BuzzH
Well-known member
I went to the Wyoming GF Laramie region season setting meeting last night.
There really wasn't a whole lot of changes with the regulations.
The biggest regulation change was the aircraft/drone regulation. The new regulation will be no flying with the intent of using an aircraft/drone to locate, spot, or aid in the taking of any game animal from 8/1- Jan. 31 of the following calendar year. As a side note, the Wyoming Sportsmen's Alliance is backing this bill and sent a letter of support from the 8 local Sportsmen's groups that make up the Alliance. WYBHA was the major push behind this effort, and there has been great support for the regulation change statewide.
The biggest change to mule deer will be that Statewide, archery hunters will be required to follow the same regulations as rifle hunters (only being able to shoot a 3 point or larger buck where required and no antlerless deer, etc.). In the past, archery hunters could take any deer in a lot of the general areas.
Elk changes were minimal, a few earlier closures for antlerless harvest in area 6 being the most significant change.
Pronghorn quotas were bumped up in a few areas, specifically area 38 will see some increased quotas. Most areas in the Laramie areas are going to see no changes in quotas from last year though.
I talked with both local bio's and they commented that even though they have seen great recruitment the last couple years to both deer and pronghorn, they both said that 2 years of good recruitment does not recover a herd. I agree and supported their idea to gradually increase quotas over time. They are really putting a lot of effort into avoiding the peaks and valleys of quotas in the past by trying to find that sweet spot with level harvest and populations.
The biologists in this region earn their pay and have put a lot of effort into proper management. They also have great support from the Department as well as the public. The results of the collaboration with landowners, sportsmen, and GF is the reason that Wyoming is able to provide the awesome opportunities we all enjoy.
There really wasn't a whole lot of changes with the regulations.
The biggest regulation change was the aircraft/drone regulation. The new regulation will be no flying with the intent of using an aircraft/drone to locate, spot, or aid in the taking of any game animal from 8/1- Jan. 31 of the following calendar year. As a side note, the Wyoming Sportsmen's Alliance is backing this bill and sent a letter of support from the 8 local Sportsmen's groups that make up the Alliance. WYBHA was the major push behind this effort, and there has been great support for the regulation change statewide.
The biggest change to mule deer will be that Statewide, archery hunters will be required to follow the same regulations as rifle hunters (only being able to shoot a 3 point or larger buck where required and no antlerless deer, etc.). In the past, archery hunters could take any deer in a lot of the general areas.
Elk changes were minimal, a few earlier closures for antlerless harvest in area 6 being the most significant change.
Pronghorn quotas were bumped up in a few areas, specifically area 38 will see some increased quotas. Most areas in the Laramie areas are going to see no changes in quotas from last year though.
I talked with both local bio's and they commented that even though they have seen great recruitment the last couple years to both deer and pronghorn, they both said that 2 years of good recruitment does not recover a herd. I agree and supported their idea to gradually increase quotas over time. They are really putting a lot of effort into avoiding the peaks and valleys of quotas in the past by trying to find that sweet spot with level harvest and populations.
The biologists in this region earn their pay and have put a lot of effort into proper management. They also have great support from the Department as well as the public. The results of the collaboration with landowners, sportsmen, and GF is the reason that Wyoming is able to provide the awesome opportunities we all enjoy.
