Mule Deer Fanatic

Nonresident Hunting Information

For more info – MONTANA

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As a nonresident, you can apply via Montana’s special drawing for a general license to hunt deer, elk, or deer and elk statewide and according to specific hunting-district regulations. Nonresidents can apply for deer, elk or deer/elk combination licenses online or mail in a paper application (see below).

March 15 is the deadline to apply.

* Apply online
* Print a paper application

If you draw a license, you will be notified in mid-April. Also, if you are successful in obtaining a license, you could then apply for special permits and purchase a bow and arrow license, if you wish to do so. If you do not draw a license, you will receive a refund minus the $5 drawing fee.

The tentative 2008-2009 deer, elk and antelope regulations are posted under Regulations. The FWP Commission will determine the final 2008 deer, elk, and antelope regulations in late February. The final 2008 regulations will be posted on the website in early March. Print copies will be available by late March.

Here is a general summary of nonresident elk and deer hunting license fees:

* Deer combination—$343
* Elk combination—$593
* Big game combination (deer & elk)—$643
* Landowner sponsored—$343
* Youth combination—$324

300 Nonresident Youth Big Game Combination Licenses
will be sold for $324, first‑come, first‑served, beginning
March 1 to nonresident youth who have an adult immediate
family member who possesses a current resident deer or elk
license or a nonresident big game, elk combination or deer
combination license. Applications are available from FWP’s
website and will be processed at the FWP headquarters in
Helena.

Conservation Non-resident $10 -Nonresident prerequisite for all licenses. Includes the state lands license (for hunting, fishing and trapping

Archery $10 – Required for Archery Only Season and/or areas. Specific rules apply to purchase a bow and arrow license.

Hunting Access Enhancement $10 – This is an annual fee and will be charged at the time the hunter purchases his/her first hunting license (including upland and migratory bird).

Big Game Combination (General Elk/Deer) NR$643 -Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, deer A, and elk license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. 11,500 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.

Big Game Combination – Outfitter Sponsored NR$1500 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, deer , and elk license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Outfitter certificates should be obtained from your outfitter sponsor. All big game hunting with this license must be done with a licensed outfitter. Issued to all valid applicants sponsored by a certified outfitter received by March 15.

Big Game Combination – Youth NR$324 – Limited to 300 nonresident youths 12-17 years of age who have an adult immediate-family member who possess resident deer or elk license or a nonresident big game elk or deer combination license. First-come, first-served. Application available online.

Deer Combination – General NR$343 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. 2,300 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.

Deer Combination – Landowner Sponsored NR$343 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Landowner certificates should be obtained from your landowner sponsor. 2,000 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.

Deer Combination – Outfitter Sponsored NR$1400 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Outfitter certificates should be obtained from your outfitter sponsor. All big game hunting with this license must be done with a licensed outfitter. Issued to all valid applicants sponsored by a certified outfitter received by March 15.

Deer B NR$80 – Licenses limited to specific districts. Deadline to apply is June 1.

Deer Permits NR$5 – Must be used with a general Deer A License. Nonresidents must hold a Big Game or Deer Combination License to apply. Deadline to apply is June 1.

Archery season: 5 week period from late Oct to late Nov for rifle, shotgun, muzzy, handgun, crossbow, or archery equip. Proposed 09/01 to 10/09. Was: 09/06 – 10/19.

Deer/Elk backcountry Season: Was: 09/15 – 11/30. New proposed – same as general season

Deer/Elk General Season: Proposed:10/25 – 11/30. Was: 10/26 – 11/30

10% limit on Non-residents

Regulations

• Only one license or permit of any type may be purchased each
  year, unless otherwise specified and allowed in the regulations
  (i.e., you may purchase more than one deer B license).
• Hunting License: A hunting license authorizes the holder
  to hunt the species identified on the license according to the
  regulation.
• Some licenses and permits are valid only in a portion or portions
  of a hunting district. Carefully review the legal description of
  the district for which you are applying.

Types of Licenses and Permits: All licenses and permits that
can be used in a hunting district are listed in the regulations for
that hunting district. Licenses and permits that can be used in
a hunting district are grouped by license/permit type (general,
special license, special permit, 2nd antlerless elk, etc.) and
whether they are available for purchase from FWP License
Providers or through the special drawing only.
• Conservation License: Prerequisite for all resident and
nonresident licenses. Includes the state lands recreation
license (for hunting, fishing and trapping purposes).
• General License: Resident general licenses may be purchased
from any License Provider, including online at fwp.mt.gov. They
are available to all residents and may be used throughout the
state according to the regulations. Nonresidents may apply
for/purchase general licenses specified for nonresidents in the
Licenses Available Chart. Please refer to the hunting district
regulations to see how, when and where a general license
may be used in each hunting district or portion of a hunting
district.
• Deer A License – The deer A license is Montana’s general
deer‑hunting license valid for one deer. Hunters may
purchase only one deer A license. It can be used as indicated
under the “General Deer A License” heading on the Deer
& Elk Hunting Districts pages of these regulations.
• Deer B license – valid for one deer during a specific time
period, or for a certain species and sex, and in a particular
hunting district or group of districts. May be offered through
a special drawing or over‑the‑counter.

Special License: Special licenses are generally available
through the Special Drawing. It allows you to hunt in an
otherwise restricted area or time period, usually for a specific
sex and age class of animal. A special license generally (but
not always) allows you to harvest an additional animal over and
above the one you may harvest with your general license.

Special Deer or Elk Permit: The permit must be used with a
specific hunting license. A permit is not a second license and
does not allow the holder to kill an additional animal. Rather,
it expands the opportunity to hunt for a species in a particular
hunting district.

Special Licenses and Permits:

• You may apply for a special permit and/or license that allows you to hunt in an otherwise restricted area or time period. You may also decide to participate in the bonus point system.
• Nonresidents must hold a Big Game Elk/Deer or Deer Combination License before applying for a special deer permit.
• Nonresident holders of a Landowner‑Sponsored Deer Combination License are reminded that the license (including B licenses) entitles them to hunt deer only on the deeded lands of the sponsoring landowner. This license may not be used on lleased or public land. However, the license is valid statewide for fishing and hunting upland game birds.
• Nonresident holders of a Landowner‑Sponsored Deer Combination License may apply for a special deer permit or deer B license only in the hunting district where they are authorized to hunt deer.
• Applications for deer, elk and/or antelope special licenses and permits must be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before June 1. Hunters may apply online no later than June 1 for special permits/licenses for deer, elk, and antelope.

Bonus Point System: The fee to participate in the voluntarybonus‑point system is $2 for Montana residents and $20 for nonresidents, payable with the license and application fees. You must pay the participation fee when applying to use or gain bonus points. When participating in the bonus point system, here’s how it works:
• Applicants accumulate one bonus point for each unsuccessful
year. Each bonus point essentially becomes an extra chance
in future drawings. For example, applicants would have one
chance to be drawn the first year they apply. If unsuccessful,
they would have two chances to be drawn the following year
and three chances the next year, and so on until they received
the license. Once successful, the applicant loses all bonus
points for that species.
• Bonus points are accumulated independently for each species
and only apply to “first–choice” districts. An applicant may
skip two consecutive years of participation without forfeiting
accumulated points, but if an applicant skips the third year—or
has errors that eliminate the applicant from the drawing—all
accumulated points for that species will be lost. There is an
exemption for Montana residents with full‑time active military
status.
• Rejection of an application because of applicant error is
equivalent to failure to apply.
• Points are non‑transferable.
• Applicants cannot apply just for a bonus point. You must
apply correctly for the license and be unsuccessful to get a
bonus point.
• Bonus points are not used or lost in 2nd or 3rd choice
drawings.
• FWP will contact bonus‑point participants each year by
postcard to report their accumulated points. Bonus‑point status
is also available online. It will be the applicant’s responsibility
to report AND provide proof of any discrepancies.
The number of bonus points applicable to applicants applying as
a party is the total number of bonus points held by the members
of the party, divided by the number of applicants in the party,
then rounded to the nearest whole number. When two or more
persons apply as a party and choose to participate in the bonus
point system, all party members must pay the bonus point fee.
If one or more party members do not pay the bonus point fee,
but the other members pay the fee, those who have not paid
the fee will be taken out of the party and one of the following
shall occur:
• If one individual is removed from the party, that person is
entered into the drawing as an individual applicant.
• If two or more individuals are removed from a party, these
individuals are entered into the drawing as a separate party.
All nonresidents who are unsuccessful in the nonresident
combination license drawing are mailed a form that must be
returned if they wish to accumulate bonus points for special
deer and elk permits. If you did not receive this form and wish
to participate in the bonus point system, please contact FWP at
406‑444‑2950.

Fees and Refunds: In addition to the cost of each permit or
license, there is a $5 nonrefundable drawing fee for each license
or permit you apply for. The $5 fee covers the cost of printing
and processing the application.

Party Applications: For a few special drawings, two or more
applicants may apply as a “party.” If you apply as a party, each
party member must list the identical license/permit choices in the
identical order on his/her application. If one or more party member
does not pay the bonus point fee, but the other members pay
the fee, those who have not paid the fee will be taken out of the
party. It is unlawful to loan or transfer a license to another or to
use a license issued to another.
Either everyone in the party is successful in obtaining a license
or everyone is unsuccessful. A party of individuals is assigned
one random number in the computer. If that number is drawn,
each member of the party receives a permit/license.

Deer B Licenses: A deer B license is usually a license for
antlerless mule deer or white‑tailed deer, depending on the license
type and hunting district. The deer B license allows you to kill a
deer in addition to the deer you could harvest with your deer A
license. There is no particular order in which the A and B licenses
must be purchased or used. Most deer B licenses are available
through the June 1 special drawing but some are available for
purchase at License Providers, including FWP Online Licensing.
A hunter may only possess a total of seven Deer B licenses in
any combination.

Single-Region Antlerless Mule Deer B Licenses:
• Check the hunting district in which you will hunt for specific
regulations and valid dates for the single‑region license.
Resident
• Region 7: 007‑13. All Region 7 HDs. Not valid on CMR
refuge.
• Region 7: 007‑14. 2nd MD B License. All Region 7 HDs. Not
valid on CMR refuge.

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Special Deer Permits
• Hunters who receive a special deer permit must use it with a
current deer A license. A deer permit does not allow you to take
a second deer.
• Hunters who receive a special deer permit valid for taking an
antlered buck mule deer (with their deer A license) are restricted
to taking an antlered buck mule deer only in the district or portion
of district specified on the permit. They may not hunt antlered
buck mule deer anywhere else in Montana even if the General
Season or Archery Only Season is open to mule deer buck
hunting with a deer A license. This applies to all special deer
permit areas, whether limited or unlimited, for antlered buck
mule deer.
• The following special deer permits are available through the
June 1 special drawing to Residents and/or Nonresidents. Be
sure to check individual hunting district regulations for specific
special deer permit details.

Mule Deer permits
• R1 100‑60 103‑60 104‑60 121‑60 122‑60
123‑60 130‑50
• R2 202‑50 204‑40 210‑50 240‑40 250‑40
261‑50 270‑50 281‑40 291‑50 291‑51
292‑40
• R3 300‑50 312‑50 318‑40 319‑40 324‑50
335‑40 339‑40 343‑40 380‑40 390‑40
391‑40 392‑40
• R4 441‑50 455‑70
• R5 510‑40 530‑50
• R6 652‑50

Deer Permits –
2006 Drawing Statistics
LPT – Apps – Suc – % Suc

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100-60 32 32 100
103-60 58 58 100
104-60 17 17 100
121-60 21 21 100
122-60 18 18 100
123-60 3 3 100
130-50 151 10 6.62
202-50 426 200 46.95
204-40 203 203 100
210-50 617 100 16.21
240-40 139 139 100
250-40 117 117 100
261-50 563 25 4.44
270-50 5820 100 1.72
281-40 397 397 100
291-50 727 100 13.76
291-51 71 25 35.21
292-40 707 707 100
300-50 857 40 4.67
312-50 927 125 13.48
318-40 196 196 100
319-40 251 251 100
324-50 551 50 9.07
335-40 378 378 100
339-40 373 373 100
343-40 456 456 100
380-40 1156 1156 100
390-40 96 96 100
391-40 418 418 100
392-40 758 758 100
441-50 904 50 5.53
455-70 740 50 6.76
510-40 308 308 100
530-50 536 536 100
652-50 878 100 11.39

From the Denver Post:

It isn’t easy being pink – unless you’re able to stick a broadhead into a trophy mule deer.

This pink thing has a distinct focal point in the flamboyant personage of Keli Van Cleave. The first thing one notices about Van Cleave, who alternately resides in Superior and a suitcase, is that color. Her company, Pink Outdoors, pretty much says it all about a schtick that starts with a unique pattern of camouflage clothing and continues right down to the shafts of her arrows

“It may sound crazy,” she says of the seeming incongruity of pink camouflage, “but it works because animals are colorblind. Camo is just a breakup.”

Once an observer gets past the color thing, it’s evident Van Cleave is the real outdoor deal. She has taken the largest typical mule deer in velvet ever in Colorado by a woman with a bow. The rack scored 202 1/4.

Of course, she was wearing pink camo at the time. She added, “I’ve shown you can be in the outdoors and still look good.”

Growing up close to nature in Grand County, Van Cleave came by her skills naturally. She began bow- hunting at age 12, in large part because that’s what you do in an outdoor family that didn’t allow television in the house.

“My father had us in the outdoors all the time. I got my hunting genes from my father, but my pink genes from my mother,” she said of what has been a dual path to national attention.

How many lions does it take to kill a buck Mule Deer?

The Photographer frightened the lion away and saved and Elk

This would fill your freezer as well.

How many wolves does it take to kill a Mule Deer?

The state of Utah is located in the heart of the best Mule Deer habitat on earth. Additionally, a high percentage of Utah land is public. Nevertheless, Utah may have the worst mule deer management of any state that has mule deer. Utah is one state that has capped the number of mule deer at a number substantially below carrying capacity. The DWR refers to this limitation as the “political carrying capacity”.  Winter depredation claims against the DWR in the late 80’s and early 90’s were a major factor in the agency placing a ceiling on mule deer numbers.

Around 1990, the state of Utah was split into regions and the regions were split into units. At that time, Utah also implemented a lottery for obtaining deer tags. Mule deer tags, which had previously been unlimited and over-the-counter, were, and are now sold via this lottery. At the same time, the number of hunters was cut by half and a cap on the number of hunters was set at 97,000. No more than 10% of the tags for a region/unit can be awarded to non-residents. In spite of this fact, odds of a non-resident drawing a tag are, in some cases, better than for a resident.

The Utah drawing process begins in January each year, so pay attention. Utah is divided into 5 regions and 80, or so, units. The Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) allocates tags in such a way as to distribute the greatest number of hunters where there are the least number of mule deer. That’s handy.

Even though there are a few whitetail in the Northern part of Utah, there are no tags specifically for whitetail. I suppose you could kill a whitetail on a mule deer tag, if you chose to, and if you could find one.

In the last 25 years, Utah’s elk herd has mushroomed. This phenomenon has coincided with the decline of mule deer populations, hence, there are numerous persons and groups trying to determine if there is a relationship between increasing elk and decreasing mule deer. Thirty years ago, Utah’s few elk were primarily in the North. Today, Northern Utah possibly has the least elk in the state. Overall, the elk population has increased more than 10-fold.

It is widely believed that elk have provided an alternate prey base for mountain lions and black bears, allowing predator numbers to stay at maximum while mule deer numbers remain perpetually dismal. A Utah Forest Ranger told me that, in the three year period, preceding 2003, there had been 89 black bears released between the Idaho border and the Monte Cristo highway (Rich, Cache, and Weber counties), most of which were troublesome bears removed from Yellowstone.

According to my calculations, the Utah mountain lion herd reached it’s maximum carrying capacity around 1990 and has been sustained at that level since then. Annual lion harvest is not allowed to exceed annual recruitment. It is believed that elk have played a key role in allowing mountain lions to be sustained at artificially high numbers while deer numbers are suppressed.

In the last twenty years, there has been a serious decline in ranching and farming in Northern Utah. This has negatively impacted mule deer both in reduced predator control and in reduced grazing which means less quality deer browse. Forest management has never been worse in terms of sustaining or creating habitat for mule deer. Forest Service personnel seem to be interested in only one type of forest – climax forest, which is not good for wildlife and which maintains a tinder box for fire. In the last two decades, southern Utah has had more favorable conditions for mule deer than Northern Utah. Moreover, Southern Utah has fewer hunters. Most of Southern Utah has remained rural. Ranching is still fairly common in Southern Utah, and predator control is still important to ranchers. There is also virtually unlimited winter habitat for most Southern Utah deer.

In Utah, at this time, you don’t need to worry about units unless you apply for a premium limited-entry or limited-entry unit. Otherwise, you will be applying for a region instead of a unit. The number of hunters is limited in all cases, but in the limited-entry and premium limited-entry units, the amount of real estate you can access is much more restricted than it is for a region. Premium limited-entry means there will be fewer hunters, not more deer. Limited-entry may also have few hunters, but is rated as having fewer mature bucks.

Since the inception of the lottery, the Southern region has been the most popular region, with more hunters applying for that region than the number of permits available. The Southern region also has the fewest tags available of the five regions. Some of the other regions, most notably, the Northern region, have sometimes had fewer applicants than available tags. The left-over tags are sold first-come. If you really want a tag, and missed the drawing, this is one way to get one. There have been numerous years when the Northern region did not sell out. The DWR has resorted to peddling these unwanted tags by forecasting high numbers of pre-season bucks and high success rates which is typically a pure fabrication. Don’t rely on these forecasts unless you want to have your hopes dashed.

Experienced hunters are now applying only for the premium limited-entry units and if they do not draw, they do not hunt. The premium limited-entry units are a far cry from the quality they once had, but their quality is higher than the rest, mostly because of the small number of hunters. Unfortunately, some of the tag quantities are now so low that non-residents cannot even apply. Odds of drawing a premium limited-entry tag are low, and now you must by a license before even applying for a bonus point. One problem with the bonus point scenario is that you wait years to draw, and by the time you draw things have changed, so pay attention.

For Valentines Day, buy your sweetheart a new pair of binoculars. You can both enjoy them.

Click here

Preference Points for Elk, Deer and Antelope

FOR NONRESIDENTS ONLY

The Department shall allocate not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the available nonresident Elk, Deer and Antelope licenses to a preference point drawing and twenty-five percent (25%) of the available nonresident Elk, Deer and Antelope licenses will be assigned to a random drawing in which all unsuccessful applicants from the preference point drawing shall be placed.

For party applications, the number of preference points for each applicant within the party will be averaged for the preference point ranking to be used for the ranking in the preference point drawing.

Purchasing ONLY A PREFERENCE POINT can ONLY OCCUR from July 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PURCHASE A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY during any of the initial license application periods. YOU MUST WAIT until July 1st to purchase only a Preference Point. The price is $50.00 for Elk, $40.00 for Deer and $30.00 for Antelope ($10.00 for youth for each species). There is NO APPLICATION FEE TO PURCHASE A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY.

REMEMBER, a PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASE is DIFFERENT THAN an application for a license with a PREFERENCE POINT OPTION. THE PREFERENCE POINT OPTION takes place during the initial license application periods. If you elect this OPTION when applying for an Elk, Deer or Antelope license, the fee, which you must remit with your application for a regular elk license, is $641.00 ($14.00 application fee, $577.00 license fee and $50.00 preference point fee). Regular deer license is $366.00 ($14.00 application fee, $312.00 license fee and $40.00 preference point fee). Regular antelope license is $316.00 ($14.00 application fee, 272.00 license fee and $30.00 preference point fee).

To purchase a Preference Point, an applicant must be at least eleven (11) years old at the time of application and be at least twelve (12) years old by December 31 of the year of application.

An applicant may fail to apply for a license or fail to purchase a Preference Point for one (1) year without losing accumulated Preference Points. However, if an applicant fails to properly apply for a license or purchase a Preference Point for two consecutive years, the accumulated Preference Points will be deleted.

The Preference Point system is designed to award a point for each unsuccessful draw attempt in a hard to draw area for individuals who elect the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION and remit the additional Preference Point fees, yet not penalize those who wish to list an easier to draw area on their second or third choice. If a person draws on the second or third choice when electing the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION, a Preference Point will be awarded even though a license is issued. If the person is successful in drawing his or her first choice, then all Preference Points are deleted but the preference point fee paid for that year is refunded. DRAWING A SECOND OR THIRD CHOICE DOES NOT CAUSE PREFERENCE POINTS TO BE DELETED.

Some suggestions when applying for licenses with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION: DO NOT apply for an easy to draw area for your first choice. If you do and are successful, then all of your accumulated preference points will be deleted and the odds of drawing a license in a hard to draw area may be greatly diminished for the next couple of years. For example, a person applying for Antelope might list area 57/type 1 as a first choice and area 26/type 1 as the second. Based on past years, drawing odds in area 57/type 1 are less than ten (10) percent but area 26/type 1 has been a 100 % draw on all choices. Under the Preference Point system, a person, if not drawn for area 57 would be issued a Preference Point for Antelope if he or she elected the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION, and would also be awarded an area 26 Antelope license if the additional Preference Point fee was remitted as identified above.

To summarize, please remember there is a difference between PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASES and an application for a license with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION. A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASE APPLICATION (no chance to draw a license) CAN ONLY be submitted from July 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. An application for a license with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION can only be made during the applicable initial draw periods.

If you have any doubt, please call (307) 777-4600 or go to our Web Site at http://gf.state.wy.us where the difference between PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASES and PREFERENCE POINT OPTIONS WITH LICENSE APPLICATIONS will be further explained.

2005 Mule deer harvested by Jamie Gerein.

2nd largest typical ever taken in Canada and largest in North America for 2005.

219 5/8 gross 210 2/8 net BC.

“Wyoming’s Wolf Plan Offers ‘Adequate Regulatory Mechanism’ to Manage Wolves, Feds Say”

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CHEYENNE, Wyo. Dec. 14 –The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has approved Wyoming’s Gray Wolf Management Plan, calling it an “adequate regulatory mechanism” that meets the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

Formal notification of the approval came in a letter yesterday from Service Director Dale Hall to Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Terry Cleveland.

In the letter, Hall wrote, “After careful review and consideration, we determined that the 2007 Plan will provide adequate regulatory mechanisms for conserving a recovered wolf population in Wyoming after delisting and meets the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.”

“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s acceptance of Wyoming’s wolf plan is an encouraging sign that wolves in our state will soon be removed from the Endangered Species List, and that Wyoming will be able to manage wolves on its own terms,” said Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. “It has been a long and difficult road, and in our discussions we have achieved compromise on issues like the dual classification and the state’s ability to manage wolves in relation to their impact on elk and deer. I salute Wyoming Game and Fish Director Terry Cleveland and his staff for their hard work in developing the management plan. What remains, in terms of process, is for the feds to delist wolves by Feb. 28 of next year.”

Wyoming’s original wolf plan was rejected by the Service in 2004. With the passage of House Bill 0213 by the 2007 Wyoming Legislature, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission had latitude to adopt a new plan that met the requirements of the Service. The plan approved yesterday was adopted by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on November 16, 2007. The Commission worked with the Service to make several significant changes to Wyoming’s original wolf plan and reviewed public comments before approving the plan and submitting it to the Service.

Under Wyoming’s approved plan, after delisting the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will assume management of wolves in that portion of the state where wolves will be classified as trophy game animals. In the remaining portions of the state, gray wolves will be classified as predatory animals.

The Service has determined that 15 breeding pairs of wolves will ensure Wyoming’s share of a fully recovered population. Wyoming’s plan commits the Game and Fish Department to maintaining at least seven breeding pairs of wolves in the state and primarily outside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway. The remaining breeding pairs will be located primarily within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway.

“Approval of Wyoming’s plan is a major step forward in the recovery of wolf populations in the northern Rocky Mountains and should help clear the way for removing them from the Endangered Species List this winter,” said Cleveland. “We’re pleased that the Service has worked with us to find a compromise. Credit goes to the Governor, the Legislature, the Attorney General, and the Commission for their hard work and efforts in moving wolf delisting to this point. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is fully prepared to assume management of wolves in Wyoming, and we are committed to ensuring a recovered population while managing this species in a way that makes sense for people who live and work in wolf country.”

To see the full text of the Service’s letter approving Wyoming’s wolf plan, go to the Wyoming Game and Fish website at: USFWS 2007 Final Gray Wolf Management

Contact: Eric Keszler (307-777-4594)