WGF officials meet with residents on the upcoming hunting season

Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. hosted a public season-setting meeting at the Lovell Fire Hall on Tuesday, March 25. The topics discussed at the meeting were the increase and decrease of wildlife such as deer, elk and bighorn sheep.

At the meeting, residents asked questions and voiced their concerns about hunting regulations. They also took the time to fill out questionnaires about whether they agreed or disagreed with the proposals presented.

“I thought the meeting went well, and it is always a great opportunity to meet with the public and to show them what we are proposing for the upcoming fall hunting season,” said WGF wildlife biologist Sam Stephens. “It is the people’s opportunity to give feedback, and overall, the meeting was great.”

Stephens reported at the start of the meeting on the progress of the Carter Mountain pronghorn herd in Area 81, saying the herd has met the game officials’ population objective. He said improvements have been made in increasing the biological balance. He also said there aren’t any major changes other than Area 78 Type 7 licenses.

“Our department is setting where they want to be with the herd population of 7,000 animals, and we are at the lower end of 20% of the objective,” Stephens said. “We are satisfied where the herd is at, and as far as proposals go, there are no major changes other than Area 78 Type 7 licenses. We ran it for three years in response to some limited isolated damage concerns that is specific to Big Horn County.”

According to the WGF website, a Type 7 is a reduced priced license for doe/fawn antelope. Stephens said two of the biggest changes made by WGF are related to elk and antler restrictions.

“Two of the biggest changes WGF is proposing is reducing some elk quotas in Hunt Area 40,” Stephens said. “We are also considering implementing a three-point antler restriction for mule deer in Areas 50 and 53.”

The public is welcome to attend the WGF commission meeting in Casper on April 22-23. For information on the commission meeting or proposals, visit the WGF website at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/get-involved/public-meetings or contact the WGF Cody office at 307-527-7125.