Deer Hunt Area 50: Upper Shell-Beaver Creek
Area 50 is open on a general deer license: the 2026 general season runs Oct. 15 to Oct. 24. Nonresidents need a Region R general license; in the 2026 draw it took about 3 preference points.
- Mule deer herd
- North Bighorn (321)
- White-tailed deer herd
- Bighorn Basin (201)
- Size
- 134 sq mi
- Nonresident region
- Region R
General season
Residents hunt Area 50 on a general deer license. Nonresidents need the Region R general license, which is drawn for the whole region and is good in the general seasons of 7 areas.
| Season | Special archery | Legal deer |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 15 to Oct. 24 | Sep. 1 to Sep. 30 | Antlered mule deer three (3) points or more on either antler or any white-tailed deer |
Region R general license, 2026 draw
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 273 licenses. The draw ran out at 3 points: 89.0% of applicants there drew, and everyone above it drew.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 13 2 100% 10 1 100% 9 1 100% just under 9 2 100% 8 2 100% 7 6 100% just under 7 8 100% 6 7 100% just under 6 8 100% 5 16 100% just under 5 21 100% 4 50 100% just under 4 52 100% 3 109 88.99% just under 3 434 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 91 licenses, 444 first-choice applicants (about 20%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 149 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 49 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
Legal boundary description
Beginning at the Bighorn National Forest boundary and U.S. Highway 14A; easterly along said highway to the Hunt Mountain Road (U.S.F.S. Road 10); southwesterly along said road to U.S. Highway 14; southerly then westerly along said highway to the Bighorn National Forest boundary; northwesterly along said boundary to U.S. Highway 14A.
Nearby deer areas
- Area 24: Sheridan
- Area 25: Tongue-Goose
- Area 46: Cloud Peak
- Area 47: Webber Canyon
- Area 51: Beaver Creek
- Area 52: Crystal Creek
- Area 53: Devils Canyon
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.