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HUNTING
The Ranger
•
Lander Journal
•
Wind River News
•
SEPTEMBER 3-4
2014
Eric Blom
Better late than
never for hunter
safety certification
Hans Hummel posed with a warthog he took while on safari at Otjandaue Hunting Safaris in Omaruru, Namibia.
Photo courtesy of Hans Hummel
Puff adder roasting on an open fire
(and other tales from a first-ever hunting expedition to Africa)
By Randy Tucker
Staff Writer
It’s the dream of many big game
hunters to travel across the Atlantic and
hunt the animals of legend in the vastness
of the African plains. Riverton’s Hans
Hummel had that dream realized earlier
this summer when he ventured with two
friends from college to the Otjandaue
Hunting Safaris in Omaruru, Namibia.
The logistics of traveling halfway
around the world are a challenge all their
own. First, Hummel flew from Denver
International Airport to JFK in New York,
then took a 15 ½ hour non-stop flight to
Johannesburg, South Africa. Another two-hour flight north to
Namibia, followed by a three-hour drive
to the 25,000-acre Otjandaue hunting
grounds brought Hummel and his party
to the wild, arid lands of south-central
Africa.
Hummel previously had hunted in
Russia, but the difference between the
bleak, Spartan atmosphere of Russia and
the relaxed, well-stocked accommodations
in Namibia was profound.
“Russia was the first time I hunted outside the United States,” Hummel said. “I
don’t know if our experience was typical
but in Africa it was very laid back to
Wyoming hunters.”
Hummel hunted with friends Tom
Evans of Washington State, and Mike and
Karen Montgomery of Fort Collins, Colo.
“Karen didn’t hunt, but she is an avid
photographer and took about 30,000 digital photographs,” Hummel said.
Prices are set by the type of animal that
q Please see “Africa,” page 13
I hope the kids sitting next to
me in my hunter safety class last
month got as much out of it as
I did.
It did make me self-conscious
to be taking the class at the age
of 26, probably twice the age
most native Wyomingites were
when they sat through the
weeklong course, but it was
worth it.
I wanted to hunt, and to
hunt you must pass the class.
More than that, though, it gave
me a wealth of information I
am sure to draw on, not just
while hunting, but also when
fishing, hiking, photographing
wildlife and mountain biking.
Some of the lessons will
probably stick better with
adults, too, and for that reason I
think I might have taken more
away from the class than some
of my younger classmates.
This is not to impugn the
quality of the course or its
teacher. My instructor was fantastic, and the hunter safety
program is excellent. Like everyq Please see “Blom,” page 9
Page 2
FALL HUNTING
Taxidermist J.R. Butler at work on a mount at his workshop in Hulett. Butler is one of the featured artists in “The Art of the Hunt: Wyoming Traditions,” a new exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum.
Photo by Peter Gibbons
Exhibit showcases art of hunt culture
Having worked as a public folklorist in the Intermountain West for
more than two decades, Andrea Graham knew something about
Wyomingites’ connection with the
outdoors and the state’s strong hunting and fishing heritage.
But since arriving at the University
of Wyoming as a research scientist in
the American Studies Program in
2009, Graham has learned just how
deeply hunting and fishing are ingrained in the state’s culture.
For the past five years, Graham, a
folklife specialist, has led a project to
capture Wyoming’s hunting and fishing lore and traditions.
She and a number of UW Ameriq Please see “Exhibit,” page 18
September 3-4, 2014
September 3-4, 2014
FALL HUNTING
Page 3
Special license raffles raised $655,000 for conservation
By Eric Blom
Staff Writer
Every hunter has a dream tag, the license that would give her or him the
hunt of a lifetime. This year, Wyoming
Game and Fish made those dreams
come true for a few lucky individuals
through the new “super tag” raffles.
Among the winners announced in
July was Riverton’s Dan Hauck, who
won the bison super tag. He will be
able to buy a tag for a bison in any
hunt area of the state.
Similar drawings, each with one winner, were held for antelope, deer, elk,
moose, big horn sheep, mountain goat,
gray wolf, black bear and mountain lion.
A separate raffle, sure to set any
hunter into a wishful day dream, gave
the winner any tag for three species of
his or her choice.
The winner of the super tag trifecta
was an Oklahoma man.
In the 11 super tag raffles, seven or
64 percent of the winners were from
out of state. They slightly beat the
odds, as nonresidents accounted for 42
percent of the 60,000 tickets sold.
Other Wyoming winners were for
Jeffry Connors, of Daniel (elk), Randall
Johnston, of Evanston (for bighorn
sheep), and Vernon Hensley II, of
Casper (moose).
Tickets for each raffle cost $10, and
those for the trifecta cost $30. Altogether, the lotteries generated $655,000
for wildlife conservation.
The Wyoming Legislature passed a
law allowing the raffles last session.
The mountain lion raffle had the
best chance of winning, with only 214
entries sold.
Close to it was the black bear raffle,
which sold 220 tickets.
The hardest to win was the bighorn
sheep raffle, which sold close to 11,000
tickets. The moose raffle, with 8,300
tickets sold, was the second-hardest to
win.
The relative numbers of raffle tickets
sold for each species by residents and
nonresidents shows the two groups
have different hunting interests.
Out-of-state hunters were relatively
much more interested in bagging a
mountain lion than those from
Wyoming. Though nonresidents accounted for only 42 percent of all tickets sold, they bought 67 percent of
cougar raffle tickets, the raffle with the
highest percentage of out of state sales.
The raffle seeing the most residents
tickets sold was the mountain goat
drawing, with 70 percent sold in state,
indicating Wyoming hunters were relatively more excited to hunt that species
than out of staters.
More resident tickets, 5,450 to be
exact, were sold for the moose raffle
than for any other species. Bighorn
sheep was the most popular for nonresidents with 5,405 tickets sold. Sheep
were residents’ second favorite, as in
state hunters bought 5,167 tickets for
the species.
Residents and nonresidents seemed
about equally interested in hunting
deer. Wyoming hunters bought 57 percent of the deer tickets, about what
would be expected because in-state
hunters bought 58 percent of all the
super tag raffle tickets.
The opposite was true of antelope,
showing nonresident hunters are keener
to hunt speed goats that those who see
them every day. Out-of-state sales accounted for 57 percent of pronghorn
raffle tickets sold despite non residents
only buying 42 percent of all raffle
tickets.
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Page 4
September 3-4, 2014
Long-standing bag limit for grouse eliminated this year
Bird hunters should be alerted there
are some significant changes in the
hunting regulations for this fall.
The combined daily bag limit and
possession limit for blue and ruffed
grouse that has been in place for a
number of years has been eliminated
and upland game bird hunters will be
allowed to take a daily bag limit of
three blue grouse and a daily bag limit
of three ruffed grouse.
The possession limit for each species
will be nine.
Now that hunters are allowed to take
separate daily bag limits of blue grouse,
ruffed grouse, chukar partridge, gray
(Hungarian) partridge or sharp-tailed
grouse, hunters will need to retain evidence of species on all game birds in
their possession while in the field.
The new regulation states that, excluding pheasants, one fully-feathered
wing shall remain naturally attached to
the carcass of any upland game bird in
the field and during transportation.
Hunters have always had to retain
evidence of sex and species on each
pheasant harvested by having the feathered head, feathered wing or foot naturally attached to the carcass of a
pheasant while in the field and during
For the first time in some years, hunters are allowed to take separate daily bag
U.S. Forest Service
limits of ruffed grouse and similar birds.
transportation.
“The new law requires that hunters
keep one fully-feathered wing naturally
attached to the bird carcass in the field
and during transportation for identification purposes,” said Green River
wildlife management coordinator Mark
Zornes.
“This is a change from previous
years, and we just want game bird
hunters to be aware of the new regulation.”
Sage grouse hunters are reminded
that Game and Fish biologists collect
wing information each year from harvested birds.
To do that, sage grouse hunters are
asked to place one wing from each har-
vested sage grouse in wing barrels.
Wing barrels are placed along primary access routes in popular sage
grouse hunting locations.
To comply with the regulation and
help the Game and Fish with sage
grouse data collection hunters should
leave one wing attached and save the
other wing for deposit in a wing barrel.
The statewide hunting season for
blue and ruffed grouse opens Sept.1
and closes Nov.30, 2014. For chukar
and gray (Hungarian) partridge, the
statewide season opens Oct.1, 2014
and closes Jan. 31, 2015.
The sage grouse season in Hunt Area
1, which takes in most of the state,
opens Sept. 20 and ends on Sept.30.
Hunt Area 4 in the Sheridan, Buffalo
and Gillette areas opens Sept. 20 and
closes Sept. 22.
The other two sage grouse units,
Hunt Area 2 in Southeast Wyoming
and Hunt Area 3 in the Jackson area
are closed.
--------Hunters with questions regarding the
upland game bird regulations can contact
Game and Fish headquarters in
Cheyenne 307-777-4600 or their regional Game and Fish office.
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FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
CWD detected in several areas nearby
By Eric Blom
Staff Writer
Sportsmen and women hunting deer
area 97 should be on the lookout for
animals with chronic wasting disease. A
mule deer doe was found suffering
from the condition in the general-license area southeast of Lander in August. It was put to death.
“It is just kind of a natural expansion
out of the areas to the east, where it’s
been common for 30 or 40 years,”
Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife biologist Stan Harter said. “It’s not that
we’re super surprised.”
Though it affects the animals, Harter
does not believe CWD is causing deer
or moose populations to decline.
Experts do not believe it can be
transmitted to humans but also cannot
rule out any risk, Harter said.
The World Health Organization and
the Centers for Disease Control affirm
there is no link between CWD and
human diseases, and the condition cannot be transmitted to people.
To avoid the danger, Game and Fish
advises hunters to take some precautions and ask for their help in preventing the disease from spreading.
The agency recommends not eating
any part of an animals that looks like it
might have the disease or tests positive
for it. Harter recommended hunters
not harvest sick animals or call Game
and Fish if they find a deer they shoot
looks like it has CWD.
“It’s one of those scenarios where just
we can’t swear that it’s no risk,” Harter
said.
To limit the disease’s spread, Game
and Fish asks hunters to dispose of the
carcasses of any deer from areas known
to contain CWD carefully, Harte said.
If hunters process the animal in the
field, they can leave parts such as the
spine, organs and brain there.
If they process the carcass at home, it
is crucial they dispose of the carcass in
a landfill.
Taxidermists and commercial processors would take the carcass to a landfill
as well, Harter said.
“There is some risk we believe of that
disease being transmitted (to other animals) from that spinal column,” he
said.
Five nearby deer areas now have had
known cases of CWD: 157 around
Pavillion, 98 northwest of Rawlins, 87
northeast of Rawlins, 89 west of Casper
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CWC has several noticeable symptoms, according to Wyoming Game
and Fish. These include emaciation, a
rough hair coat, acting hyperactive
when constrained, drooped ears,
lethargy and excessive drinking. Eventually, the disease kills affected animals.
A molecule called a prion protein is
thought to cause CWD, according to
Game and Fish. Prion proteins have a
structure similar to that of cellular proteins but differ somewhat. Inside an
animal, the prion proteins cause cellular proteins to change to resemble
prion proteins.
Scientists believed the transformed
molecules can no longer form their regular roles, causing brain cells to die.
Deer, elk and moose are the only animals known to suffer from CWD.
Similar diseases afflict other animals,
such as mad cow disease in cattle and
Creutzfeldt-Jakobdisease in humans.
CWD prion proteins do not contain
nucleic acid and so are not considered
organisms.
Much is unknown about CWC, such
as how it is transmitted. Game and
Fish stated the most likely route of infection is through ingestion.
Page 5
Lander Elks to assist
veterans on the hunt
By Kelli Ameling
Staff Writer
Lander Elks Lodge 2317 is starting a
new program through which members of
the club will help take disabled veterans
hunting this season.
Elks member Richard Gould said the
club is looking for four veterans who would
like to participate in the program.
“We wanted to do something to recognize veterans,” Gould said.
To participate, a veteran must be at least
65 percent disabled.
Gould said Elks members will help get
the veteran to the hunting location, and assist in any way they can help such as shooting, aiming and more.
“There is no cost to participate,” he said.
Also, Gould said the veterans could get
help processing the meat after the hunt. For
any meat that is not wanted, it could be donated to a food bank.
At the end of the season, the Lander
Elks Lodge 2317 holds a cookout, which
could also include some meat from hunting.
Anyone wanting to participate in the hunt
can call the lodge at 332-3099 or call Gould
at 349-4163.
Page 6
FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
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FALL HUNTING
Page 7
U.S. boating survey shows fishing still key component
By John Hayes
MCT News Service
Recreational boating is big business. Whether it’s trolling for walleye, motoring for fun or paddling
for exercise, summer and boating go
together like dollars and cents.
With 22,831,569 recreational
boats registered in the United States
in 2012, boating is clearly a recreational option of choice among many
voters in rural and urban areas.
Yet despite a large number of narrow studies, comprehensive data
about boating access had been
piecemeal before the release last
week of a national study by a public
opinion research firm. Its findings
reveal that fishing continues to be
an important part of most boating
trips.
While the nature of boating is
changing, most boaters are generally
pleased with existing access, said the
survey, but would get on the water
more often if access and amenities
were improved.
“The overall results suggest that
lack of boating access contributes to
Recreational boaters had different responses to national survey questions as a
group than boat industry leaders did.
File photo
lower participation among some
boaters than they otherwise would
have with better access,” said the
study, conducted under a U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service grant by Responsive Management, a Virginiabased company that specializes in
issues regarding natural resources
and outdoor recreation.
The study, “Enhancing Fishing
Access Through a National Assessment of Recreational Boating Ac-
cess,” included a review of previously published research, focus
groups with boaters and boating industry representatives, a nationwide
survey of boaters including boating
anglers, and a national survey of
boating industry representatives and
boating agency professionals.
While the needs and practices of
pleasure boaters and anglers can
sometimes seem at odds, the study
found that “participation in boating
and fishing are intertwined, with
obstacles or barriers to one activity
strongly influencing participation in
the other.”
Fishing is an important component of most boating trips — 41
percent of respondents said fishing
was the top reason for going, and
67 percent said they had fished
from a boat in the previous two
years.
The study found that most boats
are launched an average of 15 miles
from the boater’s home. While most
boaters were generally satisfied with
boating access, they were concerned
about the quality of access facilities
— 56 percent reported too few boat
access areas, poor maintenance of
access sites or crowded launch
ramps.
But it was perhaps more interesting to note areas in which industry
and government agency personnel
did not see eye to eye.
Among government agency pros
68 percent said invasive species and
other environmental concerns were
q Please see “Boats,” page 11
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Page 8
FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
Here’s the area hunting forecast for 2014 season
as compared to previous years. Buckto-doe ratios remained relatively stable
in most areas. As a result, hunters will
experience shorter seasons, a reduced
opportunity to harvest an antlerless
deer, and antler point restrictions. The
number of licenses for any white-tailed
deer seasons in the Lander, Riverton,
and Jeffrey City areas have been reduced due to impacts of EHD during
the fall of 2013. These license reductions, combined with lower numbers
of white-tailed deer, will likely reduce
hunter harvest opportunity in the affected areas this fall.
By the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department
PRONGHORN
Lander Region 2
Pronghorn populations continue to
be down significantly throughout the
Lander Region. Most of the region’s
pronghorn herds were below objective
following the 2013 hunting season.
To date, pronghorn classifications are
showing increased fawn production in
2014.
However, yearling buck ratios and
overall numbers of pronghorn are
down this summer due to extreme
drought conditions experienced in
2012 and 2013.
Increases in precipitation and forage
production this year have contributed
to good spring/summer habitat conditions.
Pronghorn buck quality may be better than expected as many quality mature bucks have been observed and
hunters should expect good harvest
success with a little more effort.
Jackson Region
In the Jackson Region, northern portions of the Sublette pronghorn herd
include Hunt Areas 85 and 86. Al-
Mule deer fawn ratios throughout the region were down in 2012 and 2013.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
though hunter success is good, Hunt
Area 85 (Gros Ventre) offers very limited hunting opportunities.
There will only be 15 licenses offered
for the season. Hunt Area 86 (Hoback)
has seen an increase in pronghorn during the past several years. However,
hunter access is limited and the majority of the hunting opportunities are located on private lands in the
Bondurant area.
DEER
Lander Region
Similar to pronghorn, mule deer
populations have continued to decline
over the last couple of years due to
poor fawn productivity and drought
conditions. Of the six herds within the
Lander Region, all are estimated to be
below objective following 2013 hunting seasons.
Overall fawn ratios throughout the
region were down in 2012 and 2013,
Jackson Region
The Wyoming Range deer population is designated as a special management herd which provides high quality
hunting opportunities, mature age-class
deer, and high buck-to-doe ratios. Deer
numbers increased over the last 4 years
because of high over-winter survival.
The 2-year-old bucks and older
should be well-represented during fall
hunting season s this year. The early
portion of the winter allowed animals
to remain dispersed on winter ranges
and overall the population experienced
low winter mortality. Summer rains
q Please see “Elk,” page 14
September 3-4, 2014
FALL HUNTING
Page 9
Blom
thing, however, it subject to practical
limitations of time and money.
I saw droopy eyes and fussing among
my younger cohorts when the corny old
VHS tapes about gun safety and hunter
ethics came out. Having been raised before the 30-second YouTube clip became
the entertainment of choice, my attention probably held a while longer.
The lessons expressed in much of the
class could also be hard for children to
grasp. When I was young, I would
climb trees, lean out over cliffs, sword
fight my friends with sticks and more
without giving much mind to the consequences.
Now, I’ve read too many stories —
they seem to come weekly — about a
gun going off while someone was cleaning it or a fatal car wreck because a
driver took his eyes off the road for an
instant.
All the cautions about controlling
muzzle direction, treating every gun like
it is loaded and never trusting a safety
stuck fast for me.
My ears also perked up during the
talks about building a shelter, starting a
fire, and signaling for help. I have taken
a wrong turn in the backcountry before
and had to think my way out of a tight
Continued from page 1
spot.
Having camped and hiked all my life,
the class still surprised me with new information on old topics. I probably have
consumed 100 bear-safety fliers, signs
and booklets. Even the tag on my bear
spray gives tips, and I’ve read them.
But in my hunter safety class I
learned to distinguish a defensive bear
attack from a predatory one. The difference is crucial because, as I learned, a
defensive bear’s charge is probably a
bluff. A predatory one has every intention of eating you.
A defensive bear is anxious and wants
you to back off, I learned. It will stamp,
grunt, growl and bash on trees as it approaches.
A predatory bear is calm, and makes
no racket when it comes toward you. It
is hunting.
This information is vital, literally, for
anyone who lives in Wyoming, and I am
glad I learned it.
The test at the end of the course, at
least for this college graduate, was not
too strenuous. I recognize it is designed
for children, but …
One question asked students to identify a bird from a black-and-white
sketch. Was it a turkey, two other op-
tions, or the most iconic animal in the
United States, the bald eagle? Its white
head and tail gave it away.
True, one can hunt turkeys, and bald
eagles are protected, but would any
hunter confuse them in the field?
A harder question, and one students
would face in most nearby general-license deer areas, is distinguishing a mule
deer doe from a white tail doe. But that
was nowhere on the test.
For me and my younger classmates,
however, hunter safety is only part of
hunting and outdoors education.
Our families have or will guide us
over the years, and our curiosities will
lead us to more books, documentaries,
websites and experts on outdoors recreation.
In that sense, it fits right in, giving us
the information crucial to hunting and
whetting our appetites for exploring our
outdoor world.
And best of all, I now have a hunter
education card in wallet, and I am ready
to hunt.
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FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
Boats
Continued from page 7
a top priority, while only 43 percent of industry reps considered the
issue to be paramount.
Other differences:
• Too much regulation and enforcement reduces boaters’ enjoyment: industry 34 percent; agency
8 percent.
• Very satisfied with the state’s
management of boating: industry
16 percent; agency 38 percent.
The boating industry and government agencies are sometimes
not on the same page as the boaters
they serve.
The study noted one “remarkable difference” — the status of
mooring fields is the lowest-rated
feature among industry reps, and
second lowest among agency pros.
Boaters, however, rated mooring
fields the most important feature.
--------Read the entire boating access survey at www.responsivemanagement.
com.
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Big game available: Home décor, jewelry, lotions and potions, fall items
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Good Luck on the Hunt!
Page 11
Page 12
FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
September 3-4, 2014
FALL HUNTING
Africa
hunters choose to pursue, much like
out-of-state big game tags in
Wyoming. Hummel chose to hunt warthog,
kudu, impala, oryx and blue wildebeest.
“There are no guaranteed hunts,” Hummel said. “I didn’t go with set expectations.”
He filled all five species during the
nine-day hunt.
The wilderness of Namibia is a challenging environment, with large, thorny
plants and tough vegetation.
Hummel and his friends hunted both
from blinds and in traditional spot-andstalk fashion.
Nothing goes to waste during these
hunts.
“We ate what we shot,” Hummel said.
“The meat was mild and not like anything we’re familiar with here in
Wyoming. I thought it was all good.”
What the hunters don’t eat is either
given to owners Roy and Janet VanDermerwe to sell, or to their six company
employees to take home.
“Nothing is wasted over there,” Hummel said. “They use every part of the animal.”
Hummel used a 300 Winchester
magnum rifle, while his partners chose
to shoot a higher-powered .338. “I’m familiar with my 300 Win mag, and it’s a
Page 13
Continued from page 1
hole.”
The flight back wasn’t as comfortable
as the trip over. It lasted 18 ½ hours
with the aircraft flying against prevailing
western winds.
“I would like to hunt different species
and take my niece or nephew with me,”
Hummel said.
He had all five game animals taken to
the local taxidermist on the ranch to
process and expects to receive them
sometime next spring as shoulder
mounts.
A camp delicacy called “puff adder” for its resemblance to the deadly African
snake is cooked on an open fire at Otjandaue Hunting Safaris in Omaruru,
Photo courtesy of Hans Hummel
Namibia.
good gun for this type of game,” Hummel said.
A local tradition is to make a “puff
adder” meal. The intestines of an oryx
are cleaned and stuffed with sausage,
onions and mushrooms, then roasted
over an open fire.
Hummel and wife Kim own Hi
Mountain Seasonings in Riverton, and
he noted that the sausage was different
from the type processed with his company’s products.
“I sent them samples when we got
back,” Hummel said. “I didn’t think
their sausage was as good as ours.”
May and June are autumn months
south of the equator, and temperatures
ranged from just above freezing in the
morning to about 85 in the afternoon.
“On a typical day we hunted until
about 11:30 a.m. then took a siesta in
the early afternoon,” Hummel said.
“Later in the day we’d hunt over a water
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FALL HUNTING
Page 14
September 3-4, 2014
Elk
were timely and maintained forbs in a
high nutritional state and, as a result,
hunters may notice buck s with exceptional antler growth — similar to
2013.
The southern portion of the herd
unit will offer 14 days of antlered deer
hunting in Hunt Areas 134 and 135.
Youth license holders will be able to
take any deer from Oct. 1-14, while
general license deer hunters will be able
to take antlered deer from Oct. 1-1 4.
General license, antlered-only deer
hunting will run from Sept. 15
through Oct. 7 in the Greys River
(Hunt Area 144), Salt River (Hunt
Area 145) and along the east slope of
the Wyoming Range (Hunt Area 143).
Non-resident quotas for 2014 in Region G will remain at 600 licenses.
This strategy should help maintain
quality bucks given existing herd ratios
and population size. In addition to
mule deer hunting opportunities, a
limited quota, doe or fawn white-tailed
deer season will again be offered in the
Salt River drainage (Hunt Area 145).
White-tailed deer numbers along the
Salt River have increased and can
support a limited doe/fawn hunt. Subsequently, a limited quota, Type 8 license, (60 licenses ) will be offered in
Continued from page 8
Conservative hunting seasons are proposed for Hunt Areas 70-71, 79, and
81-83 to address low recruitment while trying to maintain bull numbers.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Hunt Area 145 from Nov. 1 through
Jan. 31.
This Type 8 license can be purchased
in addition to a statewide general deer
license. The Targhee deer herd is a
small population on the west side of
the Teton Mountain s managed to provide recreational hunting opportunities.
Population growth is restricted by
limited winter range. Proposed hunting
seasons in 2014 include a general license sea son for antlered deer from
Sept. 15 through Oct. 7.
ELK
Jackson Region
General license seasons will run from
Sept. 26 to Oct. 31 in the Fall Creek
elk herd. In the early- to mid-2000s,
this elk herd experienced several years
of sustained population growth. Recent
hunting seasons have been successful in
reducing elk numbers toward desired
levels.
The 2014 season will focus the general portion of the season o n any elk
with the exception that yearling males,
or spike bulls, will be excluded from
the harvest. This change in season
structure implemented in 2013 should
result in more bulls being added to the
post-hunt population.
The number of reduced price cow
or calf licenses has been significantly
reduced for the 2014 hunting season.
A limited number of cow or calf licenses will still be offered in an effort
to focus harvest pressure on antlerless
elk that spend the summer near residential and agricultural lands along
the Snake River.
In the Afton herd, a change was implemented in 2008 in the lower Greys
River which shortened the season in
Hunt Area 89 in order to reduce harvest on bull elk.
This strategy will continue in 8 2014
with general license hunting valid from
Oct. 15 to Oct. 24. In Hunt Area 90,
q Please see “Forecast,” page 16
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FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
Page 15
Hunt education program drew dozens of volunteers statewide
q Instruction involved
hunter responsibility and
ethics, wildlife conservation
and management, firearms
and firearms safety, Game
and Fish statutes and
regulations, wildlife
identification and field
care, and outdoor
safety and survival.
More than 40 volunteer hunter education instructors from 20 Wyoming
communities recently completed the
final phase of their training at the Game
and Fish Hunter Education New Instructor Academy held this year at
Camp Roberts in the Bighorn National
Forest west of Buffalo.
The New Instructor Academy is
under the direction of Game and Fish
hunter education coordinator Jim Dawson and has been an annual occurrence
since 2008.
The 2014 Academy marks the seventh year of the event following passage
Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulations require hunter education
instructors to attend a new instructor workshop within two years of becoming certified.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
of a Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulation requiring new hunter
education instructors to attend a new
instructor workshop within two years of
becoming certified as hunter education
instructors.
Dawson said the instruction involved
sessions on the six major core areas in
the hunter education curriculum including:
• Hunter responsibility and ethics
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• Wildlife conservation and management
• Firearms and firearms safety
• Game and Fish statutes and regulations
• Wildlife identification and field care
• Outdoor safety and survival
“Instructors were provided tools and
teaching techniques to address these
core areas,” Dawson said.
“The Academy is designed to increase
Commemorate
The
Hunt
correctness, continuity, credibility and
improve communications for the volunteers teaching hunter education.”
The Academy also featured opening
remarks from Game and Fish deputy director John Kennedy who thanked the
attendees for their service to Wyoming’s
hunters.
In addition, instructors from Kansas
were present to assist in live fire sessions
and a contingent from the North
Dakota hunter education program attended to get ideas for establishing their
own new instructor academy in future
years.
Former Wyoming Wildlife editor
Chris Madson capped the weekend long
events with a presentation covering the
centuries old tradition of hunter education.
The camp was made possible in part
thanks to a grant from the Central
Wyoming Chapter of Safari Club International who paid for the meals and
lodging at Camp Roberts.
Information on the 2015 Game and
Fish New Hunter Education Instructor
Academy will be out later this fall.
Jennys Jewelry
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Page 16
FALL HUNTING
Forecast
liberal seasons into November and increased limited quota cow or calf tags
will again provide hunting opportunity
while attempting to trim the segment
of the herd that inhabits the Upper
Greys River.
Hunters should find trophy class
bulls in Greys River hunt areas. Conservative hunting seasons are proposed
for Hunt Areas 70-71, 79, and 81-83
to address low recruitment while trying
to maintain bull numbers.
In the southern portion of the herd
unit in Hunt Areas 75, 77, 78, and 80,
cow seasons are proposed to address elk
populations that summer along the
Snake River corridor in southern Grand
Teton National Park and in Hunt Area
78.
Hunter opportunities in Hunt Area
78 were modified slightly in 2014 by
increasing the number of archery or
muzzle-loading firearm licenses (Type 7
licenses) available and reducing the
Type 6 licenses.
The changes were made to address
homeowner concerns regarding rifle
seasons in the residential areas. In
Grand Teton National Park, the River
Bottom portion of Hunt Area 75 will
remain closed this year and Hunt Area
Continued from page 14
75 Type 4 hunters will again be allowed
to hunt in Hunt Area 79 and a portion
of Area 81 in an effort to reduce hunter
densities in the southern portion of the
Park.
Hunters will continue to have opportunities to hunt on the National Elk
Refuge (Refuge) with reduced price cow
or calf licenses. The Department’s
Hunter Management Access system will
be used to allocate access permits for the
Refuge.
To apply for a National Elk Refuge
permission slip, hunters should access
the WGFD website at
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/plpwhmprogram/frmHunterManagementDetail.as
px.
Hunting seasons in the Moran Junction area are proposed to reduce hunting pressure on Teton Wilderness and
Yellow stone elk with Hunt Areas 70,
71, and 79 closing on Nov. 3. To address low calf-to-cow ratios and low recruitment in the Gros Ventre area
(Hunt Areas 81-83), the shortened season length and antlered-only spikes-excluded limitation will be maintained in
2014. Good opportunity again to harvest an elk.
Good forage conditions on the sum-
Record shovelnose hooked by Powell man
Wyoming has a new state record
shovelnose sturgeon thanks to the efforts of Powell angler Clint Franklin.
Franklin’s sturgeon weighed 10 pounds
4.2 oz. ounces and bested the previous
record by a little over two ounces.
Franklin was fishing for catfish on
Bighorn Reservoir near Lovell the night
of August 7 when the fish took his
minnow.
Having caught a number of catfish
on previous trips Franklin thought he
had a 10 to15 pound catfish when he
was fighting the fish.
When he boated the fish, Franklin’s
thinking of a 10 pounder proved cor-
September 3-4, 2014
rect on his tackle box scale, but the fish
certainly wasn’t a catfish.
Franklin said he had never caught a
sturgeon before and wasn’t sure if it was
a big one for the species or not.
Official weighing of the fish the next
day proved Franklin’s hunch correct.
The previous record was caught out
of the Powder River in 2000 and was
40 inches long weighing in at 10
pounds 2 ounces. The new state record
was a bit longer measuring 44 inches
with a girth of 14.5 inches.
A complete listing of Wyoming state
record fish is on the Game and Fish
website wgfd.wyo.gov.
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mer range will hopefully hold elk on
public lands later this year than in previous years so hunters will have a good
chance to find an elk on the mountain.
Bull hunting should be good for
those hunters who drew a Type 1 license, and success usually depends on
weather and snow conditions.
An early heavy snow may trigger
their movement to private land, especially in Hunt Area 41. More licenses
and longer seasons for cows (extended
into December) should help cow elk
hunters in 2014.
While elk distribution in Hunt Area
41 over the past few years may have
discouraged many hunters, longer seasons should give hunters a better
chance of harvesting an antlerless elk.
Elk hunting near Cody has been excellent in most areas.
In some are as, elk numbers exceed
management objectives and antlerless
elk hunting opportunities have been
increased. In other areas, decreased calf
survival has reduced herd productivity
and required reductions.
Cody Region
Both the South Bighorn ( Hunt
Areas 47-49) and Gooseberry elk herds
( Hunt Areas 62-64) still have plenty of
elk, with numerous cow/calf licenses
available in all hunt areas. Access in
some portions of these hunt areas can
be difficult. Hunter Management Areas
are available in Hunt Areas 47, 62, 63
and 64, which provide additional
hunting access on private lands.
Overall, there is ample opportunity
for elk hunting in the southern
Bighorn Basin, along with some very
goo d bull quality in most areas and
hunters are encouraged to take advantage of these great elk hunting opportunities.
Hunters are reminded that Game
and Fish personnel will again be collecting blood and tissue samples from
harvested elk this season to monitor
and test brucellosis prevalence around
the Basin.
The elk population s on the northern part of the Bighorns remains
healthy and this fall there will be good
opportunity again to harvest an elk.
Good forage conditions on the summer range will hopefully hold elk on
public lands later this year than in previous years so hunters will have a good
chance to find an elk on the mountain.
FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
Page 17
Archery season brings different requirements for hunters
Archery season has arrived, with
most areas for antelope opening Aug.
15 and most areas for deer and elk
open to archers Sept. 1.
A few areas have different openers,
so bowhunters should check regulations for seasons in the area they want
to hunt.
The following are the most common
questions asked by archers. The information comes from the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department.
• Do I need an archery license in addition to my big game license? Yes…
usually. Archers hunting in the archery
preseason need an archery permit in
most areas. The exception is for holders
of Type 9 archery only licenses. Persons
holding Type 9 licenses do not need a
separate archery license. The archery license does not allow a person to take
an extra animal — it simply allows the
archer to hunt in the early archery preseason.
• If I don’t get my elk with my bow
can I hunt with my rifle when the gun
season opens? Usually. Archers who do
not fill their tag during the archery season may return and hunt with firearms
during the gun season. Once again, the
exception is that holders of Type 9
archery only licenses may only hunt
during the archery season and may not
hunt with firearms during the gun season.
• Do I need a separate archery license
for each species? No. Only one archery
licenses is required to hunt all big and
trophy game animals.
• Do I need an archery license to hunt
with a bow during the firearm’s season?
No. The archery license is only required
to hunt in the archery preseason.
• Can I wear camouflage clothing
when archery hunting? Yes as long as
you are hunting in the archery pre-seasons. If you are hunting during the
firearm’s season, fluorescent orange
clothing is required.
big or trophy game animals during the
special archery season.
• Are crossbows legal during the
archery hunt? Yes, as long as they conform to certain specifications. Crossbows must have a minimum draw
length of 90 lbs. and the bolt must be at
least 16 inches long. The broadhead requirement is the same as with conventional archery equipment and must
have a minimum cutting width of one
inch.
• Can I use the same archery equipment to hunt elk that I use for deer?
Possibly….as long as it conforms to
minimum draw weight requirements.
Regulations require the bow to have a
minimum draw of 40 pounds for deer
and antelope and 50 pounds for elk and
moose.
• Are lighted nocks legal? There is no
regulation prohibiting the use of lighted
nocks.
• Is a bowhunter education or hunter
safety course required to archery hunt?
No. There is an archery section in
Wyoming’s hunter safety course, but
completion of a hunter safety course is
not required to archery hunt in
Wyoming.
• Are tree stands, blinds, and decoys
legal. Yes in all instances. You may put
up a blind on public lands, but the blind
must be removed once the archery season is over.
More detailed information on archery
seasons, regulations, and hunting equipment is found in the Archery and hunting information section in the big game
regulations for each species.
Be Safe
and Have a
Good Hunt!
HAVE A
SUCCESSFUL HUNT!
Only one archery license is required to hunt all big and trophy game anelkhuntingtips.com
imals in Wyoming.
• Are mechanical broadheads legal?
Yes, as long as the broadhead has a cutting width of one inch. Wyoming law
requires that broadheads whether mechanical or fixed, must have a minimum cutting width of one inch.
• Can I carry a firearm while archery
hunting during the archery season? Yes.
However, the law does prohibit the use
of firearms in taking or finishing off any
Good Luck
Hunters!
HAVE A GREAT TIME & SUCCESSFUL HUNT
1116 N. Federal Blvd
Riverton • 307-855-7000
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332-4991
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323 N. 2nd Street t Lander, WY
1350 Main Street, Lander • 332­6090
Good
luck on
the hunt!
FALL HUNTING
Page 18
September 3-4, 2014
Exhibit
can Studies master’s degree students
have criss-crossed the state to meet
with gunsmiths, fishing rod makers,
fly tiers, bow makers, saddlers, decoy
carvers, knife makers, guides, outfitters, taxidermists, trappers, camp
cooks and others to document their
work and tell their stories.
Their findings are featured in a new
exhibition, “Art of the Hunt:
Wyoming Traditions,” that opened
July 18 at the Wyoming State Museum
in Cheyenne and will run through
June 30, 2015. An opening reception
Aug. 1 attracted many of the 50 or so
Wyoming artists whose works are featured in the show.
The project is a joint effort of the
American Studies Program, the
Wyoming Arts Council and the State
Museum.
“We’ve found some really amazing
artists around the state, many of them
not all that well known outside their
communities,” Graham says. “
I’ve developed such an admiration
for the craftsmanship of these people,
and how this very strong, rich culture
is such an important part of
Wyoming.”
Graham says the project tackled the
“enormous topic” of Wyoming’s hunting and fishing culture, including how
those outdoor activities provide a pastime for many residents, jobs for some
people, and an economic pillar for the
entire state.
The researchers explored how the
tradition is handed down from generation to generation and interviewed
dozens of storytellers, songwriters,
artists and those who practice occupational skills associated with hunting
and fishing.
Because the State Museum’s gallery
space is limited, the exhibition was
narrowed to focus on big game hunting and fishing, and the items associated with those activities, Graham
says.
Continued from page 2
Fish taxidermist Al Darlington of
Thermopolis is one of the artists featured in the new Wyoming State Museum exhibition titled “Art of the
Hunt: Wyoming Traditions,” produced by the UW American Studies
Program and other partners.
Photo by Peter Gibbons
Hand-made objects on display include fishing flies, bamboo fishing
rods, taxidermy, pack saddles, engraved firearms, knives, recurve bows,
carved fish, leatherwork and beadwork.
“We found that most of these items
have an important, practical use, but
also that a great deal of skill and creativity goes into making them,” Graham says.
“The knowledge and skills have
Good luck on the hunt!
Come on in and see what we have!
• Cards
• Candles
• Office Supplies
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Reeds Moghaun
Office Supplies
155 S 5th Street
Lander
332-7850
been passed from generation to generation. These are all great folks who are
passionate about what they do, and
when we showed an interest in their
work, they were very excited and
happy to demonstrate it.”
Graham, who took a Wyoming
Game and Fish Department hunter
safety course to become more familiar
with the hunting culture, says some of
the craftspeople interviewed expressed
concern that younger generations are
less interested in learning the skills.
Still, there’s little indication of an
overall decline of hunting and fishing
as an important part of Wyoming’s
identity.
“So many people hunt and fish in
the state, and so many people come
here to hunt and fish. It’s what we’re
known for,” she says. “It’s just something that people do, and in a way we
take it for granted. Open space,
wilderness and wildlife are an important part of life in Wyoming, and I
don’t see that changing.”
OD
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CK S!
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307.857.9000
685 Main Street, Lander
307.335.7233
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FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014
Page 19
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FALL HUNTING
September 3-4, 2014