Wyoming Game and Fish Department

The Wyoming Game & Fish Department recently approved a permit that allows for twice the number of deer than normal to be culled in response to rising chronic wasting disease (CWD) rates in city limits and the Black Hills region. The city has applied for a deer culling permit in previous years to reduce conflicts between residents and deer, though this wasn't related to concerns over CWD.

Numbers from the annual “Moose Day” help Wyoming’s Game & Fish Department get a more accurate picture of the health of the local moose herd.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) recently started feeding more elk than usual in Western Wyoming due to the harsh winter.The agency announced they are starting an emergency feeding plan for elk in three areas of western Wyoming – near Star Valley, Cokeville and Kemmerer, with more than 100 elk being fed at each spot.

Commercially guided fishing boats will be able to launch into Wyoming rivers as they please this summer, as a House Bill that would have changed that has been postponed.House Bill 84 would have set daily limits on the number of commercially guided fishing boats launching into any section of river in Wyoming.

In the last 30 years, mule deer populations in Wyoming have declined significantly, so the state is launching a new project to try to better understand why.

The Wyoming Game & Fish Department and Wyoming State Trappers Association are hosting the workshops, which will offer hands-on demonstrations on how common wildlife traps and snares work in addition on how to remove pets that become trapped in them. There are several cases of pets being caught in these devices in Wyoming each year.

A task force that was convened by the governor has made recommendations for changes that, if approved, would go into effect in 2024. They would increase the number of non-resident licenses to help thin elk herds across the state, which have nearly doubled in population since 1980.

As the weather starts to get cooler, bears are getting ready for hibernation. That means they are actively seeking foods to put on fat for their long sleep.Dan Thompson, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s large carnivore supervisor, said because bears are so active right now, hunters, landowners and others who use the outdoors need to be bear aware. Especially in places like the Cody area, where the animals are expanding their range.

There are several hunting areas in the state that require hunters to submit a sample of their harvest to test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This is part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) management of the deadly neurological disease.

People have always feared the unknown. And that fear transforms some animals into monsters in our minds — like sharks in the ocean, or rattlesnakes in the West.