Wyoming deer season structure (2025)

Wyoming sets exact season dates per hunt area every year — always confirm current dates and boundaries in the WGFD regulations for your specific unit before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Archery	Bow / crossbow (with disability permit)	Late Aug. – mid-Sept., varies by unit
General rifle	Rifle	Early Oct. – early Nov., varies by unit and species
Limited quota rifle	Rifle	Varies widely by hunt area
Late whitetail seasons	Rifle	Select NE Wyoming units into late Nov./Dec.

What you can hunt in Wyoming

Deer — Mule deer, White-tailed deer
Very good · ranked #17 of 50 for deer.
Mule Deer
Great mix of high-country and desert deer; strong public access
Access: Pure preference-point draw; region general tags in ~4 points
Elk
High success rates and excellent bull quality; wilderness areas require a guide for nonresidents
Access: Preference-point draw; general tags around 3–5 points
Moose
Shiras moose in classic mountain willow country
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime draw; 10–30 years of points is typical
Pronghorn Antelope
About half the global population; tens of thousands of tags
Access: Preference-point draw, but many units go at 0–2 points; late May deadline
Black Bear
Fall bears feeding hard in oak brush and berry patches
Access: Colorado is OTC in many units; Wyoming and Utah are quota-limited
Bighorn Sheep
The best Rocky Mountain bighorn units in the Lower 48
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime draw; odds well under 1% even with maximum points
Mountain Goat
Strong Rocky Mountain herds in classic high alpine terrain
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime draw; extremely low odds, especially for nonresidents
Mountain Lion
Excellent hound hunting in rugged winter country
Access: Quota-managed by hunt area; tags available over the counter until quota fills
Coyote
Vast open prairie ideal for long-range calling and spotting
Access: Over-the-counter license

Public hunting land in Wyoming

Wyoming's public land base — BLM, national forest, state trust land and Hunter Management/walk-in areas — gives DIY hunters a real shot at both mule deer and whitetail across most of the state.

Red Desert
BLM public land · South-central Wyoming
Vast sagebrush and badlands country holding migratory mule deer herds and minimal hunting pressure relative to its size.
Bighorn National Forest
National forest · North-central Wyoming
High-elevation timber and alpine benches for mule deer, with lower foothill access points that see less pressure.
Thunder Basin National Grassland
National grassland · Northeast Wyoming
Rolling grassland and breaks holding mule deer, with river-bottom whitetail nearby along the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche drainages.
Bridger-Teton National Forest
National forest · Northwest Wyoming
Rugged, high-quality mule deer habitat adjacent to some of the West's best-known migration corridors.
Powder River and Tongue River bottoms
Mixed public/walk-in access · Northeast Wyoming
Cottonwood river bottoms and irrigated hay ground holding the state's best whitetail numbers and some surprisingly mature bucks.
Hunter Management Areas (HMAs)
Walk-in access · Statewide
WGFD-negotiated private-land access points opened specifically for public hunting, concentrated near winter range and migration bottlenecks.

Official Wyoming links

Last reviewed 2026-09.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a Wyoming hunting license?: Wyoming hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is Wyoming hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Wyoming season dates change every year. Our Wyoming deer guide summarizes the 2025 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in Wyoming?: Besides mule deer, white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Wyoming for mule deer, elk, moose, pronghorn antelope, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, coyote. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in Wyoming?: Good starting points include Red Desert, Bighorn National Forest, Thunder Basin National Grassland. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.