WGFD Conserving Wildlife, Serving People Cheyenne Office 5400 Bishop Blvd Cheyenne, WY 82006 Phone: (307) 777-4600 Fax: (307) 777-4610 wgfd.wyo.gov News Release Dec. 23, 2013 Contact: Al Langston (307) 777-4540 al.langston@wyo.gov For Immediate Release: WGFD Launches Inaugural Super Tag and Super Tag Trifecta Raffles... 1 Hunters required to Apply Online in 2014...2 Cody Fisheries Supervisor Steve Yekel Retires After 37 Years of Service...3 Researchers Monitor Mule Deer in Two Southwest Wyoming Herds...3 Game and Fish Calendar...5 Ask Game and Fish...5 WGFD LAUNCHES INAUGURAL SUPER TAG AND SUPER TAG TRIFECTA RAFFLES CHEYENNE Imagine having the opportunity to select any license, for any big game, trophy game or wild bison, for any hunt area in Wyoming for 2014. A few lucky winners of the inaugural Super Tag and Super Tag Trifecta raffles will have such an opportunity. As one method to address recent budget cuts by increasing license revenue, on Jan. 2, 2014, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) will begin selling tickets for two raffles: the Super Tag and Super Tag Trifecta. The Super Tag raffle will provide a chance for hunters to win one of 10 tags for our most popular big game and trophy game species as well as wild bison, said Alan Dubberley, WGFD spokesman. The Super Tag Trifecta ramps it up a notch by providing one winner the opportunity to select tags for three of the 10 species. The species include elk, deer, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, black bear, gray wolf, mountain goat, mountain lion and wild bison. There is the potential for 11 different winners, but it is possible for an individual to win more than one of the drawings, said Dubberley. The number of entries is unlimited. Obviously the more tickets you purchase, your odds of winning increase. Tickets go on sale Jan. 2, 2014 and can be purchased through May 1, 2014. Super Tag raffle tickets are $10 each and Super Tag Trifecta tickets are $30 each. Income raised will go toward the department s general operations. Winners can hunt any open hunt areas for the species they win except moose and big horn sheep for which minimal limitations will be imposed to protect herds in specific hunt area with low quotas. The winner of the moose super tag will be able to select any moose area as long as there are more than 10 licenses. For bighorn sheep, the hunter may select areas where more than eight licenses are available.
Anyone can win, Dubberley said, Resident, non-resident, it is open to everyone. Two unique rules in the raffle include: successful raffle winners who have preference points will retain them and mandatory waiting periods will be waived. In other words, the winners don t have to give up the preference points they have collected over the years to own the license, Dubberley stated. And, if they draw a coveted tag that usually requires a waiting period before they can apply again, that waiting period will be waived and they can enter the draw the very next year. Winners of the raffle, after purchasing the appropriate license, will be able to hunt in any open hunt area for the species they win. Hunters must still follow all dates, regulations and applicable laws for each hunt area and species they are hunting. (Contact: Alan Dubberley 307-777-4594) HUNTERS REQUIRED TO APPLY ONLINE IN 2014 CHEYENNE Beginning January 2014, hunters will be required to use an online application process to apply to hunt in Wyoming. Due to the recent budget cuts, printing and distribution costs and temporary clerical staff for processing paper applications was cut, said Jennifer Doering, license section manager for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). We had planned to go paperless with our application process in 2015, the cuts moved our timeline up one year. The majority of hunters already submit applications through the department s electronic licensing system (ELS) with 95 percent of applications from both resident and non-residents coming in via the ELS. The ELS is accessible via the WGFD website at wgfd.wyo.gov. All nine WGFD offices are prepared to help those who need assistance. We anticipate some of our customers will need help with the process, so we have very knowledgeable and professional staff members in all of our offices across the state and in our call center who are ready to help, Doering added. In addition to our staff, each office will have a computer station available for walk-ins to apply right on the spot. We are trying to make it as easy as possible. An advantage of using the online process is the flexibility to wait until the very last minute to plan out a hunt and actually apply, Doering said. A separate, helpful tool is the Plan Your Hunt section of our website. Private, third-party application services exist to help hunters navigate the application processes of various states. Those who wish to use a Wyoming outfitter for their hunt may also find the outfitter s assistance valuable during the application process. For a list of outfitters in Wyoming, visit the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association website (www.wyoga.org). Application deadlines for each species will remain unchanged from previous years. The deadlines for nonresident elk and resident spring wild turkey applications (5 p.m. January 31, 2014) will be the first for which the 2
online-only application process is in effect. For a full list of application deadlines, see wgfd.wyo.gov (select Hunting then Plan Your Hunt ). (Contact: Jennifer Doering 307-777-4517) CODY FISHERIES SUPERVISOR STEVE YEKEL RETIRES AFTER 37 YEARS OF SERVICE CHEYENNE Steve Yekel, fisheries supervisor for the Cody Region recently retired after more than 37 years with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He began his Game and Fish career as a fish biologist aid in Laramie. In 1977, he was promoted to the Cody fish management team and he was promoted to his current position in July 2002. Yekel was honored as the Fish Division Employee of the Year in 1999 for his management innovations at East and West Newton lakes and Luce, Hogan and Deaver reservoirs. He also helped found the Game and Fish Biologist s Association in 1998 and served as the association s first president. In 2001, he received the Max award from the American Fisheries Society for his work restoring Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Steve s early efforts to develop the superb Newton Lake fisheries successfully met angler s needs and balanced angler desires among diverse angling interests in the Cody Region, said Fisheries Chief Mark Fowden. He has also been involved in assessments of the range-wide status of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and restoration efforts that have proven critical to preclude its listing under the Endangered Species Act. Yekel grew up in Torrington and is a 1970 graduate of Torrington High School. His degrees from the University of Wyoming include a bachelor s in biology and a master s in zoology. In 1999, Yekel served as president of the Great Plains Fisheries Worker Association, where he established a scholarship for a prospective fish biologist at the University of Wyoming. He is also a member of the Colo/Wyo Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Commenting on Yekel s career, Fowden said that Yekel s motivation and dedication to the regional fisheries, anglers and diverse publics have served the department well. Steve s achievements are certainly both numerous and remarkable, Fowden said. (Contact: Al Langston 307-777-4540) RESEARCHERS MONITOR MULE DEER IN TWO SOUTHWEST WYOMING HERDS GREEN RIVER Wildlife researchers are trapping mule deer in southwest Wyoming to learn more about migration patterns, habitat use, survival and other factors important to sustaining a healthy mule deer population. The trapping is being conducted by personnel from the Game and Fish, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and volunteers. 3
Research projects continue in the Baggs and Wyoming Range mule deer herds. The Baggs mule deer herd is hunt area 82. The Wyoming Range mule deer herd is one of the largest herd units in Wyoming, and is made up of deer hunt areas 134, 135, 143, 144 and 145. The data collected from these projects will help wildlife managers better manage these deer herds. Mule deer trapping operations in the Baggs herd began in 2011 and will continue into 2014. Mule deer are baited two weeks before trapping. Apple pulp is used as the bait and the trap is comprised of a 40-by-40 foot net suspended from poles. Biologists hide in a blind in front of the trapping site and wait for the deer to come underneath the drop net to feed on the apple pulp. When the deer are busy feeding, the release button is activated and the net falls on top of them. Bright yellow numbered ear tags and white vinyl visual collars are placed on all deer captured to determine annual survival of deer using the Baggs underpasses via mark-resight methods. Some bucks are fitted with VHF ear tags donated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Now in its third year, the trapping project has yielded valuable data that will assist wildlife managers in both Wyoming and Colorado. We know there is interchange between the deer here in Baggs and our neighbors to the south, Colorado, said Baggs Wildlife Biologist Tony Mong. We have been able to share data with Colorado Parks and Wildlife through the use of VHF ear tags we are placing on buck mule deer. Since buck ratios are an important parameter of our population management techniques it is very important to find out where our bucks are going so that we don t included them in our population estimates if they are Colorado mule deer and vice versa. Mong spends many long hours looking at the underpass trail camera footage looking for the deer with ear tags or collars. He then records the date and time the deer went through the underpass, as well as the direction they are traveling. People are encouraged to report any mule deer they see with a yellow ear tag or a white visual collar as this information is critical to collecting accurate data of where these deer migrate to and when. Mule deer capturing operations in the Wyoming Range herd began in March 2013. Thirty-five doe deer were captured on the Labarge/Big Piney winter range complex and 35 more were captured on winter ranges between Kemmerer and Evanston. These deer were recaptured earlier this month and the data from their collars was downloaded. This research project will allow biologists to focus on where this mule deer population is now relative to current habitat conditions and find ways to help mule deer populations recover to desired levels. Unlike the Baggs operation, a helicopter and crew of muggers from Native Range Capture Company located the deer and used a net gun to capture them. The deer were transported by helicopter to a processing station where biologists determine the age of the deer and measure body fat. An ultrasound was conducted to check pregnancy and fetal status and a blood and fecal sample was taken before the deer were released. Numerous groups have partnered to make this mule deer study happen. Key contributors include the Game and Fish, the Rock Springs Chapter of Muley Fanatics Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Governor s Big Game License Coalition, Animal Damage Management Board, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. (Contact: Lucy Wold 307-875-3223) 4
Game and Fish Calendar Dec. 30 Deadline for comments on proposed 2014 black bear seasons and minor changes to Game and Fish regulation chapters 1,4.10,25,27,28, 29, 33,34,37,40,41,45,46,49,50,51,53-58, 61,62 and 63. Send written comments to WGFD, 3030 Energy Lane, Casper, WY 82604 Dec. 31 Season closes for sharp-tailed grouse Dec. 31 Season closes for pheasants in remaining hunt areas Dec. 31 2013 hunting, fishing and trapping licenses expire Jan. 1 Resident and non-resident application periods begin for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat Jan. 1 Game and Fish begins accepting artwork for Conservation Stamp competition Jan. 1 Nonresident application period begins for elk, deer and antelope Jan. 1 Online application period begins for resident elk, deer and antelope Ask Game and Fish Q. Can I use a pellet gun to hunt small game? A. Yes you can. On page 7 of the Upland Bird/Small Game Regulations is a paragraph detailing the legal weapons that may be used for hunting game birds and small game. While there are certain weapon restrictions for hunting some game birds, the regulation stipulates that small game may be taken with any weapon. In Wyoming, cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hares and red, gray and fox squirrels are classified as small game animals. 5