Will be held tomorrow.

All you Resident and NR rifle hunters get ready to lose 10% of your licenses for all big-game as this bill will reserve 10% of all big-game licenses for archery only.

This bill will devalue preference points and extend the number of points it will take for rifle hunters to draw sheep and moose (both R, and NR) and will also negatively impact those NR's with antelope, deer, and elk permits.

Heres the info:

Tomorrow morning 8 A.M in Cheyenne...heading over to see if this one will die in committee. Very divisive piece of legislation...brought to you by Bowhunters of Wyoming and Senator Larry Hicks.

The Senate committee hearing is tomorrow at 8 a.m. for those interested. Senate room s-14.

Time to stop the madness:

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2013/billindex/BillCrossRef.aspx?type=ALL

Breakdown:

(h) The commission shall reserve ten percent (10%) of
the Type 1 licenses for all big game species to be issued
in any one (1) year as archery only licenses.

When it rains it pours..I really like how Wyoming does it now with type 1 licenses and I do take advantage of the archery season.

Greedy bastards

Wow. Does this make sense to anyone? If im not mistaken can't you purchase an Archery permit and hunt on most type 1 tags plus then rifle?

Yep...and it goes to show just how important local elections are...word on the street, Hicks is going to be a one-termer.

Senate Resources, recreation, wildlife and cultural resources committee...give them your thoughts:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]


Also may want to drop Larry Hicks, the bill sponsor a note:

[email protected].

done

Rosco1...thanks a bunch, you sir are in the 1% of hunters that value their wildlife resources enough to take the time to keep things like this from passing. Everyone whines about the wolves near Yellowstone...when its the wolves in Cheyenne we really have to worry about.

Good luck in the upcoming Wyoming draws.

Guess getting into archery this season is a good idea.....

Just got back from the Senate Committee hearing, this bill passed out of the Senate committee on a 3-2 vote. Senators Burns and Barnard voted against it, Craft, Driskill, and Christensen in favor.

Please drop a quick note to Senator Burns and Barnard thanking them for seeing the downside to this bill.

Of course Bow Hunters of Wyoming along with their President testified in favor of it. Cheyenne Field Archers were also in favor, one other bowhunter testified for it.

Wyoming Sportsmen for Wildlife was opposed, Wyoming Outfitters and Guides recommended it be pushed back and discussed, and of course I testified against it as well.

It was quite entertaining watching the bill Sponsor introduce this bill to committee...clueless, nervous, and a joke.

Also, this bill was amended from 10% of the quota being reserved strictly for archery, to "a portion of tags reserved for archery only"

So, that means groups like Bow Hunters of Wyoming will be asking for MORE than 10% in many of the units as well as more than 10% of moose and sheep tags (at least they potentially could as there is no defined "cap" with the amendment).

One of the selling points that Senator Hicks used, was something to the effect of "it will clear some of preference point back-log that many complain about for sheep and moose if we can issue more sheep and moose tags to archery hunters."

Thats funny considering he's the one sponsoring SF0085, the Resident Preference point bill for resident antelope, sheep, and elk. I guess on the one hand the Preference Point system is broken for moose/sheep, but its a great idea for deer, elk, and antelope.

Oh, and the most impressive thing introduced by Hicks was his "graphs". Its a good thing I dont sit on that committee...I would have stood up and done an ass-wiping motion with these and threw them on the ground.

Hard to believe with all the stammering, stuttering, and supporting "data" that this one even passed the Senate Committee.

I'll let the data speak for itself...

Buzz- Those are sure some high tech graphs by Hicks!! Guess I am now further behind from drawing a tag in WY now. What I find interesting is how can he just assume that harvest will go up just because a certain % was harvested with type 9 licenses.

Wanted to THANK YOU for standing up for us hunters! Sent a thanks to Burns and Barnard also!

805,

Thank you for getting involved...thats the key to keeping things on the level in Cheyenne.

Nicely done.

Buzz, I don't bowhunt Wy but how many tags should be allotted to bowhunters? 5%, 0%. I'm curious.

Cant know that...the initial bill was 10% of all big-game licenses...elk, antelope, deer, sheep, moose, goat, bison, etc.

Senator Hicks amended the bill at the committee hearing to say "a portion of the available" tags.

Could be 1% or 100% depending on how much pressure the Bow Hunters of Wyoming put on the WYG&F.

My guess is that they will ask for more tags in the tougher/better quality units and probably not many in the easier to draw/less desirable units.

Bow Hunters of Wyoming and their membership are getting greedy...and I hope this one bites them in the arse.

I guess 45 day pronghorn seasons, starting in August, a month of archery elk in the rut, and a month of archery deer just isnt giving them enough opportunity...

Oh, and the view from here is that they should just apply for the type-1 permits with everyone else, if they draw, they can hunt both the archery and general seasons if they want.

They just want better draw odds than everyone else and want the ability to hunt the best units every year, simple as that.

Brent,

Many of the tags a hunter can purchase an archery permit and hunt during the archery dates. Then come back and hunt with a rifle on the same tag. Seems pretty fair to the bowhunters to me!! Also they can hunt during the rifle season with a bow if they wish. There are also already Type 9 Licenses that are archery only.

Doesn't everyone want the best they can get? Back when I lived in AZ and bowhunted elk there, the odds of drawing a bow tag where higher than a rifle tag, but the odds of killing an elk GIVEN A TAG was lower.

So, the decision for me was simple. Since the joint probably of being drawn and killing an elk was damn near identical with either weapon, I threw in for archery.

I know bowhunters here are the most organized and vocal of all the hunting special interest groups. They work hard for what they get and they work hard to keep it. The spoils go to those that work for them. Gun hunters tend to bitch a lot but they don't actually work for change.

While I hunt WY often (rifle), I do not follow their regs particularly closely, my WY G&F friends tell me that the Outfitters and ranchers really drive the regulations more than anyone. As a nonresident, but I seriously doubt a WY politician really gives a damn what I think.

Brent

Thank you Buzz for sticking up for "all" of us including the non-residents. !!!!!!!

Thanks to you guys in Wyoming protecting all our rights.

Is there anything a nonresident can do?


ddj

According to what the speaker of the Wyoming house just said, he doesn't pay any attention the the emails he gets on issues as he's not interested in hearing from people sitting around in their underwear playing on their computers.....
Not sure what district he's in, but the voters in that district got some serious work to get done in 14, that has ramifications far beyond how many archery licenses get issued.

He is from Gillette..you have a link or quote Ranch13? I missed that one. Seems a letter to the editor might be in order.

And they are gathering underwear with notes attached to let Mr. speaker be reminded he's there to serve the people not the other way around..

Representative Thomas E. Lubnau, II
Party: Republican
District: House District 31
Counties: Campbell
House: 2005-Present
2013-2014 Speaker of the House
2011-2012 House Majority Floor Leader
2007-2008 House Speaker Pro Tempore

Contact Information:
4 Cherokee Circle
Gillette, WY 82718
Work - (307) 682-1313
Fax - (307) 682-9340
[email protected]

I just received a mailer asking me to join the Bow Hunters of Wyoming. It went in the garbage.