Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wyoming Hunting Regs

What are some of the more obscure rules or regulations that hunters are required to follow while hunting in Wyoming that us flatlanders down in Texas might not think about? A couple that I have come across are:

1) Hunters must stop at every manned check station whether they have been successful or not.
2) The head and spine (CWD) shall either be left in the field or disposed of properly.

I also need some clarification on the blaze orange requirements. I have read the online regs and have been unable to locate anything on blaze orange. One of those hunting shows on tv implied that hunters in Wyoming only needed an orange hat or cap.

The orange requirement is in the regulations. You must wear an article of clothing that is blaze orange. A hat does meet this standard. They also list a vest or jacket.

Must have missed it. Thanks.

One must also buy a "conservation stamp."
One must also purchase "feedlot stamp" if he hunts elk in a unit supporting a winter feeding "feedlot" program.

About $10 or $15 each.

Ya, definately don't forget the conservation stamp. I almost forgot mine this year, bought it online the night before my first outing. I barely remembered. Also--look everything over real good and make sure you sign every where you need to sign. I have heard of guys geting ticketed because they forgot to sign in a certain spot.

Great info folks. Keep it coming!

How frequent are the check points?

Is my understanding with #2 correct in that I have to skin the entire head and cut off the skull cap if I would like to have a bull mounted? If so, guess I need to start practicing those tedious cuts so I don't jack up the cape.

Caliber restrictions - No .22 centerfires for big game - Some people like to carry a pistol to finish off a big game animal, but read the regs about what constitutes a legal hunting handgun ( for instance a 357 mag is not ok but a 44 mag is ok)

And of course you Know that non residents must be guided in a wilderness area.

Proof of sex.

Tag properly filled out.

Isn't there something about no Texans?

Could have sworn I saw that somewhere...

Don't shoot from a road or across a road. Don't shoot from a vehicle. Which includes an atv or snow mobile. Also includes across the hood.

Checkpoints are used mostly on big weekends, such as opening weekends. They are no big deal. It gives you a chance to find out how hunters are doing and sometimes you can check out the nice critters others are bringing in. They usually are well manned, and the folks with no kills usually get out quick. If you kill something they will check the animal and get a rough age on it. Sometimes, they may take a sample to test for CWD.

As for #2, you can take the head. We have dumspters in the city for carcasses, so they can be disposed of properly. Your state may have different regulations to prevent the possible importation of CWD. I am not the final word on this. You may want to call up Game and Fish with your questions.

I'm a transplant. I am originally from the wet side of Washington. Uncle Sam kinda dumped me on my head out here at Ft. Hood.

Cinch,
Where does it say that you can't shoot across the hood of a truck? I'm not disputing it, I was just under the impression that as long as your feet were on the ground it was legal. Just wondering

Don't know about Texas, but we Oregon folks must remove all brain and central nervous system tissue before the meat comes home from a CWD infected state. So, the brain must come out of the skull, and all of the backbone left in Wyoming.

For 2010, they changed the regulations to shooting hours being active at sunrise. In the past it was 30 minutes prior to sunrise that you could shoot.

I have read that in Wyomings regs as well. The spine and brain etc must remain inside the CWD area that it was shot in. I have not noticed anyone following that rule....

Wow, really?? I have heard of this on birds, but this is a first for big game. Good thing to know because I would have gone with the standard half hour before sunrise.

You cannot shoot from a public road such as paved highway, county road and forest circus roads. Two track roads do not count as public roads, even forest circus two tracks. You can shoot over the hood on these roads. Doing this will require you getting the name RHPF.

This^.

This was taken off the G&F website:

IT IS ILLEGAL TO:
- shoot or attempt to kill any wildlife from, upon, along or across any public road or highway. This includes any roadway that is publicly maintained or privately maintained but open to public vehicle traffic.The area between the fences on a fenced public road or highway or the road surface, borrow pits and shoulders of unfenced public roads or highways shall be considered the public road or highway. Unmaintained two-track trails on public lands are not public roads.

- take any game animal, game bird or game fish for another person.

- sell or barter, or obtain by sale or barter, edible portions of any game animal, game bird or game fish.

- use dogs to hunt, run or harass any big game animal, trophy game animal, protected animal or furbearing animal, as provided by Title 23, Wyoming Statutes. Wyoming statute allows the use of dogs to hunt mountain lions and bobcats.

- use any motor vehicle, aircraft or over-the-snow vehicle to pursue any wildlife, except predatory animals.

- shoot any wildlife, except predatory animals, from a vehicle.

- take and leave, abandon or allow any game bird, game fish or game animal, or edible portions, to intentionally or needlessly go to waste. Meat from trophy game animals may be abandoned.

- leave a big game animal or game bird at a meat processing plant for more than 45 days.

- It is a violation of federal law to transport illegally taken wildlife across state lines.


The law is somewhat vague on the shooting "from" a vehicle. Does it mean from the cab? Across the hood? From the bed of the truck? I'd rather not leave it in the hands of the game warden to decide.