A pair of bills that deal with shed antler hunting season in Wyoming are getting closer to becoming law. The first one will prevent non-residents from shed hunting until one week after the season opens, giving residents a week-long head start. For example, if the shed hunting season opens on May 1 at 6 a.m. on public lands, non-residents will have to wait until May 8th and 6 a.m. until they can shed hunt in the state of Wyoming. This includes Jackson Hole. The point is to give residents a fair chance to get out over the course of a full weekend without the non-resident pressure.
The second bill would require non-residents to purchase a conservation stamp to hunt antlers in the state of Wyoming as well. The license is valid for the entire year and would cost a non-resident $21.50. For reference, the average price of brown elk antler is $20 a pound. A medium sized 6-point bull elk antler weighs 5-6 lbs, so that antler is worth $100. In my mind a $21.50 conservation stamp is a small price to pay when you factor in the price of shed antlers.
Both these bills passed the Senate unanimously and they each have the support of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. There are still a few more votes that need to happen before these bills reach the Governor’s desk.
What’s your take on this?
39 comments
Neither of those said there would be no nonresident shed hunting allowed??? What kind of Clickbait headline was that??? You have all the credibility of a CNN reporter now
I agree Skip.
So when a Wyoming rig is parked in Utah or Colorado, imagine what will happen. This just promotes vandalism and bad behavior. Grow up Wyoming…
Maybe your way of thinking goes straight to vandalism once you don’t get your way.. You guys get all spring to pick up antlers only to come here in droves. Good riddance…
Public lands belong to the nonresidents just as much as the residents, passing this law is not fair on public lands!!!
It is common for resident seasons to open a week before non-res. Our pheasant and waterfowl seasons are both that way.
You can be out on public land you just can’t pick up sheds. You need to read the bill closer.
Agreed, 100%. They are paid for with our taxes!!!
Public Land is just that Public ! Why should residents be granted access advantage over non-residents?
Because the agency designated to manage the states wildlife resources said so
What makes you think that all sheds are sold? You will find that most are not sold.
Precisely James – I’ve rarely sold the sheds I collect, large or small. Wall full of dead heads and massive stacks of sheds sorted by category. They are the best conversation starters ever!
Maybe on private or state owned lands but on the National Forest they cannot stop a non resident.
That is any Americans right.
I agree Dwight.
So Dwight, you can shoot an elk in May on public land? It is your American right?
You can’t hunt a wilderness area (Federal land) for big game without a guide if you’re a non-resident in Wyoming . It follows that hunting sheds in National Forest lands /BLM in Wyoming will be managed by laws made by the Wyoming legislators and enforced by the Wyoming G&F.
Oh yes they can. And do. Removing sheds are not a right of nonresidents anymore than hunting is. Wildlife is a state natural resource and the state is free to discriminate against nonresidents almost any way it wants. Tag quotes and license fee differentials and shed hunting discrimination.
Complete and utter BS!!! What next, different start dates for hunting seasons for residents and non-residents. This will create a bigger division between hunters and working right into anti- hunter agenda to end all hunting at all costs!!
Heres to hoping!
In order for this kind of legislation to work long term it needs to be all the Western States passing it as a whole or not at all! Public land is public to everyone in the USA, not just Wyoming. Hailing from Montana I get the pressure of just to many people competing for sheds (actually worse than hunting issues these days). I can imagine the whiplash if Wyoming attempts to say Nationally owned lands are off limits. They should stick o State controlled lands only.
No shit.
The bill doesn’t forbid anyone from public ground. The wildlife is held in trust for the residents of the state so the wildlife and all parts thereof belong to the residents so I don’t see any problem giving them first dibs, all states should follow suit for their residents. I also think the conservation stamp is a great idea but should apply to all shed hunters. I would like to see this spread to all users that have impacts on wildlife, campers, hikers, photographers etc.
I don’t understand why sheds are even managed by wildlife agencies. In my opinion when they fall off they become a mineral. Perhaps the bureau of mines would be a more appropriate agency??
Lots of outrage on here. You all should have seen this coming. YOU did this. Morons chasing animals in the winter to force shedding creates undue stress.
You want to tote the catchphrase “hunting is conservation”. Love to talk about how great of a conservationist you are, then complain when a state makes a move to better the health of the animals.
As for the week head start for residents. That is a common practice for other seasons in many states. Don’t like it, move, become a resident, pay some taxes. All that said, I am a non-res of Wyoming.
You bring up some valid points.
Better yet, ban shed posts to Instagram, Facebook etc. then de-monetize antlers. Problem solved. Self-regulation at its finest. Maybe instead of complaining take some time to reflect on why we are in this situation in the first place. Greed, selfishness, egotism, etc. Ask yourself one question “why do I shed hunt?” and answer that question honestly. I think most will find they are doing it for all the wrong reasons. Ultimately most don’t give a second thought to the welfare of the animal as long as they get that ATL! No animals, no hunting, no sheds, YOUR FAULT.
Should be reprococity then , Wyoming guys have no problem shed hunting eastern Idaho, and Southern Montana yer feel no nonresident should hunt theirs until after the gravy sheds are gone. Trying to say nobody sells shed’s is a huge inaccuracy , Some don’t most do especially in a down economy. Have same start date for all states will lessen border hopping. I am in eastern Idaho we share the same herd’s as Western Wyoming . Summer and fall ranges.
Not cool I’ve been shed hunting for years. I guess the local businesses don’t want our revenue, motels,restaurant,bars. Good luck.
Guess the “hobby” wasnt all about conservation. Try golf
How about we abolish ALL shed hunting period. Give the animals some amount of time to get over being chased for over 90 days and have the ability to calve and fawn without a billion idiots and their dogs chasing all over the country side.
I am a life long hunter and attribute the lower rate of fawns and calves living as a direct results of the shed hunters.
Didn’t think an antler could turn so many people socialist! Plain and simple, WY wildlife is owned by the residents of the state in trust by the legislators we vote in and is managed by G&F as granted by the 2005 reaffirmation of state regulation for resident and non resident hunting and fishing. In their entirety. This includes licensing for hunting of said wildlife, allocating tags between resident and non resident for said wildlife and collecting the horns of said wildlife. And thank God for that, because if the current administration had federal control over the wildlife, it would all have been sent to Ukraine by now
Well said!
State regulation of wildlife does much more than keep the feds out of the picture as far is setting seasons, tag numbers, quotas, and license fees. It makes it so western state residents receive more than maybe 25% to 50% of the licenses to hunt big game in our own states. Or less. For instance, in New Mexico prior to the federal 2005 Reaffirmation Act you mentioned NM was barred from having a nonresident quota for bighorn, ibex, or oryx. Once the act passed NM establishing a quota for these species would have been the formality of making a motion to vacate an injunction. For 8 years we begged our game commission to file the motion. It wasn’t until the embarrassment of nonresidents drawing 15 out of 16 desert bighorn tags in the state during 2012 that the commission filed the motion to vacate during 2013. It was granted by the federal court during 2014.
The western states are the only region where nonresident demand absent quotas would make the residents the minority of big game hunters. Nonresident demand without nonresident quotas doesn’t impact a resident’s ability to hunt in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, etc like it would in the western states. Western state residents have far more to lose from a lack of state control than residents of other states.
It’s national forest land it shouldn’t matter if it’s residents or nonresidents!!
More regulation….! Am sure that’s what everyone needs….! DC has come to Wyoming…..!
PHUCK EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS. ITS OUR PUBLIC LAND.
Hh
Slippery slope when we start pitting sportsmen against each other. We better be careful!!
It’s not slippery at all. Nonresidents absent state control would make it so western state residents are the only region in the country were the residents receive the minority of big game hunting opportunity. The only “pitting” is by people like outfitters and landowners looking to cash in on our wildlife that would see western state residents as the only hunters that get shut out of the majority of the opportunity to hunt OUR big game.