Deer Hunt Area 98: Chain Lakes
Area 98 is open on a general deer license: the 2026 general season runs Oct. 15 to Oct. 20. Nonresidents need a Region Q general license; in the 2026 draw it took about 4 preference points.
- Mule deer herd
- Chain Lakes (650)
- Size
- 1,093 sq mi
- Nonresident region
- Region Q
General season
Residents hunt Area 98 on a general deer license. Nonresidents need the Region Q general license, which is drawn for the whole region and is good in the general seasons of 3 areas.
| Season | Special archery | Legal deer |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 15 to Oct. 20 | Sep. 1 to Sep. 30 | Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer, archery or muzzle-loading firearms only |
Region Q general license, 2026 draw
- Nonresident, preference-point draw: 32 licenses. Everyone with 4 points or more drew; nobody below that did.
Point-by-point results
Points First-choice applicants Odds 8 1 100% 6 10 100% 5 9 100% just under 5 8 100% 4 4 100% just under 4 155 0% - Nonresident, random draw: 10 licenses, 155 first-choice applicants (about 6%).
- Nonresident special, preference-point draw: 21 licenses. Every applicant drew, whatever their points.
- Nonresident special, random draw: 7 licenses, 0 first-choice applicants.
Legal boundary description
Beginning at the junction of U.S. Highway 287 and Interstate Highway 80 at the city of Rawlins; westerly along said Interstate to the Wamsutter-Crooks Gap Road (Sweetwater County Road 23); northerly along said road to the Bairoil Road (Sweetwater County Road 22); easterly along said road to Wyoming Highway 73; easterly along said highway to U.S. Highway 287; southerly along said highway to Interstate Highway 80.
Nearby deer areas
- Area 80: Spring Creek
- Area 84: Atlantic Rim
- Area 87: Ferris
- Area 96: Green Mountain
- Area 100: South Wamsutter
- Area 131: Steamboat
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.