Wyoming Deer — Hunt Area 165
YU Bench
Wyoming Hunt Area 165 covers 213,354 acres and lies 17 miles south-east of Cody and 27 miles south of Powell. 77% of it is public land, mostly BLM (70%) and state land (7%). In 2025, 269 people hunted white-tailed deer here and took 190 — 71% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 170 nonresident tags here for 37 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Hunt Area 165, 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-
4% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
46% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165-1 ↗ Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer | 4% Point builder | 0% | 11 +6 since 2021 | 5 / 29 | Regular | Oct 15–31, 2026 |
| 165-1 ↗ Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer | 100% Likely draw | 0% | 2 −2 since 2021 | 3 / 5 | Special | Oct 15–31, 2026 |
| 165-1 ↗ Antlered mule deer or any white-tailed deer | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 8 / 0 | Landowner | Oct 15–31, 2026 |
| 165-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 46% Real chance | 0% | 0 −4 since 2021 | 14 / 25 | Regular | Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2026 |
| 165-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 0 −2 since 2021 | 6 / 1 undersubscribed | Special | Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2026 |
| 165-3 ↗ Any white-tailed deer | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 0 steady since 2024 | 15 / 1 undersubscribed | Landowner | Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2026 |
| 165-8 ↗ Doe or fawn white-tailed deer | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 170 / 37 undersubscribed | Reduced price | Oct 15 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| 165-8 ↗ Doe or fawn white-tailed deer | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 170 / 0 | Landowner reduced price | Oct 15 – Dec 31, 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 |
| Reduced price license | $49 | $15 | $70.50 |
| Landowner license | $15 | $15 | $36.50 |
| Landowner reduced price license | $15 | $15 | $36.50 |
Application window: opens Jan 2, closes Jun 1, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in Hunt Area 165
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 149,642 ac · 70%
- Private 48,692 ac · 23%
- State land 14,431 ac · 7%
- Other public 297 ac · 0%
- County or city land 291 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.
White-tailed Deer
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 269 | 190 | 71% | 8.6 |
| 2024 | 241 | 204 | 85% | 7.2 |
| 2023 | 188 | 177 | 94% | 5.4 |
| 2022 | 212 | 186 | 88% | 4.5 |
| 2021 | 202 | 179 | 89% | 6.7 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47 | 27 | 57% | 10.9 |
| 2024 | 40 | 20 | 50% | 6.9 |
| 2023 | 45 | 26 | 58% | 6.4 |
| 2022 | 39 | 25 | 64% | 8.4 |
| 2021 | 129 | 87 | 67% | 7.2 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 0 · 0%
- Firearm 217 · 100%
Residents vs nonresidents (2025)
- Resident 135 taken · 225 hunters
- Nonresident 82 taken · 91 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