Aug. 4 Game and Fish news

For Immediate Release:

 

 

Most Common Archery Questions............................................................................................................. . 1

Game and Fish Holds New Hunter Education Instructor Academy.................................................... . 2

Release Fish the Right Way........................................................................................................................... 3

Game and Fish Calendar................................................................................................................................ 4

Ask Game and Fish......................................................................................................................................... 4

 

 

 

MOST COMMON ARCHERY QUESTIONS

CHEYENNE – Archery season is just around the corner with most areas for antelope opening on Aug. 15 and most areas for deer and elk open to archers on 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.

• 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 pre-season.
• 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.
• 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 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.

(Contact: Al Langston (307) 777-4540)

-WGFD-

 

GAME AND FISH CONDUCTS NEW HUNTER EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR ACADEMY

BUFFALO – 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 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
• 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 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. (Contact: Jim Dawson 307- 473-3439)

-WGFD-

 

 

 

RELEASE FISH THE RIGHT WAY

CHEYENNE – Catch and release has been a popular fishing practice for many years – and is especially popular among those who enjoy fly fishing for trout.

As the summer fishing season progresses waters in streams and lakes naturally start warming which increases the importance of following fish-handling steps to help improve survival of fish that are to be released.   Even though this is a good year for stream flows, waters are lower and warmer than they were a month ago and warmer water can place extra stress on fish.

Fish that are to be released should be played and landed as rapidly as possible to reduce exhaustion stress. This means that anglers may wish to choose heavier tippet or leader sections to enable to play the fish more quickly and get it back in the water in a timely manner.

Careful handling of the fish can also reduce mortality. Fish should not be squeezed and anglers should take care to keep their fingers away from the gills. A landing net is helpful in handling a fish and facilitates getting the hook out quickly. Anglers may also consider using barbless hooks as the hook is much easier to remove which minimizes the handling of the fish and the time the fish is out of the water. Regular hooks can be made barbless by flattening the barb with a pair of pliers.

Once the fish is caught it can be revived by holding it gently in an upright position facing upstream in fairly calm water. Move the fish slowly back and forth to get water moving though the gills. The fish can then be released in quiet water after it has regained its strength and is able to swim from your grip.

Anglers fishing in a water where bait fishing is allowed, and plan on releasing their fish, may consider using artificial flies or lures as survival of released fish is five to ten times greater using artificials as opposed to natural bait.

Information on procedure for releasing fish alive is also found on page 13 of the fishing regulations available at WGFD license agents or online at wgfd.wyo.gov.

(Contact; Al Langston (307) 777-4540)

-WGFD-

 

 

 

 

Game and Fish Calendar

 

July 1-Sept. 30 – Preference point application period continues                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Aug. 6 – Wyoming Mule Deer Summit, Daniel Schoolhouse, Daniel, Wyo., 8 a.m.                                                                             Aug. 10 – Women’s Shotgun Clinic, Jackson; call 307-473-3439 to register

Aug. 15 – Archery antelope season opens in most hunt areas

Aug. 15 – Application period begins for Springer and Glendo pheasant permits                                                                              Aug. 17 – Deadline for comments on fish/taxidermy regulations; Click on “Public Meetings” on WGFD website

 

Ask Game and Fish