Hunt Area 9, Blacktail Creek, Wyoming

Rolling to gently undulating high plains and prairie tablelands dissected by Cheyenne River tributaries including Blacktail Creek, ranging approximately 3,600 to 5,000 feet in elevation. Relief is moderate, with creek drainages cutting shallow coulees and benches through the grassland uplands; no significant mountains or wilderness-class terrain within the area boundary.

Access in Hunt Area 9 is severely constrained by private land. WGFD has reportedly eliminated antlerless (Type 3 and Type 8) deer licenses specifically for Areas 7, 8, and 9 citing lack of public access — this claim originates from a search-result snippet and could not be independently verified from a fetched WGFD source; treat as plausible but unconfirmed until checked against current Chapter 6 regulations. The area boundary is defined by US Highway 16 (northern edge), US Highway 85 (western edge), the Wyoming-South Dakota state line (eastern edge), Weston County Road 2 (Dewey Road), Weston County Road 54 (Cheyenne River Road), Weston County Road 7A (Lynch Road), and Wyoming Highway 450. These roads provide the only reliable public corridors. No Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) areas in Weston County are valid for deer hunting in Area 9; WIHA tracts in Weston County cover deer only in Areas 6, 7, and 8. BLM scattered parcels exist in the region but are often landlocked by private land. Hunters should contact local landowners well in advance and consult the WGFD Hunter/Landowner Assistance Program.

Dominant vegetation is mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie with sagebrush-steppe intermixed, characteristic of the Thunder Basin ecological transition zone. Riparian corridors along Blacktail Creek and Cheyenne River tributaries support cottonwood and willow stands that provide critical edge habitat for white-tailed deer. Scattered ponderosa pine encroachment occurs on north-facing slopes near the northern boundary where the area approaches the Black Hills foothills. Agricultural grasslands and ranch hay meadows supplement the native prairie cover across much of the area.

White-tailed deer are the primary resident big game species, concentrated along creek bottoms, riparian draws, and field edges. Mule deer are also present, particularly on the drier sagebrush uplands and transitional prairie habitats. Both species were severely impacted by the 2021 and 2022 Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) outbreaks, which killed 80-90% of deer on some ranches in the Black Hills region; the statewide Black Hills whitetail herd declined from a 2017 peak of ~62,500 to ~28,250 animals by 2022. Populations have been slowly rebuilding but remain below management objectives as of 2025. Pronghorn antelope occupy the open mixed-grass prairie portions under separate antelope hunt area numbers. Wild turkey (Merriam's) are present in riparian corridors and grassland-timber edges; the area falls within Wyoming's Central turkey hunting zone. Coyote, prairie dogs, and other grassland predators and small mammals are common. Mountain lion presence is possible at low densities in the transitional zone near the Black Hills foothills. No confirmed elk or moose habitat within the hunt area boundaries.