Wyoming Deer — Hunt Area 138
Boulder
Wyoming Hunt Area 138 covers 925,511 acres and lies 23 miles east of Marbleton and 53 miles south-west of Lander. 92% of it is public land, mostly BLM (73%) and national forest (14%). In 2025, 157 people hunted mule deer here and took 27 — 17% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 8 nonresident tags here for 3 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Hunt Area 138, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
100% Undersubscribed 40% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 100% Undersubscribed | 40% | 0 steady since 2021 | 8 / 3 undersubscribed | Regular | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 138-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 3 / 0 | Special | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
| 138-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 8 / 0 | Landowner | Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Wyoming lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular license | $389 | $15 | $410.50 |
| Special license | $1,215 | $15 | $1,236.50 |
| Landowner license | $15 | $15 | $36.50 |
Application window: opens Jan 2, closes Jun 1, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 676,940 ac · 73%
- National Forest 126,757 ac · 14%
- Private 74,190 ac · 8%
- State land 40,039 ac · 4%
- Other public 5,153 ac · 1%
- Bureau of Reclamation 2,415 ac · 0%
- County or city land 52 ac · 0%
- Tribal 14 ac · 0%
Source: BLM WY Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)
How the hunting has gone
What Wyoming Game and Fish Department publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Wyoming's figures are estimates from a voluntary post-season survey of license holders, extrapolated to every license issued — not a count of animals checked in.
Mule Deer
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 157 | 27 | 17% | 30.8 |
| 2024 | 169 | 28 | 17% | 27.0 |
| 2023 | 138 | 19 | 14% | 31.8 |
| 2022 | 231 | 41 | 18% | 25.4 |
| 2021 | 257 | 57 | 22% | 21.7 |
White-tailed Deer
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | 10 | 30% | 22.9 |
| 2024 | 54 | 5 | 9% | 72.0 |
| 2023 | 26 | 8 | 31% | 5.9 |
| 2022 | 36 | 2 | 6% | 67.0 |
| 2021 | 48 | 16 | 33% | 26.8 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 0 · 0%
- Firearm 37 · 100%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 37 taken · 177 hunters
- Nonresident 0 taken · 13 hunters
Boundary: Deer Hunt Areas (Wyoming Game and Fish Department)
Harvest: Mule Deer & White-Tailed Deer 2025 Harvest Report
Harvest: Deer 2024 Harvest Report
Harvest: Deer 2023 Harvest Report