The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has drafted new regulations covering wolf management and wolf hunting. The draft regulations are available on the WGFD website at gf.state.wy.us
Promulgating regulations is the next step towards getting wolves in Wyoming removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in Wyoming. Last August, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reached an agreement to move forward with delisting. Under the agreement, Wyoming will maintain at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. The current Trophy Game Management Area in northwest Wyoming will extend about 50 miles to the south from its current location near the Wyoming/Idaho border. Wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be managed as trophy game from Oct. 15 to the last day of February. During the rest of the year, wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be designated as predators.
In September 2011, after a public comment period, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved changes to its Gray Wolf Management Plan that incorporated the elements of the agreement. Subsequently, in October, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice in the Federal Register of their intent to delist wolves in Wyoming. The Wyoming Legislature recently made changes to the statutes, which allow Wyoming to move forward with its management plan. The meeting will be held in Green River: April 10, Green River WGFD Office, 7:00 pm
At the end of 2011, there were an estimated minimum of 224 wolves in Wyoming outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation. Biologists estimate that only about 27 wolves are currently in areas outside the designated Trophy Game Area.
Promulgating regulations is the next step towards getting wolves in Wyoming removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in Wyoming. Last August, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reached an agreement to move forward with delisting. Under the agreement, Wyoming will maintain at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. The current Trophy Game Management Area in northwest Wyoming will extend about 50 miles to the south from its current location near the Wyoming/Idaho border. Wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be managed as trophy game from Oct. 15 to the last day of February. During the rest of the year, wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be designated as predators.
In September 2011, after a public comment period, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved changes to its Gray Wolf Management Plan that incorporated the elements of the agreement. Subsequently, in October, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice in the Federal Register of their intent to delist wolves in Wyoming. The Wyoming Legislature recently made changes to the statutes, which allow Wyoming to move forward with its management plan. The meeting will be held in Green River: April 10, Green River WGFD Office, 7:00 pm
At the end of 2011, there were an estimated minimum of 224 wolves in Wyoming outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation. Biologists estimate that only about 27 wolves are currently in areas outside the designated Trophy Game Area.
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