Hunt Area 139, Pinedale, Wyoming

Sublette County, south-central Wyoming Range. Elevation ranges from roughly 7,100 ft in the Green River valley floor near Pinedale up to 12,500+ ft along the Continental Divide and Wind River Range foothills. The unit spans the New Fork River drainage east of Pinedale, bounded on the east by the Continental Divide (Mt. Helen, Middle Fork of Boulder Creek). Vegetation transitions from sagebrush-grass valleys and riparian willows at lower elevations through lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forest, to alpine tundra and talus at elevation. Terrain is predominantly steep and rugged in the eastern two-thirds of the unit (Bridger-Teton National Forest, including portions bordering the Bridger Wilderness), with more gentle valley terrain along Hwy 351 and the New Fork River corridor.

low

CWD confirmed in Deer Hunt Area 139: first detection was a doe found dead near the Pinedale airport in February 2017; a second mule deer buck tested positive in a residential area near Pinedale, announced January 2020. CWD was detected at the Muddy Creek elk feedground (in adjacent Elk Area 98) in May 2026, marking the fifth Wyoming feedground to confirm CWD. Hunters are encouraged to submit harvested deer and elk heads for voluntary CWD testing; check WGFD mandatory sampling requirements before the season opens (typically posted by August 1). The 4-point-or-better antler restriction on mule deer general licenses was retained for 2026 following hunter advocacy; the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted April 22, 2026 to retain restrictions in hunt areas 130, 138–140, 142–145, and 149–156, despite WGFD biologists recommending removal given Sublette herd recovery (herd at 22,437 post-2025 season, up 18% from 2024, exceeding the 21,000 herd objective). Deer general hunter success in Area 139 is low (11.1% in 2023) with high days-per-harvest (47 days), reflecting both terrain difficulty and conservative management. Elk hunting is more productive (39.4% pooled success in 2023 for Elk Area 97). Nonresidents must draw for deer and elk general licenses. Nonresidents hunting any federal wilderness area within the unit must be accompanied by a licensed professional guide or a licensed resident companion (free non-commercial guide license available from WGFD). Pronghorn Area 87 and Moose Area 3 cover overlapping but not identical geography to Deer Hunt Area 139.