Unit D26 (Ucross)
Wyoming Hunting Guide — Mule Deer
Deer Hunt Area 26, which Wyoming Game and Fish names Ucross, covers about 842 square miles in Johnson and Sheridan counties. It belongs to WGFD's Powder River mule deer herd unit. WGFD's 2025 harvest survey put mule deer success here at 43%, with 481 hunters taking 207 mule deer at about 8.4 days of hunting per animal. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit D26
Deer Hunt Area 26, which Wyoming Game and Fish names Ucross, covers about 842 square miles in Johnson and Sheridan counties. It belongs to WGFD's Powder River mule deer herd unit. WGFD's 2025 harvest survey put mule deer success here at 43%, with 481 hunters taking 207 mule deer at about 8.4 days of hunting per animal. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
Where to Find Mule Deer in Deer Hunt Area 26
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission names deer hunt area 26 "Ucross". It runs to about 842 square miles, in Johnson (75%) and Sheridan (25%) counties. WGFD reports these mule deer as the Powder River herd unit, which also takes in deer hunt areas 17, 18 and 23. WGFD prints the line and counts the harvest. It doesn't say where inside the line the mule deer live, so that part is our read of the ground, labelled as such.
Where deer hunt area 26 begins and ends
WGFD's 2026 Chapter 6 defines deer hunt area 26 as beginning where U.S. Highway 14 crosses the Powder River; southerly up said river to Interstate Highway 90; northwesterly along said highway to U. S. Highway 14; easterly along said highway to the Powder River. It is the description your license is good inside, so it is worth reading once in full before you go. The full text is in Section 7 of that chapter, with this year's season dates and license limitations in Section 2.
Not the same ground as the other hunt area 26s
WGFD numbers each species' hunt areas on its own grid, so the number 26 also belongs to its antelope, moose and bighorn sheep hunt areas 26. None of them shares a county with this one. A license is good only in the hunt area of its own species, so this page is about the deer area, and the cards at the foot of the page link the others.
Ground WGFD opens: Johnson 3
WGFD also lists one Walk-In Area covering about 4,001 acres open for deer: Johnson 3. WGFD's 2026 regulations open Access Yes land only for the species and dates listed for each area, with each area's own rules on WGFD's site and no motorized travel unless WGFD says otherwise. Public Access Areas such as Healy Reservoir (382 acres) and Monument Point (15 acres) are public ways onto water and land; check what each allows before you count on it for hunting.
High ground inside the line: Snake Hill and Arpan Butte
Named high points inside deer hunt area 26 include Snake Hill at 4,714 feet and Arpan Butte at 4,512 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Mule deer on open country use every fold and draw there is, and almost none of the flat.
Holding ground: Nelson Draw, North Healy Draw and West Fork Murray Draw
Below them sit Nelson Draw at 4,482 feet, North Healy Draw at 4,479 feet, West Fork Murray Draw at 4,463 feet, Junk Draw at 4,457 feet and Wright Draw at 4,426 feet. That is the low ground — where animals drop when they are pushed or when the weather turns.
Reading the land status
Named ground inside deer hunt area 26 runs from 3,636 feet to 4,714 feet. Those are the heights of the features GNIS names, which bound the range from inside rather than measure it.
Unit D26 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Arpan Butte (4,512 ft)
Holding ground: Center Draw (4,492 ft), McNeese Draw (4,405 ft), South Fork Harper Draw (4,384 ft), Walk-In Area Johnson 3
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Mule Deer in Deer Hunt Area 26
Mule Deer Success Rates
Wyoming Game and Fish's 2025 harvest report estimates 43% mule deer success in deer hunt area 26: 207 animals taken by 481 active hunters over 1,729 days of hunting, or 8.4 days per animal. By residency, residents 34.1% (63 taken by 185) and nonresidents 48.6% (144 taken by 296).
These are WGFD's own estimates from its hunter survey, for this hunt area and season only — not a statewide average. One season isn't a trend, so check the current report before you read one into it.
Mule Deer Draw Odds
Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.
Search Wyoming Draw OddsWGFD's demand reports for 2021 to 2026 carry no limited-quota mule deer draw for deer hunt area 26 that we hold. That usually means the area is hunted on a general license, or was not offered in those years. WGFD's draw results and odds page is the place to check before you apply.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wyoming deer hunt area 26?
What is the mule deer success rate in deer hunt area 26?
Is deer hunt area 26 the same ground as antelope hunt area 26?
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Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.
- Chapter 6 — Deer Hunting Seasons (2026) — Wyoming Game and Fish Commission · supports: Name and legal boundary of deer hunt area 26, Season dates, license types and limitations by hunt area · accessed 2026-10-25
- Deer 2025 Harvest Report — Wyoming Game and Fish Department · supports: Hunters, harvest, percent success and days per animal for mule deer in deer hunt area 26, The same by license type and residency · accessed 2026-10-25
- 2026 Antelope, Deer and Elk Hunting Regulations — Wyoming Game and Fish Commission · supports: Access Yes Walk-In and Hunter Management Area rules · accessed 2026-10-25
- WGFD ArcGIS feature services — hunt areas by species, CWD sampling areas, WHMAs, Public Access Areas, Hunter Management Areas, Walk-In Hunting Areas — Wyoming Game and Fish Department · supports: Mapped outline of the hunt area, Herd unit and square miles, WHMAs, Public Access Areas, Hunter Management Areas and Walk-In Areas inside the area · accessed 2026-10-25
- TIGERweb State_County — Wyoming county boundaries (used only to measure which counties a hunt area lies in) — U.S. Census Bureau · supports: Which counties the hunt area lies in, and in what share · accessed 2026-10-25