Kirby Creek Hunter Management Area: hunting, access and rules
Kirby Creek Hunter Management Area is 11,503 acres in WGFD's Cody Region. Hunter Management Areas are private and leased lands where WGFD arranges hunting access; hunters need a WGFD permission slip for the area. WGFD lists elk (hunt area 47), deer (hunt area 37) and antelope (hunt area 76) for big game hunting here.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: WGFD's HMA data. Boundary: WGFD GIS. Harvest: WGFD reports to 2025.
BLMState trust landWind River Reservation (as PAD-US maps it)Kirby Creek HMAElk hunt area lineLakeHighway
| Size | 11,503 acres (WGFD) |
|---|---|
| WGFD region | Cody Region |
| Big game listed | Elk, Deer and Antelope |
| Nearest towns | Lucerne (8 mi), East Thermopolis (8 mi) and Kirby (9 mi) |
What is Kirby Creek HMA?
The Kirby-Creek Hunter Management Area (HMA) is located east of Thermopolis, WY, beginning approximately 8 miles east of Lucerne, WY on Highway 172, and is comprised of private and/or leased lands of V Ranch and Kirby Creek Ranch.
What are the rules on Kirby Creek HMA?
A permission slip from WGFD is needed to hunt an HMA; WGFD issues them on its website, often by drawing or first come, first served, with limits per hunter. WGFD's page for Kirby Creek has the current slips and rules.
WGFD's permission slip and its page for Kirby Creek set the rules for this private and leased ground.
What can you hunt on Kirby Creek HMA?
WGFD lists the hunt area each big game species is hunted under here: elk in area 47; deer in area 37; antelope in area 76. Also listed: doves.
What did hunters take in the hunt areas around Kirby Creek HMA?
WGFD reports harvest by hunt area, not by access area. The hunt areas that overlap Kirby Creek HMA, with the acres of the HMA in each and WGFD's latest harvest for the whole hunt area:
| Hunt area | HMA acres in it | Harvest, whole area | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Area 47 | 9,806 | 46 (2025) | 32.2% |
| Elk Area 48 | 1,047 | 420 (2025) | 40.4% |
| Elk Area 49 | 650 | 400 (2025) | 48.5% |
| Deer Area 37 | 10,457 | 89 (2025) | |
| Deer Area 39 | 1,046 | 91 (2025) | |
| Antelope Area 76 | 11,504 | 49 (2025) | 70% |
Harvest: WGFD harvest reports, latest year each area was reported (WGFD harvest reports). Acres measured by FilledTag from WGFD's boundaries.
What land is around Kirby Creek HMA?
Inside the HMA boundary, by manager (WGFD's own holdings and leases are not in the federal and state layers, so they show as unlisted land):
| Manager | Acres inside |
|---|---|
| BLM | 171 |
| State trust land | 12 |
| Other land (WGFD-held, leased or private) | 11,321 |
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land) inside WGFD's boundary (11,504 acres as drawn).
How do you get to Kirby Creek HMA?
Highways within 8 miles: WY 172, WY 789 and US 20. Nearest towns: Lucerne (8 miles), East Thermopolis (8 miles), Kirby (9 miles) and Thermopolis (9 miles).
Questions hunters ask
What can you hunt on Kirby Creek HMA?
WGFD lists elk, deer and antelope for big game, and doves. Each species follows the season of the hunt area the ground is in.
Where is Kirby Creek HMA?
About 8 miles from Lucerne, and 8 miles from East Thermopolis, measured from the area's boundary.
Do you need permission to hunt Kirby Creek HMA?
Yes. Hunters need a WGFD permission slip for a Hunter Management Area; WGFD's page for Kirby Creek lists the slips and the area's rules.
Which hunt areas is Kirby Creek HMA in?
By WGFD's boundaries it lies in elk Areas 47, 48 and 49, deer Areas 37 and 39 and antelope Area 76. Each hunt area's season applies to the ground inside it.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area facts, access dates, rules and species: WGFD Hunter Management Area details; WGFD, Kirby Creek.
- Boundary: WGFD Hunter Management Area boundaries. Surrounding land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (federal land) and the Office of State Lands and Investments (state trust land).
- Hunt area harvest: WGFD harvest reports, 2021 to 2025.
FilledTag is not part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Numbers are copied from WGFD and the other agencies named, or measured by FilledTag from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag. WGFD's regulations are the final word on every rule.
Wyoming hunting Cody Region Elk Area 47 Elk Area 48 Elk Area 49 Deer Area 37 Deer Area 39 Antelope Area 76