RuRu12

Does anyone else think it stinks that if you are a nonresident you have to hire a guide to hunt in a wilderness area in Wyoming? Do any other states have similar restrictions? I know Alaska has some restrictions, but there is a huge difference between Wyoming and Alaska. Is this just a racket that the outfitters have gotten the legislature to enact to guarantee them business? Does anyone know if anyone has ever attempted to challenge the legality of this restriction? All of the wilderness areas in Wyoming are on National Forest property and it seems to me that any U.S. citizen should have equal access to these public properties. What do you think?

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

Tim Clark

Wyoming outfitter and guide association carries a lot of weight in Wyoming. The law has been challenged in court and so far no one has beaten it.
Best way to find out the justifications for it is to question Wyoming Fish and Game.

Dream to Hunt...Hunt to Dream

wesley

Some of whats been said here is true. I'm a lic. guide here in wyoming and yes non- res can't go into wilderness areas without a guide "OR" a legal resident of the state of wyoming. There are some safety issues involved along with the economics. As a matter of fact just last night rescue teams were called out in elk area 61 to find a non-res hunter that was missing. Not to mention that during hunting season(which happens to be in late fall) the weather can get bad in the mountains. I've seen it get to 30 below over night and heavy snowfall. If your 30 miles in the mountains on horseback and that happens you better know what your doing or you could end up grizzly bait. Now I know I sound like I'm defending the this regulation and maybe I am but it's only because I think during that time of year the wilderness areas can be dangerous. Besides EVERY animal I have taken MYSELF has been OFF the wilderness areas in the same areas that ANY non res can hunt WITHOUT a guide or outfitter. If anyone wants to hunt wyoming without a guide or outfitter I would be more than happy to give anyone advise on the best places OUTSIDE the wilderness areas. Most of the best hunting is outside the wilderness areas anyway. My email is [email protected]

wesley

Oh by the way, there ARE some regulations for hiking, fishing and camping in wilderness areas that ARE for safety. As a matter of fact the regulations apply to ALL areas where grizzlys are.

RuRu12

I'm glad to see there are others that feel the same way I do.
Obviously it isn't a safety issue, or the state would restrict access to and require a guide for activities other than just hunting. As far as dealing with weather, storms, and other safety issues in wilderness areas, being a resident doesn't automatically make you competent, nor does being a nonresident automatically make you incompetent. The bear argument doesn’t hold water either, as the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area in the Bighorn Mountains does not have grizzlies.
The only reason this law exists is to set aside areas for outfitters on Federal public land, and to force nonresidents to pay-up if they want to hunt these areas. Wyoming’s outfitters are using Federal property that belongs to all of us as though they are their own private leases. The WYOGA must have a very strong lobby to have gotten this law passed.
If anyone knows anything about prior court challenges to this law I would be very interested in reading about the cases. If anyone knows the case sites please send me an email.
Wesley – I would agree that there are a lot of great hunting areas in Wyoming that are not designated wilderness. I have been hunting Wyoming since ’98, and I love the state. I have hunted in the state with a guide and without a guide, but whenever possible I prefer to do it myself. If I am successful in the draw I’ll be hunting deer and elk on my own in the Bighorns. Going into this year’s draw I have 3 points for moose and sheep. I know I can probably find a good area for moose that is not wilderness, but from what I understand all of the sheep areas are designated wilderness areas. Given that both of these tags/hunts will more than likely be once in a lifetime hunts for me I will probably hire the best guide I can find/afford once I am lucky enough to draw. I just resent the fact that I am forced to hire a guide to hunt public land.

wesley

RURU, Sheep hunt area 3 has wonderful Bighorn Sheep hunting OFF the wilderness area. If I draw a sheep tag this year thats where I'll hunt. As I said before, EVERY animal I've taken so far has been off the wilderness area. What most people don't seem to understand about hunting here is that most of the game start moving down when the winter weather starts moving in. That means they move OUT of the wildernes areas. Most elk Killed in area 51 during november are migrating from Yellowstone National Park to the winter feeding graounds some 30 miles from the park boundry and well outside the wilderness area. It seems to me that everyone thinks that just because it's called wilderness thats where all the BIG game is. I saw 4 Bull elk taken this year that scored over 300 and all 4 were taken off the wilderness area. If a person wants to hunt the wilderness area then fine with me but I'll stick to the lower elevations to do my hunting.