Deer Hunt Area 163: Middle Fork
Area 163 is open on a general deer license: the 2026 general season runs Oct. 15 to Oct. 21. Nonresidents need a Region Y general license; in the 2026 draw it took about 1 preference point.
- Mule deer herd
- Upper Powder River (322)
- White-tailed deer herd
- Powder River (303)
- Size
- 176 sq mi
- Nonresident region
- Region Y
General season
Residents hunt Area 163 on a general deer license. Nonresidents need the Region Y general license, which is drawn for the whole region and is good in the general seasons of 9 areas.
| Season | Special archery | Legal deer |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 15 to Oct. 21 | Sep. 1 to Sep. 30 | Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer |
| Nov. 1 to Nov. 15 | — | Any white-tailed deer |
Region Y general license, 2026 draw
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 618 licenses. The draw ran out at 1 point: 47.1% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 18 1 100% 9 1 100% 8 1 100% 7 1 100% just under 7 2 100% 6 3 100% just under 6 8 100% 5 29 100% just under 5 6 100% 4 25 100% just under 4 17 100% 3 40 100% just under 3 54 100% 2 116 100% just under 2 169 100% 1 308 47.08% just under 1 543 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 206 licenses, 706 first-choice applicants (about 29%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 294 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 98 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
Legal boundary description
Beginning at the junction of the Barnum Mountain Road and the Outlaw Cave Access Road west of the town of Barnum; southerly along the Outlaw Cave Access Road to the Middle Fork of the Powder River; easterly down said river to Buffalo Creek; southerly down said creek to the 33 Mile Road (Natrona County Road 110); northwesterly along said road to the Hazelton Road (Washakie County Road 81); northerly along said road to the Barnum Mountain Road; easterly along said road to the Outlaw Cave Access Road.
Nearby deer areas
- Area 32: Beartrap Creek
- Area 33: Red Fork
- Area 34: North Natrona
- Area 35: Upper Nowood
- Area 40: Buffalo Creek
- Area 169: Tisdale Mountain
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.