Deer Hunt Area 12: Hat Creek
Area 12 is open on a general deer license: the 2026 general season runs Oct. 1 to Oct. 15. Nonresidents need a Region B general license; in the 2026 draw it took 1 preference point to be sure of drawing (48.5% of those with fewer drew).
- Mule deer herd
- Cheyenne River (740)
- White-tailed deer herd
- Central (707)
- Size
- 533 sq mi
- Nonresident region
- Region B
General season
Residents hunt Area 12 on a general deer license. Nonresidents need the Region B general license, which is drawn for the whole region and is good in the general seasons of 8 areas.
| Season | Special archery | Legal deer |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1 to Oct. 15 | Sep. 1 to Sep. 30 | Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer |
| Oct. 16 to Nov. 30 | — | Any white-tailed deer |
Region B general license, 2026 draw
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 479 licenses. The draw ran out at just under 1 point: 48.5% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 8 1 100% 7 6 100% just under 7 9 100% 6 3 100% 5 3 100% just under 5 10 100% 4 7 100% just under 4 21 100% 3 16 100% just under 3 36 100% 2 59 100% just under 2 81 100% 1 180 100% just under 1 97 48.45% 0 or fewer 434 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 159 licenses, 482 first-choice applicants (about 33%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 209 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 69 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
Legal boundary description
Beginning where U.S. Highway 18 intersects the Wyoming-South Dakota state line; southerly along said line to the Wyoming-Nebraska state line; southerly along said line to the Hat Creek Road (Niobrara County Road 64); westerly along said road to U.S. Highway 85; northerly along said highway to Wyoming Highway 270; westerly along said highway to Wyoming Highway 272; northerly along said highway to the North Lance Creek Road (Niobrara County Road 14); northerly along said road to the Wasserburger Road (Niobrara County Road 13); easterly along said road to U.S. Highway 85; northerly along said highway to the Old Highway 85 Road (Niobrara County Road 9); northeasterly along said road to U.S. Highway 18; easterly along said highway to the Wyoming-South Dakota state line.
Nearby deer areas
How to read this
Draw results are what happened in the 2026 draw, published by Wyoming Game and Fish. They are not a forecast; quotas and applicant numbers change every year. Preference-point odds are WGFD's own figures. For random and resident draws WGFD publishes licenses and applicant counts, so the percentage shown is the share of first-choice applicants there were licenses for, before second and third choices. Rows marked “just under” a number are applicants between two point levels, which happens when a party applies together and its points are averaged.
Season dates and legal deer are from WGFD Chapter 6, Deer Hunting Seasons. Where a draw report and the regulation describe a license differently, this page uses the regulation's wording.
Sources: WGFD draw results and odds (2026), WGFD Chapter 6 deer seasons, and the WGFD deer hunt area boundaries. Boundaries on the map are for general location, not a survey. Check the current regulations before you hunt.