Hunting in Wyoming: 6 Things to Know About Hunting on Private Lands

Hunting access can be tricky in Wyoming where public and private boundaries often crisscross. In some confusing cases, ranches contain a mixture of private, state, and federal lands.

Here are a few basic rules for hunting on private land in the Cowboy state.

1. Permission from the landowner is always required to hunt or cross private land.

2. Hunters cannot follow prey wounded on public land onto private land. Hunters first need to get permission from the landowner or Wyoming Game and Fish, Scott Edberg, deputy chief of the department’s wildlife division, said, according to the Casper Star-Tribune.

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3. A GPS is a Wyoming hunter’s best friend. The handheld device can indicate where private land boundaries begin and end in real time. Owner information is also available along with the most current maps of federal, state, and county land can be downloaded.

Smartphones with a GPS app can also provide the same information. There are several apps for Apple and Android smartphones and tablet that pinpoint a hunter’s location, provide the names of property owners, and game species that are in the area and in season.

Some of the most popular apps are onXmaps HUNT, Trimble GPS Hunt Pro, and Gaia GPS.

4. For help with planning, hunters can go to the Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department website. The agency provides an interactive tool called Plan Your Hunt. Users can plot a hunt by species or area. The website gives information about licenses, costs, regulations, and limited-quota applications.

5. The state also operates an Internet-based Hunter/Landowner Assistance Program that connects hunters and landowners for wildlife control hunting. The program stores landowner information by region, types of animal, and any access requirements. Hunters can then contact landowners directly without going through the state.

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6. Most access to private lands in Wyoming is by foot only. That includes retrieving game and traveling. Many landowners participate in a state program that opens their land but limits access to walk-in only. Some allow exceptions. An access chart is available from the Game and Fish agency.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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