Now after the wrapping up of Phase II, the Game and Fish is looking at creating feedgrounds management plan. In late 2020, the Wyoming Game and Fish began a multi-phase public collaborative effort to evaluate their 22 state-administered elk feedgrounds. The multi-phase public collaborative process, dubbed Elk Feedgrounds: A challenge we can take on, began with public meetings to explain the complex issue. Soon after members of the public were invited to participate as stakeholders for Phase II, designed to discuss the most current information on several of the complex aspects of feedgrounds and elk management in northwest Wyoming.
“This process is the next step in the necessary progression of wildlife management, where we must continually shift based on science and emerging needs and issues. It’s an important evaluation, and we believe in doing it alongside our diverse stakeholders.” – Director Brian Nesvik
Ultimately, the steering team would like to bring a completed elk feedgrounds management plan before the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for their approval in the summer of 2023.
You can read more about the battle for elk feedgrounds by clicking here. Likewise, you can read more about the Game and Fish creating a management plan by clicking here.
Laramie Mountains CWD group to meet July 19th
On July, 19th the Laramie Mountains CWD working group will meet to discuss membership. The group was created in 2021 and focuses on hunt units 59, 60, and 64. This area also has one of the highest prevalence of CWD in the state. The main goal of the group is to create ways to lower CWD in the region. Some of the duties of the group are as follows:
- Read, learn and understand the Department’s CWD Management Plan.
- A long-term commitment of one or more years to the working group.
- Collaborate with Game and Fish Department personnel.
- Mandatory attendance to in-person meetings in Wheatland.
- Collaborate with other working group members.
“This is an ongoing process. It is a polarizing topic and will take a couple of years for the group to complete its task. If we could reduce CWD prevalence in this herd to 10%, that would be a win in my book.” – Martin Hicks, Wildlife Coordinator for the Laramie Region
Likewise, the Laramie units will implement mandatory CWD sampling this year. This sampling will allow state biologists to confirm earlier samples. It will also allow them to suggest new and potentially better management strategies in the area.
You can check out more Wyoming hunting news by clicking here.
