Wyoming wilderness as a non resident

[outdoorsman_3]

I always wonder what classifies a person as hunting. The only time they can prove I was hunting is if I shoot and kill an animal. Otherwise I am just hiking through the woods with a bow or gun and that is not illegal. Maybe I was simply carring it for wolf, lion, bear protection.

 

[MAT]

The problem with the resident "guide" system is they also have to draw a tag, and you can't combine a resident and a NR application. That pretty much means the higher point draw units are out as the draw odds for a res are low too, and they don't have PP or a special draw it's purely random. Unless you are hunting a GEN unit or the resident has 100% odds you are gambling. It's a sucky system, along with not having archery only tags in every unit.

A lot of resident hunters don't like it either but it is enforced and you don't want to get caught.

 

[elkyinzer]

BHA seems like a great organization with a fair amount of legislative influence. Is anyone aware of work on their behalf or with other conservation orgs to remedy this situation since it prevents wilderness access? I know their plate is pretty full fighting off the land grabs but this is clearly an issue that pisses off exponentially more people than it benefits, but the few that it does benefit whine the loudest because they perceive their livelihoods to be at stake.

 

[wyosteve]

All wildlife in Wyoming is technically 'owned by the state'. To take a big game animal requires a State license, not a Federal license. Therefore the State can dictate the requirements for a hunting license even on Federal property. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just the way it is!

 

[power54]

I believe your resident has to have a tag in the same unit. Do you have experience in using this exception

I've gotten a resident guide license the past few years and only needed a valid tag, not a tag for the same unit. I'm not sure whether it has to be species specific since I used my elk tag to take family and friends elk hunting but I seem to remember WYGF personnel saying any big game tag would qualify. Its definitely a reach around to the outfitters, they have a lot of power in these parts.

 

[Jethro]

power54 is correct. The resident only needs a valid tag. Does not need to be for same species or unit. Here is
answer I received back from warden when I asked this exact question:

"Good question... your WY resident friend who will accompany you into the wilderness only needs to
have a big game license of any type. So he could have a general deer license and you could have
area specific elk licenses."

 

[MAT]

That answer is not what you are saying, it means a valid tag for the same area. Either that or it's a very bad example to give out (a general deer tag is good in a lot of limited elk units). Your guide could have a cow/calf tag and you could have a type 9 and it would work.

 

[dreamingbig]

Just curious but how do the outfitters have so much pull? Are they all serving on a board that decides for the fish and game? Do they have just the right contacts in a few key positions?

 

[tipsntails7]

Yep, see the restrictions on sheep, goat and grizzly hunting in Alaska.

Colonel, I think that's more for guys going up there with no clue and getting themselves lost killed or taking animals they shouldn't be. I could be wrong though.

 

[jmez]

I always wonder what classifies a person as hunting. The only time they can prove I was hunting is if I shoot and kill an animal. Otherwise I am just hiking through the woods with a bow or gun and that is not illegal. Maybe I was simply carring it for wolf, lion, bear protection.

You go ahead and give that a try and report back how that works out for you.

Several years ago four in a group I went with got tickets. We had 2 residents and 4 non. Each resident can "guide" two hunters. One guy was older and had serious heart issues, he stayed in camp, cooked and dinked around. He couldn't walk 100 yards in the mountains. Every evening he would walk about 30 yards from the wall tents and sit by a tree. Game Warden rode down the trail and checked him, made him go back to the tents and wrote him a ticket for hunting without his guide.

When the rest of us came back another of the NR's wasn't with his specific guide. Both of the resident guides got tickets for not being with both of their specific hunters and 2 of the NR's got tickets for the same thing. We explained the situation with the older guy at camp and were told flatly that the guide must be with the hunters at all times other than in camp, period.

 

[Jon Boy]

How much were the fines for, if you dont mind me asking?

 

[5MilesBack]

One guy was older and had serious heart issues, he stayed in camp, cooked and dinked around. He couldn't walk 100 yards in the mountains. Every evening he would walk about 30 yards from the wall tents and sit by a tree. Game Warden rode down the trail and checked him, made him go back to the tents and wrote him a ticket for hunting without his guide.

That's about as petty as it gets. But had he been standing in the middle of a river fishing, he'd be legally fine. This is one of those laws that just makes absolutely no sense except to the outfitters.

And if it's "OK" to be in camp without your "guide", then I guess if you shot an elk from camp you're good to go.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Makes sense to residents

 

[5MilesBack]

Makes sense to residents

I'm sure you're being facetious, but if not please explain even a morsel of logic behind it.

 

[outdoorsman_3]

You go ahead and give that a try and report back how that works out for you.

Several years ago four in a group I went with got tickets. We had 2 residents and 4 non. Each resident can "guide" two hunters. One guy was older and had serious heart issues, he stayed in camp, cooked and dinked around. He couldn't walk 100 yards in the mountains. Every evening he would walk about 30 yards from the wall tents and sit by a tree. Game Warden rode down the trail and checked him, made him go back to the tents and wrote him a ticket for hunting without his guide.

When the rest of us came back another of the NR's wasn't with his specific guide. Both of the resident guides got tickets for not being with both of their specific hunters and 2 of the NR's got tickets for the same thing. We explained the situation with the older guy at camp and were told flatly that the guide must be with the hunters at all times other than in camp, period.

No doubt you will get a ticket from a warden but that doesn't mean that you can't fight it in court and win

 

[jmez]

No doubt you will get a ticket from a warden but that doesn't mean that you can't fight it in court and win

Like I said let us know how that goes.

 

[Bulldawg]

No doubt you will get a ticket from a warden but that doesn't mean that you can't fight it in court and win

If you're in the wilderness with a bow and a valid hunting license I believe it is going to be very difficult to lie your way out of losing in a court of Wyoming residents.

 

[Jon Boy]

If its only a hundred bucks I'd just take it. Likely hood of getting caught I'd think is low if you were bivvy hunting off trail. Stupid law that wouldn't feel bad breaking if I wasn't a licensed guide. Maybe some day when I give up guiding I'll roll the dice in the wyo wilderness.

 

[tipsntails7]

If its only a hundred bucks I'd just take it. Likely hood of getting caught I'd think is low if you were bivvy hunting off trail. Stupid law that wouldn't feel bad breaking if I wasn't a licensed guide. Maybe some day when I give up guiding I'll roll the dice in the wyo wilderness.

You'd feel like a real ass if you knocked something down, on your way out met a warden, then took your bull, your bow and your rig. The ticket amount is the least of your worries if the warden wants to be a real dick.

 

[Jon Boy]

You'd feel like a real ass if you knocked something down, on your way out met a warden, then took your bull, your bow and your rig. The ticket amount is the least of your worries if the warden wants to be a real dick.

Highly doubt there would be confiscation involved in this and it would be just a ticket, but thats why I was asking jmez to see what the fines and things associated with it are. But then again, maybe they treat it much like private land trespassing while hunting? Hard sayin' not knowin'