Wyoming Game and Fish News:


FAVORABLE HUNTING FORECAST OVERALL, DESPITE HOT, DRY SUMMER

The hot and generally dry Cowboy State summer may not have seemed very conducive to hunting but its only impact will be a dry noisy forest and possible prolonged fire restrictions if the conditions persist into fall.

So, overall hunters are looking at pretty favorable 2007 hunting forecast, and the prospects could turn sharply better, particularly for elk, if weather would likewise take a sharp turn from dry to snow in the mountains in September and October.

The hot, dry summer may hurt pronghorn fawn survival a little but will have negligible if any impacts on elk statewide. Overall elk populations are in very good shape across Wyoming and particularly robust in the Laramie Peak/Laramie Range country from Wheatland to Glenrock, Snowy Range and Sierra Madres between Laramie to Baggs and the Wyoming and Salt ranges between Big Piney and Idaho.

The high profile (with low odds of drawing) areas both north and south of Rock Springs are expected to again offer high success and premier quality.

In the Yellowstone area, some elk herd units remain above population objectives. Hunting seasons are designed to further reduce elk numbers in specific portions of those herd units.

Declining bull/cow ratios have necessitated shorter seasons and a spikes-excluded season in several hunt areas east of Jackson. But overall elk numbers are good throughout the Jackson Region, but numbers alone don’t put meat in the freezer.

“Weather will dictate early elk season success in mountain areas,†warns Scott Smith, wildlife management coordinator for the Game and Fish’s Pinedale/Jackson region. “If hot weather persists, early hunting will be tough. If we get early moisture, which is growing increasingly uncommon, hunting will be excellent.â€

Without snow, elk hunters should be prepared to hunt harder, Smith believes.

Just because elk numbers may be high in some areas -- even to the point of issuing additional reduced price cow/calf licenses – doesn’t mean the large member of the deer family is going to jump in the back of the pick-up. Hunter desire will always play a key role in elk harvest because elk behave like a large, high-country whitetail, and are generally very elusive.

Elusive, but in a different way, is Wyoming’s trademark big game species, the North American pronghorn or antelope. Numbering more than Wyoming’s human population, at least until winter hits, pronghorn use their speed and keen eyesight to elude predators.

With more pronghorn than the rest of the continent combined, tremendous hunting is anticipated. Unlike deer and elk, there are no general pronghorn licenses * just a specific number of licenses to meet management goals for each hunt area.

Pronghorn horn growth, overall, should be better than last year, but not epic. Fawn recruitment, also, will be better than last year. As is the history of pronghorn hunting success in the Cowboy State, unsuccessful hunters are those who didn’t find a buck that met their standards or could not connect with their shots. Weather seldom plays much of a factor in pronghorn hunting. Occasionally a rain will make roads impassible for a day or two. On even rarer occasions, a snow can make pronghorn hard to spot. Mid-day hot weather (the increasing norm) can make animals harder to find and those factors can take some of the zeal out of hunting. The heat can impair pronghorn table quality, too.

In warm weather, hunters are urged to treat their pronghorn carcass as they would a game bird carcass. Put ice in the body cavity to quickly cool it or butcher it down to pieces small enough to fit in coolers.

Important reminder: leave evidence of gender attached to all pronghorn taken on doe/fawn licenses.

Many leftover pronghorn licenses are available in northeast Wyoming , but hunters are urged to have perm ission before buying the tags. And, if you’ve got a place to hunt you can get two any-antelope licenses in many areas or if you’ve already got an any-antelope license in another part of the state, you can buy another any license in one of the northeast Wyoming special areas. Permission is more obtainable for hunters willing to go afield later in the season.

Mule deer have an overall “thumbs up†forecast for 2007. The traditionally popular Baggs area is expected to offer good hunting, including 600 doe/fawn licenses to help whittle the population down to objective and keep the shrubs in more productive shape . Hunters who haven’t been there for a couple years should expect increased energy activity.

Despite chronic wasting disease in the area, mule deer are holding up well in the Laramie Range from the Colorado border to Douglas. An exception to the favorable forecast is the Wyoming Range between Alpine and Kemmerer, known as Region G to nonresidents. This year it won’t be living up to its reputation as probably the state’s most high profile and renowned deer country. The 2003-04 and 2004-05 winters claimed young and very old deer and the population is down and seasons shortened.

Nevertheless, some outfitters and individual hunters had bountiful hunting for the area*s noteworthy bucks in the 2006 season.

Buck numbers have dropped in area 132 west of Flaming Gorge Reservoir to the point the Game and Fish instituted a 4-point-or-better restriction on the area trademarked by Cedar Mountain. In recent years the restriction has been successful in restoring buck numbers in both the Lander and Kaycee areas.

In general, whitetail hunting in the Black Hills of Wyoming should be good and possibly even better than last year, reports Joe Sandrini, the wildlife biologist for northeast corner of Wyoming, the Cowboy State's principal whitetail range. The best hunting is on private land, due to less hunting pressure compared to the national forest. “But, there are some good bucks to be found on public ground for the hunter who is able to get away from the roads,†Sandrini said.

He cautions conditions in northeast Wyoming are ripe for an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in late summer/early fall, but no cases have been documented to date. This viral disease spread by gnats in years when deer are concentrated around diminished water sources can reduce deer numbers near the start of the hunting season. He is also concerned that increased hunting pressure on the national forest could
result from the influx of energy workers in northeast Wyoming.

In the Sheridan/Buffalo area there are hundreds of doe/fawn licenses available for both white-tailed and mule deer. Many of the licenses are restricted to private land, so as with pronghorn hunting, line up permission and be willing to hunt later in the season, before buying the license.

“Hunters can really help out Wyoming’s big game herds and habitat by harvesting doe/fawn animals to reduce the numbers that will be using drought-stressed winter ranges and habitat,†said Lynn Jahnke, wildlife management coordinator in Sheridan.

Those hunters literally winning the lottery by drawing a moose or bighorn sheep license should continue to experience Wyoming’s famous high harvest success.

Moose licenses continue to decline in the northwest part of the state, so hunters may be investing more time to find their animal. Plan to invest more time if the weather is hot. Big, black animals prefer to be in the shade when warm. Look for the biggest racks to come out of the Snowy Range and possibly the east slope of the Bighorn Mountains.

Bighorn sheep hunt areas 1-5 provide about 85 percent of Wyoming’s annual ram harvest, according to Kevin Hurley, wildlife management coordinator for the Cody Region. “Fall 2006 was the best ram harvest, on average, over the past 25 years,†Hurley said, “and expectations are high that fall 2007 will again be very good for sheep hunting.â€

Observations from Worland Wildlife Biolo gist Bart Kroger suggest another good chukar season in the Bighorn Basin. Hopefully, the better nesting conditions this spring will spell improved “but certainly not great†Hungarian partridge hunting.

In southeast Wyoming, wild pheasants will also be difficult to find this fall, reports Martin Hicks, wildlife biologist in Wheatland.

“Crow count surveys indicated the numbers are similar to 2006, which was a below-average year for harvesting wild birds,†he said. The Downar Bird farm had an average year for pen-raised birds, which will help tremendously to supplement wild populations. Walk-in areas in Goshen and Laramie counties and this year Platte County will be stocked as well as the Bump-Sullivan portion of the Springer Wildlife Habitat Management Area during the general season.

Sage grouse hunters can expect an improved hatch over 2006 and a fair number of carry-over adult birds from last year. So hunting should be pretty fair. Remember the season is short: Sept. 22 - Oct. 2.

“We’re always hopeful for mountain grouse (blue and ruffed) production, but you never know how it is going to end up,†Smith said. He says the nesting cover should be good but hatching success is often variable due to storms. Some scattered reports from western mountains lend a little optimism for that part of the state.

“Hunters will have a difficult time finding sharp-tailed grouse this fall based on spring lek (breeding ground) surveys,†said Hicks, who is also the acting wildlife management coordinator for southeast Wyoming. “2007 was the 11th year of the annual surveys, and data indicate that sharp-tailed grouse in southeast Wyoming are at an all-time low. However, spring precipitation was above average in certain areas of sharp-tailed habitat, which should have helped nesting hens raise a successful brood, providing hunters some opportunity.â€

Preliminary observations suggest mourning doves had good production across the state. The limiting factor for hunting is always wet, late August cold snaps that send the majority of birds winging south just prior to the Sept. 1 opener. If we avoid those storms, we’ll have good early season hunting.

Fall turkey season is usually an opportunistic hunt for hunters that are pursuing big game animals, therefore not much effort is placed on trying to harvest a fall tom or hen. In southeast Wyoming, young turkey production appears to be average so there should be a surplus numbers of birds this fall. Laramie Peak, area 2, has gone from a limited quota area to a general license to provide more opportunities for hunters looking for a Thanksgiving bird, Hicks said. The Broom Creek Hunter Management Area continues to provide the best opportunity for turkey hunters in area 4.

From all indications (including, unfortunately, the number killed on roads) this should be another excellent year of cottontail hunting. Hunters are advised to wear rubber gloves when cleaning the animals due to the slight potential for contracting tularemia.

-WGFD-

They say this every year... and some of it is correct however, I did'nt read in their article that next few years after 2007 hunting season will be darn near impossible to draw a tag, due to the large cut back on our game herds this hunting season. Due to the drought The Game and Fish has offered more tags for Deer and Antelope this year to help with the carring capasity(sp). Which is better to die from a sharp broadhead or a well placed bullet than two weeks of starving to death. All we can due is pray for large amount of snow and lots of rain. Good-Luck to all you hunters this fall.

Steve

I predict...... that since once again I didn't draw there, that I really don't care.....