Deer Hunt Area 21: Thunder Basin
Area 21 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
- 851 sq mi
- Nonresident region
- Region B
General season
Residents hunt Area 21 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 |
| Nov. 1 to Nov. 15 | — | 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.
Limited-quota licenses
Type 8 · Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land
| Season | Special archery | Quota | Legal deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 | Sep. 1 to Sep. 30 | 50 | Doe or fawn white-tailed deer valid on private land |
- Nonresident: 46 licenses, 7 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
- Resident: 40 licenses, 4 first-choice applicants (everyone drew).
Legal boundary description
Beginning where Interstate Highway 90 crosses the Belle Fourche River; southwesterly up said river to the divide between Four Horse Creek and Raven Creek; southerly along said divide to the divide between the Cheyenne River and Belle Fourche River; southwesterly along said divide to Newel Prong; southerly down said prong to Bacon Creek; southerly down said creek to Black Thunder Creek; westerly up said creek to the Keeline Road (U.S.F.S. Road 930); southeasterly along said road to Wyoming Highway 450; westerly along said highway to Wyoming Highway 59; northerly along said highway to Interstate Highway 90 at the city of Gillette; easterly along said highway to the Belle Fourche River.
Nearby deer areas
- Area 3: Keyhole
- Area 8: Upton-Four Horse
- Area 10: Rochelle Hills
- Area 17: Northwest Gillette
- Area 18: Campbell
- Area 19: Pumpkin Buttes
- Area 22: Douglas
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.