Changes could add hunting opportunities for antelope and maintain liberal harvest of elk
Big game herd objectives were recently approved for parts of Wyoming, which may lead to increased antelope hunting opportunities in the Casper Region. This week, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met to discuss wildlife conservation within the state and reviewed the current herd objectives.
According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), herd objectives for all big game species were “last evaluated in 2015.” During the meeting, commissioners approved the revision of objectives for three units. These include:
Stay tuned to GOHUNT for further updates.
The Rattlesnake Antelope Herd Unit in the Casper Region will transition to a recreational management strategy, which will allow for more opportunities “while maintaining buck quality.”
The Lander Region Ferris-Seminoe Herd Unit, home to bighorn sheep, will “shift the population objective to a mid-winter trend count of 300” animals in order to “provide better trend data for management decisions.”
The Shirley Elk Herd Unit objective was increased from 800 to 1,200 based upon the mid-winter population count. WGFD plans to maintain “liberal [elk] harvest while working to improve hunting access.”
