Antler Hunting and Possession Requirements
by Wyoming Game & Fish
February 22, 2008
Considering hunting for shed antlers this winter? Make sure you understand and obey antler and horn possession laws that are enforced by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
When someone finds a skull with attached antlers or horns, they must contact a Game and Fish law enforcement officer as soon as possible so the scene can be investigated and make arrangements for inspection and potentially tagging of the antlers or horns with an Interstate Game Tag. All bighorn sheep horns picked up must be taken to a Game and Fish Regional Office within 15 days of being picked up for registration, plugging and interstate game tagging.
Naturally shed antlers and pronghorn horns do not require Wyoming Interstate Game Tags, nor does the department need to be notified when they are found.
"When someone finds a dead buck deer or bull elk in the field, they have stumbled upon a potential crime scene," says Assistant Wildlife Division Chief Scott Talbott. "If that same individual removes the head before notifying us of their discovery, the crime scene may be compromised and any chance of apprehending the poacher or poachers is lessened."
According to Talbott, protecting wildlife is a high priority. "Our job is to enforce the laws and regulations that protect our wildlife resource and we have a responsibility to investigate the illegal killing of game animals," he said. "Not every dead buck or bull found in the field has been poached of course. Disease, weather, predation and old age also kill animals."
According to Talbott, the "soon as possible" reference means just that. "In back country situations contact should be made as soon as a public telephone or cell phone service is available and in other areas where cell phone or other telephone service is routinely available the contact needs to be made before the antlers or horns are picked up or transported," Talbott said. "Failing to notify us is a violation we will strictly enforce.
"Once we have been contacted and obtain detailed information regarding the dead animal and its location, it is possible that the person who found the skull may be allowed to bring it in and have it properly tagged. If we feel it may have been poached, we will investigate."
If illegal activity is suspected, the Game and Fish will likely retain the antlers.
There are no antler hunting seasons in Wyoming, however, the Game and Fish urges all antler hunters to avoid moving elk and deer while they are on their winter ranges, especially when deep snows or cold temperatures persist. Some Game and Fish, U.S. Forest Service and BLM winter range areas are closed to all human activity during the winter period.
For more information about winter range closures or the proper procedure for tagging or plugging pick-up antlers or horns, contact your local game warden or nearest Game and Fish regional office. To report suspected illegally taken wildlife please contact a department law enforcement officer or the STOP Poaching hotline (877) WGFD-TIP.
Your Help Is Needed!
Let's bust these $%#@&*^$!!!
I'd love to add them to the Poacher's Hall of Shame!
G&F SEEKING INFORMATION ON MULE DEER BUCKS POACHED NORTHWEST OF RIVERTON ALONG RIVERVIEW ROAD
RIVERTON * The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is pleading for information about two buck mule deer illegally shot and left Monday evening Feb. 12 along the Riverview Road northwest of Riverton.
Game Warden Brad Gibb reports one deer was discovered near the "Old McMillan Tree Farm" approximately 1 mile east of the Riverview Country Club and the other approximately 2 miles west of the country club.
He says both deer were mature bucks featuring noteworthy antlers * a 25-inch heavy-antlered 4-by-4 rack and a 26-inch-wide moderately heavy 4-by-5 rack.
For killing a buck deer out of season and leaving it to waste, the violator would likely face Wyoming's toughest wildlife-related charge * the "Winter Range Statute." The penalties include up to a $10,000 fine, one year in jail and not less than a five-year suspension of hunting/fishing license privileges. Due to the proximity of many homes near the crimes, the violators could also face charges of reckless endangerment.
"With this being such a recent crime, our hope is that someone may recall something from their travel through that area on Monday," Gibb said. "If the violator or violators come forward, that could be taken into account in the number of charges filed and severity of the sentence requested."
Anyone with information * even second hand * may be eligible for a cash reward if the information leads to a conviction and callers can remain anonymous. Report information to the Stop Poaching Hotline at (800) 442-4331 or to the Lander Game and Fish Office at (307) 322-2688.
"So even close acquaintances to the violator or violators who are disturbed about the crimes can call without being revealed," he said.
OVER $5,000 IN REWARD MONEY BEING OFFERED IN WHISKEY MOUNTAIN POACHINGS
DUBOIS - Information leading to the conviction of the criminals responsible for poaching bighorn sheep from the Whiskey Mountain Herd near Dubois in November could now be worth over $5,000 to the individuals relaying the leads to authorities.
The Wyoming Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep has offered up to $5,000 for information on the cases, in addition to the standard rewards offered by the Wyoming Wildlife Protector's Association, the administrator of the Stop Poaching Rewards Program.
"We're appreciative of this support from the wild sheep organization to help us build cases in these crimes and hopefully get a conviction in time," said Cole Thompson, Dubois game warden.
Thompson is looking to solve these crimes:
n Around 1 to 3 a.m. Nov. 19, an 8-year-old, three-quarter-curl ram was shot within sight of the Torrey Creek Road at the head of Trail Lake.
n From Nov. 3-6 two dead ewes, or adult female bighorn sheep, were found on Torrey Rim. One is confirmed shot and the other is strongly suspected to have been shot.
n Also on Nov. 20, another ewe, which had been dead several days but could also have been shot, was discovered near the Torrey Creek trailhead.
The Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Herd is one of the region's most revered and popular wildlife viewing attractions attracting tourists from across the country in the winter.
For killing a bighorn ram out of season and leaving it to waste, the violator could face up to a $10,000 fine, one year in jail and a 10-year suspension of hunting/fishing license privileges.
"If the violators come forward the judge may take that into account when handing down the sentence," Thompson said.
Report information to the Stop Poaching Hotline at (800) 442-4331 or the Lander Game and Fish Office at (307) 332-2688.
"So even close acquaintances to the violator who are disturbed about the crime can call without being revealed," he said.
LANDER - Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials are seeking information about a poached mule deer buck found Saturday, Nov. 4 in the Ocean Lake Habitat Management Area.
Pheasant hunters contacted local officials after coming across the carcass near Shady Lane. The head had been removed, the rest of the animal was left to rot and the cape was not salvageable.
The carcass, having been left in such a manner, makes it tougher for investigators to time the death of the animal, but Travis Crane, wildlife technician for the Game and Fish in Lander, believes the animal had been left there for around three or four days, which means the poaching must have occurred between the last few days of October and the first few days of November.
As this poaching case has few leads, investigators are attempting to gather more information about the crime. Anyone with information about this incident, whether it is direct or second-hand, is urged to contact their local game warden or call the “Stop Poaching” hotline at (800) 442-4331. Tips that lead to a conviction are eligible for a cash reward.
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