Many of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s WHMA’s have now closed for the season. The large majority of the WHMA’s close to human presence during the winter. These closures are to provide protection for wildlife on their winter ranges.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department invests in the WHMA project to provide a refuge for big game animals during the winter months. These areas help wildlife conserve energy and build fat stores for the coldest months of the year.
“Seasonal closures are essential for minimizing stress-causing disturbances to wintering deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife. The closures also reduce the human and recreational impacts to the forage, which supports the wintering wildlife.” – Ray Bredehoft, Habitat and Access Branch Chief for Game and Fish
Currently, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department lists information on 49 different WHMA’s. These areas are spread across much of the state and provide good habitat for a wide array of wildlife. Below we will list some information on a few WHMA’s. Likewise, we will leave a link to the full closure list.
- The Bud Love area which sits near the town of Buffalo will be closed from Jan.1 through May 14.
- Camp Creek that sits near the city of Jackson is closed from Dec. 1 through April 30.
- The Luke Lynch area that sits near Pinedale is closed from Dec. 1 through April 30.
The Wyoming Game and Fish’s website has a great list that shows all the closures and changes to the WHMA’s. You can click here to see this list. Likewise, if you’d like you can check out more Wyoming hunting-related news by going to our Wyoming new page. That page can be found by clicking here.
