Wyoming: More Deer Tags!

Could someone expect to consistently put a mule deer and whitetail general tag in their pocket in Wyoming one day? SF0003-Mule and Whitetail Deer Separate Hunting Seasons may be marching its way through the Legislature to make that a reality by providing a bill that gives the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) the authority to create a separation of pricing and applications in the tag system between whitetail and mule deer licenses in the State. 

This is the second year such a bill has been brought forward – a recommendation from the Wildlife Task Force. The Task Force was a conglomeration of people with wildlife interests, from landowners to outfitters to resident hunters and hotel owners, who met 16 times from June 2021 until December 2022 to deep dive into Wyoming’s burning wildlife issues. These recommendations were hashed out with public involvement and often came from hours of deliberation.

Before diving into the mechanics of SF003, it’s worth acknowledging how the WGFD currently manages whitetail and mule deer separately today. In various places across the state, general deer tags offer bag limits like, “antlered mule deer, or any whitetail deer” which means hunters can shoot one of either species with that tag. 

To focus more hunting pressure on whitetail and less on mule deer, WGFD currently can add antler point restrictions on mule deer, and offers shorter seasons on mule deer in some places. For instance, in hunt areas around Sheridan, WY, hunters in 2024 could take an antlered mule deer or any whitetail deer from Oct. 15-24. Then, the regulations switch to only any whitetail deer from October 25 until November 30th. 

Additionally, WGFD offers a Type 3 any whitetail license, which can be an additional antlered deer tag if you can pick it up. For residents, that may mean picking up a Type 3 in the initial drawing, then buying a general mule deer tag at the local sporting goods store. As a resident, this has been my approach and has allowed me an additional any whitetail tag every year. 

If a nonresident wanted two antlered deer tags in their pocket currently, they would have to pick up one of those two tags in the leftover drawing at the end of June.

Since usually WGFD manages from the ground up by regions and districts, there are an array of different regulations in every part of the state. Some areas, like the ones near Sheridan and Kaycee, have extended general seasons for whitetail, while others offer more Type 3 tags to address whitetail hunting needs, like near Laramie, Lander, and the Bighorn Basin. 

How SF0003 is written, it gives latitude to the Game and Fish Department to create a new structure for mule deer and whitetail tags in a different system. A person could imagine instead of having Type 3 whitetail tags that are in the same drawing as mule deer tags, you would have a Type 1 whitetail tag, or a general whitetail tag. Then, you would have separate types and general mule deer tags that no longer allow for the take of either/or species in the regulations. 

In the January 21st Senate Committee of the Whole Meeting, bill sponsor Sen. Ogden Driskill [R-Devil’s Tower] pushed for the passage of this bill essentially saying it doesn’t require the department to change anything, but it gives them the tool in the toolbox to make future management changes. 

In an era where mule deer are not doing well across the state, or any other state in the West for that matter, this bill opens up flexibility to do different things with the Wyoming deer tag structure than currently is in place. 

Discussion on the floor included whether or not the tag prices for mule deer or whitetail deer would change with this bill and it was made clear there would need to be additional legislation to make any price changes. However, this bill lays the ground work for pricing differences between a whitetail buck tag and a mule deer buck tag. Does that mean whitetail tags would be lower-priced to encourage their harvest? Or does it mean mule deer buck tags would be higher-priced to discourage folks from taking part in those seasons? It’s unclear, because those pricing changes would have to take place at another date and in another future bill. 

A “NO” vote in the Travel, Recreation, and Wildlife Committee, Senator Bill Landen [R-Casper] said he had zero support from the sporting community in his district, and that was keeping him from supporting the bill. 

A lot of confusion on the floor came from how this bill would change regulations from place to place, because Wyoming manages whitetails so differently in different parts of the state. For instance, in Senator Driskill’s neck of the woods, whitetail harvest generally hovers twice that of mule deer, even with an “antlered deer” general hunting regulation from November 1 until November 20 each year. There are no Type 3 licenses or extended general seasons for whitetail deer harvest.

On the flipside, in Senator Landen’s district, there are ample Type 3 whitetail tags, some available in the second choice options in the initial drawing in 2024. These are likely the dynamics at play, and your geography in Wyoming coupled with your preferred hunting grounds probably have a large weight in where you fall on this bill.

Assuming participation and applications remained the same as they are today, the passage of the bill would probably mean hunters could more easily pick up a license for hunting an additional whitetail buck in their back yard than they can now. As a case study myself, I am a Lander, WY resident. This chance would likely result in me finally having a whitetail buck tag for the opportunity to hunt antlered whitetails on ground I have access to. Currently, I apply for the Type 3 whitetail tag locally and drawing odds are poor enough I have yet to get one within a short drive of my house. As a result, I hunt my extra Type 3 license on the east side of the state where there are tags available in my second choice options. 

In previous surveys of the hunting public, 45% of hunters supported this type of measure, while 31% remained neutral, and 24% of respondents opposed it. Among a split hunting public is a constant unknown of what the hunting public will do with the tag splits. Will they choose to take small mule deer bucks on general tags when they used to have the opportunity to hold out for a whitetail? Will the Game and Fish alter regulations to further restrict mule deer harvest and increase whitetail opportunity? 

These questions are not answered by the bill, however, likely would cause a domino effect of changes to Wyoming’s deer tag system if it passes in the House and is signed by the Governor later in the session. Until then, what do you say? Do you want Wyoming to divide the species of deer in Wyoming into separate license structures or keep managing as-is?