Public Comment in Support of Proposed Changes to Wyoming Landowner Licenses

 

Note: This letter was sent to us and is food for thought. We believe it is very important to have open communication about processes guiding wildlife conservation and management. – TH

To the Honorable Wyoming Game & Fish Commissioners, 

As a Wyoming resident of over 20 years, I strongly support the proposed changes to Chapter 44 . Section 8 regarding Landowner Licenses. I urge the Commission to vote in favor of these changes, which are both necessary and long overdue. A vote in favor is a vote in support of fairness, 

responsible wildlife management, and the vast majority of Wyoming hunters–most of whom are not landowners. 

The current system has been repeatedly abused, and resident hunting opportunities for elk, deer, and antelope have steadily declined. Meanwhile, landowners continue to receive guaranteed tags–often without any meaningful reduction in their hunting access or license availability. As a 

homeowner and taxpayer, I pay significant property taxes–often more than many landowners receiving these benefits–yet I am being asked, like many other resident hunters, to accept reductions in general hunting opportunities, particularly in areas like Sunlight, the Beartooths, and 

the North Fork. These areas have transitioned to Limited Quota due to concerns such as depredation, winterkill, and habitat degradation. 

Despite these cutbacks to public access, landowners have not shared in the sacrifice. That is neither fair, equitable, nor in line with the public trust doctrine that Wyoming’s wildlife is managed for the people, not for the privileged few. As currently written, Chapter 44 Section 8 enables landowners with as little as 160 acres to receive up to six tags–two each for elk, deer, and antelope–in Limited Quota units. Many of these individuals are not actively engaged in agriculture or ranching. They have no fuel, irrigation, weed control, or fertilizer costs, yet they benefit from a licensing system intended to support legitimate agricultural producers. 

This outdated law distorts our wildlife management system. Landowners often use these highly coveted tags not even on their private land, but on public lands such as Hunter Management Units, Walk-In Areas, National Forests, and BLM lands. They enjoy consistent, high-quality hunts every year, while the average resident hunter may wait a decade or more for a single tag. My last Limited Quota elk tag was in 2016–a tag I used to draw with 50% odds every three years. Today, those odds have dropped to 13% or lower in many units, pushing dedicated resident hunters out of meaningful participation in the hunting heritage we cherish. 

Furthermore, current enforcement of landowner license requirements is lax. There are no standardized inspection forms to document Animal Use Days, and landowners are rarely held accountable for proving they provide food, water, and cover for the wildlife they profit from. The proposed minimum of 3,000 Animal Use Days is both reasonable and necessary to ensure these licenses go only to those who genuinely support wildlife on their property. 

In addition, I call attention to a serious issue with how draw odds are reported. Though not directly part of Chapter 44 changes, the Game & Fish Department currently includes landowners with 100% draw odds in the public draw odds data. This creates a false picture of availability for the average applicant. These guaranteed landowner tags should be removed from the odds tables, and the Department should disclose how many tags are being withdrawn from the general draw for landowners each year. This is a basic transparency issue–not a statutory change–and I urge the Commission to direct the Department to correct this immediately. 

Wyoming’s wildlife belongs to all of us, and the management of hunting opportunities should reflect that. The proposed changes to Chapter 44 Section 8 are a step toward restoring balance and integrity to our system. I thank the Commission for its work and urge a strong vote in favor of these necessary reforms. 

Sincerely, 

Brad