G&F: Now is the time to prepare for hunting season

Hunting season is right around the corner, with some early archery seasons opening on Sept. 1. Wyoming Game and Fish say it’s a good time to start preparing. 

While appearing on Sheridan Meida’s Public Pulse program Wyoming Game and Fish Department Sheridan Region Public Information Specialist Christina Schmidt suggested hunters should begin checking their equipment and paperwork to prepare for the hunting season. 

Schmidt also suggested that hunters check to make sure their conservation stamp is valid. When conservation stamps were changed to a 365 day validation,  that validation is not cycled on the calendar year, but for one year since the day it was purchased. It is printed on hunting or fishing licenses in the top left corner, rather than a hard copy stamp as it once was. 

Hunters may want to take time and begin studying areas with public access that they may want to hunt and make sure those areas are legally accessible. Or, contact landowners if hunters haven’t already secured an area to hunt. 

If hunters want a leftover license, Schmidt said there are some deer and elk available in the Sheridan region, but many of them are valid in areas with difficult public access or are restricted to private land only, hunters may wish to do some research before purchasing. View what is available on the Game and Fish website. It is updated in real time. 

Schmidt announced there are no pronghorn licenses left anywhere in the state.

Schmidt suggests reading the regulations. And hunters need to ensure they carry a copy with them in the field. Regulations or season dates sometimes change each year. Schmidt also alerted hunters that the Game and Fish have a limited number of hard copies this year so they are encouraging those who can, to print them from their home computer or download them and have them available on a smartphone and have them in the field. If hunters are unable to download or print a digital copy, Game and Fish do have a very limited amount of printed copies at the Sheridan office and can be picked up.

Visit the Game and Fish Hunt Planner to learn more about hunt areas, walk in hunting areas, hunter management areas and more.