May 9 Game and Fish news

For Immediate Release:

 

 

March is public meetings season................................................................................................................. . 1

Spring black bear bait site registration and hunting information.......................................................... . 2

Small game, upland game bird, duck and gees harvest survey underway ......................................... . 3

Baggs mule deer capture study................................................................................................................... . 4

Game and Fish Calendar............................................................................................. 6

Ask Game and Fish.................................................................................................. 7

 

 

Public meetings season approaches

 

CHEYENNE – Big game hunting seasons have ended across Wyoming, but the upcoming “public meeting season” is upon us. This season takes place every year in late winter and early spring. These public meetings and your input are very important for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department as it prepares for the fall hunting seasons.

 

During the next few weeks the Game and Fish will be holding dozens of public meetings and open houses throughout the state. The agenda for these meetings is quite simple. Hunters, landowners and wildlife enthusiasts can meet and talk with their local game wardens and biologists and review information on Game and Fish proposals for hunting seasons along with wildlife management goals and objectives for different hunt areas and herd units.

 

But, the meetings are not the only way to participate. The public can call, email or stop by and talk to their local game warden or biologist to give feedback or learn more. Individuals can also view information and provide comments online at:  https://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/wgfd-1001683.aspx or by visiting the Game and Fish website and clicking on the public meetings tab.  A full calendar of scheduled meetings is available as well as draft regulations.  Please watch for draft proposals and associated presentations that will be available on this site and at regional offices after March 20th. Any comments should be directed to the most current draft regulation/draft proposal available.

 

“These meetings are the best time for hunters to get an idea of how their wildlife herds are doing and what the Game and Fish is planning for the coming season,” said Chief game warden Brian Nesvik. “This process allows us present our proposals for the coming hunting seasons and more importantly, this time of year is when hunters, landowners and any member of the public can let us know what is on their mind and what direction they would like to see the Game and Fish take in the future.”

 

One of the reasons Game and Fish holds so many meetings in different locations is to make it easier for those who are interested to attend. “Wyoming is a big state and we realize that travel would make it difficult for many to get to their nearest meeting if we restricted locations to just the cities where we have Game and Fish regional offices,” Nesvik said. “While we can’t get out to every community, we hold dozens of meetings in towns across the state in hopes that all who are interested can find a meeting reasonably close to where they live.”

 

Nesvik emphasized that the proposals presented at the meetings are just that—proposals.  “We present strategies for the upcoming seasons based on harvest success, game counts, habitat, weather and other factors,” Nesvik said. “The comments we receive are presented to the Game and Fish Commission prior to their season setting meeting in April.  The Commission gives careful consideration to feedback received from public meetings and their official season setting meeting prior to finalizing the proposed regulations.  It isn’t uncommon for the Commission to modify season proposals based on public comment.”   

 

Hunters who attend are not required to make comments, although that input is certainly appreciated. “Some hunters attend meetings simply because they want to get an early preview of what the Game and Fish has planned for their favorite hunt areas,” Nesvik said.  “Regardless of the reason attendance is important and appreciated.”

Meeting dates and locations are on the Game and Fish website wgfd.wyo.gov.  Interested persons can also call 307-777-4600 for meeting information.

 

 

 

Spring black bear bait site registration and hunting information

 

CHEYENNE – Black bear hunters looking to use baits during the upcoming spring bear hunting seasons are advised that the period to renew their bear bait site from the previous year runs fromMarch 1 to March 20.This applies only to those hunterswho had bait sites registered in the previous calendar year and wish to renew the same site.

  

Following the preference period, unclaimed sites can be registered in person or by a representative of the applicant at any Wyoming Game and Fish Department regional office beginning at 8 a.m. April 1, on a first come, first served basis.

           

There will be no black bear bait site registrations during the period of March 21–March 31. Hunters can renew their bait sites from last year by contacting their local Game and Fish regional offices by telephone, mail, fax, in person or by a representative. All registered bait sites are for the current calendar year and cannot be changed again until 2016.

 

Hunters are reminded that they must have a valid black bear hunting license prior to registering a bait site. No bear bait may be placed on state, federal, or Game and Fish lands without first registering the bait site with the Game and Fish. Each bear hunter is allowed two bait sites, however, hunters may only have one bait per section, as illustrated on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management maps. In addition, bear baits cannot be placed more than seven days prior to opening day and must be removed seven days after the last date of the hunting season.

 

Wyoming manages black bears using a female mortality limit system. Each black bear hunt area has a female mortality quota limitation that, when reached, closes the season for that area immediately. Hunters are advised to regularly check the black bear hotline at 1-800-264-1280 to make sure their hunt area hasn’t closed.

 

When a black bear is harvested, hunters are required to retain the skull and pelt, with visible external evidence of sex, and present it to department personnel at the nearest Game and Fish office within three days (72 hours). Hunters are encouraged to brush up on their bear identification skills by taking a voluntary online bear identification test found on the Wyoming Game and Fish Web site at: http://gf.state.wy.us/BearExam/index.asp.

Additional information on black bear seasons, baiting and regulations are in the black bear hunting regulations available at any license selling agent. Hunters with questions can contact any Game and Fish regional office.      

(Contact: Al Langston 307-777-4540)

-WGFD-

Small Game, Upland Game Bird, Ducks & Geese Harvest Survey now underway

CHEYENNE—The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is mailing a follow-up survey during March to more than 14,000 hunters who have not yet responded to an earlier survey request. Hunters are asked to complete the survey by April 1.

 

More than 4,000 hunters completed the survey following the initial survey request which consisted of 6,219 who provided email addresses and 12,100, without email contacts. Game and Fish survey coordinator Gail Sheridan said that about half of those who received emails have responded and those survey responses essentially did not cost the Game and Fish anything. Follow-up hard copy surveys have been sent to more than 14,000 hunters and the response rate so far has been about 20 percent.

 

Sheridan said that more survey responses are needed to get a statistically valid sampling of small game harvest and hunting efforts. Game and Fish stresses it is very important that hunters complete the survey regardless of the number of days they went hunting or the numbers of small game animals, game birds and waterfowl that were bagged.

 

“Surveys are the best tool we have to determine hunter participation and harvest,” said Sheridan. “They provide important information to help us determine ups and downs of populations and the interest the state’s hunters have in small game hunting.”

 

Hunters are encouraged to fill out the online survey as it improves accuracy, saves printing and mailing costs and reduces processing time. Sheridan said the online method is more efficient.

 

“Each survey letter has instructions for applying online and a hunter key that must be entered to complete the survey,” Sheridan said. “By applying online, it saves the Game and Fish money in postage and processing and speeds up the procedure to compile survey results. But, regardless of the method used, it is important that the survey is completed.”

 

As with many big game surveys, not everyone who hunts small game or game birds receives a survey. Participants are randomly chosen. Once names are selected, response must be adequate to insure a statistically valid sampling is obtained.

(Contact: Gail Sheridan 307-777-4567)

-WGFD-

 

 

Baggs mule deer capture study

 

BAGGS – After a lot of freezing-cold, long hours and a lot of patience, Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife biologist Tony Mong now has a great deal of valuable wildlife information he can use to help manage the Baggs mule deer herd.

 

Mule deer trapping operations in the Baggs herd began in December 2011 and has continued every December and January since. Mule deer were baited into drop nets set up at selected sites where the deer congregated. Apple pulp was used as the bait and the trapping team used a drop net suspended from five poles, one in each corner and one in the center. Biologists hid nearby and waited for the deer to come underneath the drop net to feed on the bait. Once under the net, a remote-controlled release button is activated and the net falls on top of the deer. Captured deer are then fitted with ear tags, PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags and radio transmitters.

 

“This helps us learn more about the annual survival, movements and ultimately an independent estimate of population size for the Baggs mule deer herd,” Mong said. “We not only had partnerships in the form of volunteering time to trap deer, but also through financial and equipment support. The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative has given financial support to launch the project, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department donated ear tag radio transmitters to mark bucks and the Little Snake River Conservation District has been integral in supporting the project logistically.”

 

Mong said that in addition to traditional tagging methods, the project has pioneered a new technique of marking mule deer using radio frequency identification (RFID).

 

“This technique works by inserting PIT tags with unique identification numbers in the deer to track their movement along the Baggs mule deer migration route,” Mong said. “The PIT tag does not operate on a battery, but rather, remains inactive until it travels close to a PIT tag reader, therefore lasting the entire life of the mule deer.”

 

Mong said, “So far we have seen deer move from the Savery area to spots 20 miles south of Rawlins and surprisingly to the Zirkel Wilderness Area east of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This research is giving us great information on the movement patterns of not only doe mule deer, but also bucks, which will allow us to work closely with our partners in Colorado to make more informed management decisions.”

 

Mong said the project was possible thanks to numerous volunteers and partners that assisted with the projectThis mule deer research project is an excellent example of local people volunteering their time to take an active role in the management of their local mule deer herd,” Mong said. “Four years, many partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations, and some forty volunteers later, we are both proud and ecstatic to report that we have captured 198 mule deer so far. Over these past four years, as a team, we were able to place neck collars, ear tags and or PIT tags on deer to collect as much data as possible to better manage the Baggs mule deer herd.”

           

The relative low cost of captures and the techniques used to track deer has allowed Mong and his crew of volunteers to capture a large number of deer and will allow the project to continue into the foreseeable future.

 

“There were a lot of people who volunteered their time to make this a success,” Mong said. “I don’t want to leave anyone out in the thank you list because there are so many of them and I sincerely hope they know we recognize and appreciate their hard work. Having said that, I would like to especially like to thank these volunteers from the 2014-2015 trapping season: Robert Dunn, Bo and Kody Stocks, Jeff Sagner, Jennifer Fuit and her son, Dalton Walker, Kurt Olson, John, B.J. and Tanner MacMullen, Todd Kaisler, Eric and Michelle Anderson, Jeff Geyer, Jeff Cowley, Britney Brito, Dawn Moon, Don Pinneo and Ryan Bagley.”

 

Numerous groups have partnered with WGFD to make this mule deer study happen. Key contributors include: researchers with the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming, UW Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), WYDOT wildlife biologist Thomas Hart, the Green River/Rock Springs and Cheyenne Chapters of Muley Fanatics Foundation, Little Snake River Conservation District, Wildlife Landscape Conservation Initiative, personnel from Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Trust Fund.”

(Contact: Lucy Wold 307-875-3223)

 

Game and Fish Calendar

 

March 18 – Living in Large Carnivore Country workshop, Rock Springs, White Mountain Library, 6 p.m.                                                                                                           March 19 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Evanston, Uinta County Library, 6:30 p.m.

March 19 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Greybull, Town Hall, 6 p.m.                             March 19 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Riverton, Fire Hall, 6 p.m.

March 19 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Powell, Park County Fairgrounds, 6:30 p.m.

March 19 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Thermopolis, Historical Museum, 6 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Afton, Civic Center, 6 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Hulett, Community Center, 7 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Meeteetse, Senior Center, 6 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Mountain View, School Board Room, 6:30 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Saratoga, Town Hall, 6 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Sheridan, Game and Fish Office, 4 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Sundance, Crook County Courthouse, 4 p.m.

March 23 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Wheatland, Platte County Library, 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Baggs, Valley Community Center, 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Buffalo, Johnson County Library, 4 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Dubois, Headwaters Arts & Conf. Ctr., 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Gillette, Campbell County Library, 4 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Jeffrey City, Fire Hall, 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Kemmerer, Lincoln County Library, 6:30 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Marbleton, Town Hall, 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Newcastle, U.S. Forest Service Office, 7 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Torrington, Platte Valley Bank 6 p.m.

March 24 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Worland, Washakie County Fairgrounds, 6 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Cheyenne, Game and Fish Office, 6 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Cokeville, Town Hall, 6:30 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Douglas, Converse County Courthouse, 6 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Lovell, Fire Hall, 6 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Lusk, Niobrara County Courthouse, 5 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Pinedale, Game and Fish Office, 6 p.m.

March 25 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Rawlins, Jeffrey Center, 6 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Cody, Bighorn Federal Bank, 6 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Green River, Game and Fish Office, 7 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Jackson, Antler Inn, 6 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Lander, Game and Fish Office, 6 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Laramie, UW Berry Center, 6 p.m.

March 26 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Sheridan, Game and Fish Office, 7 p.m.

March 30 – Public meeting on proposed big game and bird seasons, Casper, Game and Fish Office, 6 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

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