Part of Wyoming Hunting Area Lost Because of Careless Behavior
About 1,200 acres of private land for hunting access has been lost becuse of careless hunters. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says that it is a good reminder for sportsmen to always respect lands enrolled in the Department’s public access program.
A Goshen County landowner removed a 1,200-acre parcel of land from the Walk-In Hunting Access program after a gate was left open and the landowner's cattle escaped.
The property, which was part of Goshen County Walk-In Hunting Access #75, has been removed from the website and signs marking the property will be removed.
“Over the Labor Day weekend, a gate was left open on the property and their cows escaped into neighboring property and intermixed with the neighbor’s cows,” Jason Sherwood, access coordinator for the Game and Fish Department’s Laramie Region. said in a statement. “This was a really inopportune time, as the rancher had a pending appointment to pregnancy check their cows as part of a sale.”
Sherwood said the landowner also expressed frustration about a load of trash that was dumped on the same property several years ago.
“Between that memory, and this current event, he was too upset to allow the property to remain in the access program,” Sherwood said. He said the access program encounters few abuses across the state, but when they do occur, the landowners never forget them. “One bad experience can outweigh countless good experiences, and it is ultimately up to hunters and anglers to be on their utmost behavior when using these lands,” he said.
Private lands, and in some instances, state lands, enrolled as Walk-In Access are open to hunting for the species and time periods specified in the WGFD’s online Walk-An Area Atlas https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Public-Access/Walk-In-Hunting. A permission slip is not required to access these lands for hunting or fishing purposes; however, the species, time periods, travel restrictions and other rules applicable to each specific Walk-In Area will vary.
Hunters are reminded to check the Walk-In and Hunter Management Area links on the department website frequently to ensure their maps and rules are up-to-date. The Department says that while large changes like this don't happen frequently, it is critical for hunters to abide by all current rules, signs, and posted areas.
Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department