Jan. 5-15 Game and Fish news

For Immediate Release:

 

 

 

Non-resident elk applications due Feb. 2................................................................................................... . 1

Game and Fish now accepting entries for Conservation Stamp Art Contest .................................... . 2

Fall turkey survey now underway .............................................................................................................. . 3

Game and Fish Calendar................................................................................................................................ 3

Ask Game and Fish......................................................................................................................................... 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nonresident elk applications due Feb. 2

CHEYENNE – With the coming of the New Year also comes the first application periods for the upcoming hunting seasons. The first deadline is Feb. 2 when applications for nonresident elk licenses for the 2015 hunting seasons are due. The deadline in normally Jan. 31 but has been extended this year because Jan. 31 is on a weekend.

 

In addition to the Feb. 2 nonresident elk deadline, Game and Fish is also accepting big game applications from both residents and nonresidents for other species. Different species have different deadlines. March 2 is the deadline for resident and nonresident bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat and wild bison (extended from Feb. 28 due to weekend). The major change this year is moving the nonresident deer and antelope deadline from March 15 to June 1 (extended from May 31 because of weekend. June 1 this year is also the resident deadline for limited quota elk, deer and antelope licenses. Hunters who apply early and later change their mind on hunt areas or wish to withdraw after applying can go online and modify or withdraw their applications at any time during the application period.

 

Big game application booklets are now on the Game and Fish website wgfd.wyo.gov. As was the case last year, Game and Fish is not printing application booklets. Application information on the website includes tentative hunting season opening dates, hunt area maps, various regulations and instructions for applying for licenses.

 

Hunters with questions on the big game application process or needing help to apply can contact the Game and Fish at 307-777-4600.

 

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

-WGFD-

 

 

 

Game and Fish now accepting entries for Conservation Stamp Art Contest

 

CHEYENNE – Wyoming Game and Fish is now accepting artwork for the 2015 Wyoming Conservation Stamp Art Contest. The swift fox, (Vulpes velox) one of Wyoming’s unique non game animals, is the subject for the 2015 contest. The annual event is now in its 32nd year.

Game and Fish typically receives 50-80 entries each year. The contest will culminate with judging in Cheyenne on April 10, 2015. The winning artwork will appear on the 2016 Wyoming conservation stamp.

 

Information including rules and deadlines on the Conservation Stamp Art Contest is on the Game and Fish website wgfd.wyo.gov. Printed rules and entry forms are also available and will be mailed to requesting artists. Artists may also choose to review the rules and use the forms on the Game and Fish website.

 

Swift fox are the smallest of all canids, about the size of a house cat, and are found in a handful of counties in southern Wyoming. They are most common in prairie habitats in the southeastern corner of the state.

 

Each year the Game and Fish selects one species to be the subject of the competition and eventually appear on the printed conservation stamps. The winning artist also receives a cash award of $3,500. Second place receives $1,500, third $750.

 

The competition is open to professional artists. Entries for the contest must be postmarked and/or delivered to Game and Fish headquarters in Cheyenne between Jan. 1 and March 1. A change in this year’s contest allows submission of up to two entries per artist. Artists are also reminded that the March 1 deadline is a change from the March 15 deadline that was in place for a number of years.

 

Contact: Al Langston 307-777-4540)

-WGFD-

 

 

Fall turkey survey now underway

CHEYENNE—The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking turkey hunters to take a few minutes and participate in the harvest survey now underway for the 2014 fall turkey season.

 

A total of 1,123 surveys have been mailed, and 729 have been emailed, to both resident and nonresident hunters who held both general and limited quota fall turkey licenses. This is the first year the harvest surveys are being emailed. The Department should realize a significant reduction in cost. Hunter survey coordinator Gail Sheridan said the online method is more efficient.

 

“The harvest survey only takes a few minutes,” Sheridan said. “By completing this online, it saves money in postage and processing and speeds up the procedure to compile survey results.”

 

The survey is an important tool for the Game and Fish to estimate harvest, hunter success, effort, and provides information to help wildlife managers plan the next year’s hunting season. The Game and Fish emphasizes it is still very important for all surveys to be completed even if the hunter was unsuccessful or did not go hunting.

(Contact: Gail Sheridan 307-777-4567)

-WGFD-

 

 

Game and Fish Calendar

 

Jan. 1 – Application period begins for all big game species

Jan. 1-March 2 – Artwork accepted for Game and Fish Conservation Stamp Art Contest

Jan. 1-Feb. 28 – Resident and non-resident application period for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison

Jan. 22-23 – Game and Fish Commission meeting; Cheyenne

Feb. 2 – Deadline for nonresident elk applications

 

 

Ask Game and Fish