WYGF March 18 updated proposals

[SagebrushSlayer]

Public Meetings | Wyoming Game & Fish Department

The Department welcomes comments regarding proposed changes to regulations. Questions about proposed regulation changes should be directed to Department Regional Offices. No individual Department response will be generated from questions submitted through this commenting forum. To ensure the...

wgfd.wyo.gov

Good to see updated proposal for deer, elk, and antelope.

Personally, we have to pivot on deer options for the wife and kids for LE. Expectations are to hunt general, plan to attend a meeting next week.

Elk options have opened for type 6 tags for us.

Antelope type 1 first choice for the wife and kids will be another pivot based on if proposed changes go thru. 2nd and 3rd choices for us stay the same.

4 pt changes for mule deer to some LE hunts and elimination of November hunts seem like it could be positive if it only lasts a year or two, barring extreme winter/spring over the course of the changes.

Would increasingly natural forage on winter range/fire damaged transition zones, assist in body composition/ healthy fawns within mule deer/antelope herds, or would elk overtake the feed on shared areas?

Would limiting deer tags in November hunts to 10 or less, reap benefits for the next 3-5 year crop of bucks making it to 5+ y.o.?

I’m wanting ideas other than my own to bring up next week at meetings.

Thanks

 

[Bluffgruff]

Nonresident moose and sheep have 0 random tags this year. Trying to clean out the point holders by encouraging abandonment?

 

[thomas89]

Unlimited cow/calf licenses in certain units?

In units that never sold out licenses to begin with? It's not a licensing problem ... it's an access problem.

Excited to see the piles posted this year by a few of you.

 

[wytex]

Unlimited cow/calf licenses in certain units?

In units that never sold out licenses to begin with? It's not a licensing problem ... it's an access problem.

Excited to see the piles posted this year by a few of you.

Hopefully that will benefit those that have access and help keep those dreaded LO transferable tags out of the conversation.
We have access in 6 but rarely get the chance at more than say 2-3 elk before they head to safer pastures.
Be interesting to see if more access is opened up via Access Yes in this area and others, would be nice to see their damage proposals tied to more access.

 

[thomas89]

Hopefully that will benefit those that have access and help keep those dreaded LO transferable tags out of the conversation.
We have access in 6 but rarely get the chance at more than say 2-3 elk before they head to safer pastures.
Be interesting to see if more access is opened up via Access Yes in this area and others, would be nice to see their damage proposals tied to more access.

I’d almost have to see that access would increase to believe that this proposal will do any good. Especially with the reduction of LQ tags in that area. If anything I’d guess it’s almost going to break even? Hopefully not going to use the proposal as a “we tried everything to get the population down let’s move to LO tags!”

Just an odd move IMO. Reducing tags for largest tracts of public land in that area.

Don’t think the public access program info comes out until the summer so we’ll have to wait and see.

 

[RunNGunSC]

Question, if the quota field is blank is the tag unlimited?

Edit: figured it out, shared quota between two timeframes with different conditions.

 

[rogerthat]

Nonresident moose and sheep have 0 random tags this year. Trying to clean out the point holders by encouraging abandonment?

How can you tell that?

 

[trb]

So how does this work if you put in for a type 6 tag that's being scratched to become a type 8 tag? Does your app get automatically kicked to the type 8? Or do you need to go in before May 8th and modify your app to the correct type?

This unlimited cow tag thing is really rustling my jimmies.

 

[thomas89]

So how does this work if you put in for a type 6 tag that's being scratched to become a type 8 tag? Does your app get automatically kicked to the type 8? Or do you need to go in before May 8th and modify your app to the correct type?

This unlimited cow tag thing is really rustling my jimmies.

Also valid questions.

I wrote in to voice my thoughts.

Do we think landowners are going to allow trespass fees for guys to go shoot unlimited cows? Or were they thinking one trespass fee = one cow? Totally doable for a couple guys to get in and hammer a herd of elk off someones private land and push them out. Then the money dries up.

What about outfitters? $3500 to go hunt cows is a lot more palatable when I have a pocket full of 10 tags. Or is it still 1 guided hunt = one cow.
Again...wouldn't want that money to dry up.

Think I'm on the right track when I'm thinking this is a last ditch effort before they allow more drastic population control measures.

 

[MtnElk]

Also valid questions.

I wrote in to voice my thoughts.

Do we think landowners are going to allow trespass fees for guys to go shoot unlimited cows? Or were they thinking one trespass fee = one cow? Totally doable for a couple guys to get in and hammer a herd of elk off someones private land and push them out. Then the money dries up.

What about outfitters? $3500 to go hunt cows is a lot more palatable when I have a pocket full of 10 tags. Or is it still 1 guided hunt = one cow.
Again...wouldn't want that money to dry up.

Think I'm on the right track when I'm thinking this is a last ditch effort before they allow more drastic population control measures.

yeah I was wondering the same thing re: access and how that works. @Dsnow9 and I were practically begged to come back by the warden, you'd think LO's in that area would provide a little access if they wanted the elk gone that bad ha

 

[wytex]

No doubt some outfitters will make money on the tags but I'm betting some LOs are just fine with the elk moving on, if they are being honest.
They need to get those herds moving during the season instead of parking on certain ranches and harvest would increase.
Late season hunts should not affect their paying bull hunters though, the cow season is long- way longer than any elk.

I can see the point , we tried unlimited and now need transferable LO tags. Hope it doesn't come to that for sure.
Heck , we've had issue with military helicopters during season in the past scaring elk while hunting, I'd go for hazing them off properties to areas with access before transferred LO tags.

 

[WapitiBob]

So how does this work if you put in for a type 6 tag that's being scratched to become a type 8 tag? Does your app get automatically kicked to the type 8? Or do you need to go in before May 8th and modify your app to the correct type?

This unlimited cow tag thing is really rustling my jimmies.

you need to modify the app

 

[thomas89]

yeah I was wondering the same thing re: access and how that works. @Dsnow9 and I were practically begged to come back by the warden, you'd think LO's in that area would provide a little access if they wanted the elk gone that bad ha

A friend of mine chatted with the warden one night as his camp. Allegedly the warden left to go kill elk at night on someone’s property and relayed that he’d previously killed 15 or so there. My buddy was all about buying a leftover tag, but that the land owner didn’t want anyone to come hunt them.

My thought is, “this is how we help, monitoring and controlling access with hunters, if you don’t like it, best of luck with your elk.” The way it is for all sorts of other things in life.

 

[Washington Hunter]

So how does this work if you put in for a type 6 tag that's being scratched to become a type 8 tag? Does your app get automatically kicked to the type 8? Or do you need to go in before May 8th and modify your app to the correct type?

This unlimited cow tag thing is really rustling my jimmies.

Modify your application. If you applied for a license that no longer exists, they're not going to try to read your mind and figure out how you want to change your choices.

 

[manitou1]

There really is no problem as they portray it.
It is all about LO getting more hunts to sell... period.
Landowners and outfitters are caudled here.

 

[Bluffgruff]

How can you tell that?

There has to be at least 4 tags to have a random.

 

[thomas89]

There really is no problem as they portray it.
It is all about LO getting more hunts to sell... period.
Landowners and outfitters are caudled here.

I don’t know, I believe there is an over abundance of elk. “Unlimited tags” is wild, I don’t think they’ve sold out ever in the time I’ve been paying attention. The damage they cause in this area of the state I’d maybe have to see myself.

Waiting to hear our resident cow killers thoughts, but my guess is he’s freezer shopping.

 

[seeth07]

There has to be at least 4 tags to have a random.

seems like rather than go to 0 NR tags in a few units they took them from those few that ended up with a random tag due to this. Interesting move and perhaps there is something else at play here?

 

[RunNGunSC]

Think of all the moose and sheep points WY sold that are worthless. In addition, now there is not even a random tag at all. They need a bonus draw, period. Preference points no longer work due to the allocation cut, population management goals, and point holder levels. WY needs to fix the system or face litigation, as they continue to sale worthless points and defraud a bunch of point holder who no longer have a chance at a tag in a normal lifetime. It’s not like these points are being sold for a negligible amount.

 

[rogerthat]

Think of all the moose and sheep points WY sold that are worthless. In addition, now there is not even a random tag at all. They need a bonus draw, period. Preference points no longer work due to the allocation cut, population management goals, and point holder levels. WY needs to fix the system or face litigation, as they continue to sale worthless points and defraud a bunch of point holder who no longer have a chance at a tag in a normal lifetime. It’s not like these points are being sold for a negligible amount.

I’m not really upset about this but your point that this is fraud does kind of ring true. I think people have gotten charged for similar. Essentially they are selling nothing