Dec. 1 Game and Fish news

For Immediate Release:

 

 

 

Closures noted for Game and Fish wildlife habitat management areas.............................................. . 1

Game and Fish forensic scientists selected for federal task force ........................................................ . 3

Gift ideas from Game and Fish .................................................................................................................... 4

New stamps needed for January elk seasons .......................................................................................... . 5

Game and Fish calendar................................................................................................................................. 6

Ask Game and Fish......................................................................................................................................... 6

 

 

Closures noted for Game and Fish wildlife habitat management areas

CHEYENNE— Most big game hunting seasons are now over and many of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMA) that provide big game winter range are now closed to public access for the season.

 

According to Wyoming Game and Fish Habitat and Access Branch Chief Ray Bredehoft, seasonal closures minimize stress-causing disturbance to wintering deer, elk and other wildlife. The closures also reduce the human and recreational impacts to the forage, which supports wintering wildlife. The closures are for any human presence unless otherwise noted. The Habitat and Access Branch is responsible for implementing the following closures:

 

WHMA SEASONAL CLOSURES
HABITAT AREAs	NEAREST TOWN	DATES AREA CLOSED	RESTRICTIONS
Forbes/Sheep Mountain	Albany	Jan. 1 through April 30
Grey’s River	Alpine	Dec. 1 through April 30
Wick	Arlington	Nov.16 through May 15
Bud Love	Buffalo	Dec. 1 through May 14
Sunlight	Cody	Dec.16 through April 30
Inberg/Roy (East Fork)	Dubois	Dec. 18 through May 15
Spence & Moriarity	Dubois	Dec. 18 through May 15	East Fork County Road and that portion east of the road is open year round
Whiskey Basin	Dubois	Dec. 1 through May 15	Closed to vehicles only - Open to foot/horse traffic
Medicine Lodge	Hyattville	Dec. 26 through June 30	Medicine Lodge Creek open to foot access for fishing
Renner	Hyattville	Dec. 1 through May 31	Lower portion remains open year round
Camp Creek	Jackson	Dec. 1 through April 30
Horse Creek	Jackson	Dec. 1 through April 30
South Park	Jackson	Jan. 1 through April 30	Closed to vehicle traffic Dec 1 through April 30. Signed area open to foot traffic Dec 1 through Dec. 31
Ed O. Taylor	Kaycee	Dec. 16 through April 30
Red Canyon	Lander	Dec. 1 through April 30	Closed to human presence
Sunshine	Meeteetse	Dec. 1 through May 31	Closed to vehicles only - Open to foot/horse traffic
Half Moon	Pinedale	Nov. 21 through April 30
Soda Lake	Pinedale	Dec 1 through April 30
Fall Creek	Pinedale	Nov. 21 through April 30
Morgan Creek	Rawlins	Dec. 1 through April 30	Closed to vehicles only - Open to foot/horse traffic
Pennock Mountain	Saratoga	Dec. 1 through April 30	Closed to vehicles only - Open to foot/horse traffic
Amsden Creek	Sheridan	Nov. 1 through May 31	Closed to vehicles
Amsden Creek	Sheridan	Nov. 16 through April 30	Closed to human presence
Kerns	Sheridan	Nov. 1 through May 31	Closed to vehicles
Kerns	Sheridan	Nov. 16 through May 31	Closed to human presence
Billy Miles/Carter Access	Ten Sleep	Jan. 1 through Aug. 31
Laramie Peak	Wheatland	Feb. 1 through April 30	Only Hay Canyon, Tony Ridge and Duck Creek Canyon Areas
WHMAs OPEN YEAR-ROUND INCLUDE:
HABITAT AREA	NEAREST TOWN
Ocean Lake	Riverton
Sand Mesa	Shoshoni
Chain Lakes	Wamsutter
Grayrocks	Wheatland
Rawhide	Lingle
Springer/Bump Sullivan	Yoder
Table Mountain	Torrington
Tom Thorne/Beth Williams	Wheatland
Yellowtail	Lovell
Red Rim/Daley	Rawlins
Red Rim/Grizzly	Rawlins
PUBLIC ACCESS AREAS WITH SEASONAL CLOSURES
Mexican Creek PAA	Lander	Jan. 1 through Aug. 31	County access road closes Thanksgiving
VonGontard Landing PAA	Jackson	Dec. 1 through Mar. 15	Weather may affect closing and opening dates.
Brokaw PAA	Arlington	Jan. 1 through July 31

(Contact: Al Langston 307-777-4540)

-WGFD-

 

 

Game and Fish forensic scientists selected for federal task force

LARAMIE— Two forensic scientists from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Laboratory in Laramie have been named to a special federal task force for wildlife forensics. The Game and Fish Laboratory performs valuable work for Wyoming through forensic analysis to help solve wildlife violations, tooth aging used in wildlife management and fisheries disease monitoring and research .

 

Kim Frazier and Tasha Bauman of Laramie will serve on the Wildlife Forensics Subcommittee for the Federal Task Force on the Organization of Scientific Area Committees.

 

Dee Dee Hawk who supervises the Game and Fish Laboratory in Laramie said the Game and Fish is an active partner with the Society for Wildlife Forensic Science and the Scientific Working Group for Wildlife Forensic Sciences. “It is the dedication and hard work of the members of these organizations over the last five years that helped get wildlife forensics the recognition needed for a seat at the table on the new federal task force,” Hawk said. “This task force was organized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Department of Justice to strength forensics in the United States and the large majority of its members are in the disciplines of human forensics.”

 

Hawk said the National Institute established the Organization of Scientific Area Committee to support the development and promulgation of forensic science, consensus documentary standards and guidelines, and to ensure that a sufficient scientific basis exists for each discipline.

 

Bauman and Frazier have been working on standards and guidelines for wildlife forensics under the auspices of the Society for Wildlife Forensic Science and the Scientific Working Group for Wildlife Forensic Sciences for four years. These documents will be a starting point for the new task force.

 

“This task force will influence new rules and regulations which will be forthcoming in the next 2-5 years for all forensics. Insuring wildlife forensics is recognized as a separate discipline is extremely critical to the survival of wildlife forensic laboratories around the country,” Hawk said.

 

Frazier and Bauman come to the committee very well qualified on both experience and educational levels. Frazier is a Certified Wildlife Forensic Scientist and is the wildlife forensics program manager for the Game and Fish laboratory. She has 15 years forensic experience with the department. She was also one of the founding members of the Scientific Working Group for Wildlife Forensics. She carries a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and a master’s degree in forensic DNA and serology. Bauman, a forensic analyst at the Laboratory, has been with the Game and Fish Laboratory since 2006 where she served as tooth aging coordinator before beginning her career in wildlife forensics. Bauman has a master’s degree in forensic science (DNA and criminalistics) and is a Certified Wildlife Forensic Scientist. She was also a founding member of the Society for Wildlife Forensic Science and still holds a board position.

(Contact DeeDee Hawk 307-766-6313)

-WGFD-

 

                                           Gift ideas from Game and Fish

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department gift shop has a number of items that are proving popular for that hard-to-buy-for outdoor enthusiast. The Store has items for anglers, hunters and in general, anyone interested in wildlife.

 

“There are gifts for experienced hunters and fishermen as well as those just getting started in outdoor activities,” said Jackie Beck, who works in the Gift Shop. “There are items that are unique to Wyoming, featuring clothing items with the Game and Fish shield and some display the “Wyoming Wildlife, Worth the Watching” logo.

 

Still very popular is the Butcher Lite Kit which includes knives for field dressing, skinning, filleting/boning and a bone saw. The knives have the Wyoming Game and Fish Department shield etched on the blades. It also includes a sharpener and a device to spread the rib cage of animals to make the field dressing process easier.

 

“Hunters will also find our GPS Micro chip very useful,” Beck said. “The chip is compatible with Garmin GPS units and shows public and private lands as well as hunt area boundaries for elk, deer and antelope. This same information is available via an app for mobile smart phones as well.”

 

Beck said wild game cookbooks make great gifts and a new cookbook “A Taste of Wyoming” is now available. Other popular items include a water proof license holder, itched with our Wyoming stop poaching number, new games                 Fishin-opoly and Whitetail-opoly and youth sweatshirts featuring deer or moose antlers. Also available are USA made pewter products like the Elk decanter and money clips and wind chimes.

 

Game and Fish products are featured on the agency’s web site https://wgfd.wyo.gov/ae/. Shoppers can also purchase gift certificates. Proceeds from the sale of products support hunter and angler access, habitat restoration and protection, and other wildlife programs.                                                                                                                        

(Contact: Jackie Beck 307-777-4570)

-WGFD-

 

New stamps needed for extended January elk seasons

CHEYENNE – Hunters who have 2014 big game licenses that extend into January are reminded that even though they may have a 2014 limited quota license for an area where the season runs into January, the 2014 Conservation Stamp expires Dec. 31, 3014 and hunters will need to obtain a 2015 Conservation Stamp to hunt the January portion of the season.

 

In addition, some of the areas with January seasons in the western part of the state are also areas where the Elk Feedground Special Management Permit is required. That permit also expires Dec. 31, 2014 and a new 2015 Elk Management Permit is required to hunt the January season. The 2015 Conservation stamp and elk management permit is valid for the entire calendar year.

 

Wyoming has a handful of areas with season dates and license types for elk that do not close until January 31. The Game and Fish will be selling these leftover licenses into January until the season for each hunt area and license type is closed or the licenses sell out.

 

Areas with leftover licenses can be found on the Game and Fish website wgfd.wyo.gov. Click on Hunting then on Leftover Licenses.

(Contact: Game and Fish 307-777-4600)

-WGFD-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game and Fish Calendar

Dec. 9 – Public meeting on Access to G&F records/hunter license lists, Casper WGFD office, 6 p.m.                                           Dec. 31 – Season Closes for sharp-tailed grouse

Dec. 31 – 2014 hunting, fishing and trapping licenses expire

Jan. 1 – Resident and Non Resident application periods begin for all big game species

 

 

Ask Game and Fish