Region A can be found in the northeastern corner of Wyoming and is a general region that is available for nonresident deer hunters. Next to the Black Hills of South Dakota, this region is more commonly known for whitetail deer hunting than it is for mule deer hunting. Whitetail bucks live on both public and private land, with bucks usually reaching over 130” Boone and Crockett. Mule deer can typically be found living near the whitetail deer in this area. Mule deer can grow to maturity in Region A with some getting bigger than 170” B&C. Some of the best hunting in Region A can be found with outfitters on leased ground, but public land hunting is common on forest service land.
Unit 1 and Unit 2 can be found near Hulet and the Devils Tower. Unit 1 has a mix of rolling hills and draws mixed with agriculture and small ranches. Unit 2 has the Bear Lodge National Forest, and is one of the largest contiguous public land tracts in Region A. Unit 2 is made up of pine and oak covered mountain tops with large drainages that run out to private lands in lower elevations that are made up of long draws with timbered ridges. Unit 3 is home to Keyhole Reservoir and state park and has timbered ridges with big ranch flats. Unit 4 is mainly a series of timbered mountains with big draws and drainages, and is made up of Forest Service ground. Unit5 has more rolling ridges and draws that give way to the rolling flats of the National Grassland. Unit 6 has timbered mountains and drainages with National Grassland along the western edge.
Most of the region is private and a lot of hunts are conducted through outfitters with leased ranches. There is also plenty of public ground available across the region that is either U.S. Forest Service, state land, or BLM-managed ground. The best public access can be found in Units 2 and 4 on National Forest land. State Highway 24 between Aladdin and Hulet will give access to the Bear Lodge forest. A public access road can also be found near Sundance in Unit 2. The Forest Service ground in Unit 4 is accessible south of Beulah near Sand Creek, as well as along the western edge south of Sundance.
Region A has been an easy general tag to draw. Mule deer numbers throughout the region are stable. They coexist with the whitetail deer within the region. The better mule deer bucks are typically taken on, or near agricultural property. This is not a region known for producing trophy class mule deer bucks, but a buck reaching over 170” B&C is common each year. All of the units with Region A follow the same season dates and tags are only available as a general Region A tag. This general tag is valid for both deer species and rut behavior is typical with the November hunt dates. Expect snow during this season as well.
Whitetail deer in Region A are some of the biggest in Wyoming. Recently, the region was hit with disease and a lot of the whitetail died off, but the herd appears to be recovering. Trophy whitetail bucks can be found on both private and public ground. Region A also has a great opportunity to hunt whitetail in the pine and oak forests of the Bear Lodge National Forest in Unit 2, as well as Forest Service ground along the South Dakota border in Unit 4. Bucks getting over 140” are harvested every year. Bucks are in the rut during the November rifle season. Scrape lines are commonly found and rattling and grunting can be effective.