Strong 2016 hunting season

Posted 4/4/17

Elk hunters reported a 44.5 percent success rate, with 25,852 elk taken across Wyoming; bull harvest was the highest in 10 years among both resident and non-resident hunters.

Hunters fared well with several other big and trophy game species, too. …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Strong 2016 hunting season

Posted

25,852 elk harvested across Wyoming last year

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department predicted that the 2016 hunting season would be a good one for hunters, and that prediction rang true last fall: Wyoming hunters harvested the second-highest number of elk in recent history. Harvests were up for other species as well.

Elk hunters reported a 44.5 percent success rate, with 25,852 elk taken across Wyoming; bull harvest was the highest in 10 years among both resident and non-resident hunters.

Hunters fared well with several other big and trophy game species, too. Although the number of harvested moose dropped to the lowest level in decades, last year’s antelope harvest rose to the highest level since 2013, the deer harvest rose to the highest level since 2010 and the black bear harvest effectively matched 2015 as the largest of the past decade.

“A mild winter in 2015 and good moisture during the growing season bolstered plant growth, providing great habitat for Wyoming’s wildlife,” said Doug Brimeyer, Game and Fish deputy chief of wildlife.

Brimeyer says elk hunters can expect more of the same in the coming year.

“The 2016-17 winter had localized impacts on some elk herds, but overall elk numbers remain very strong statewide and hunters can expect another exceptional hunting season this fall,” Brimeyer said.

It would continue a trend from recent years, where hunter success in Wyoming has ranked among the highest in the West, the Game and Fish said. Brimeyer said last year’s numbers are “further evidence that Wyoming is a great destination for hunting.”

Harvest reports for all species for 2016 are available at wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Harvest-Reports/. Harvest reports are detailed to the area, sex, and age class for each species, and can be useful for hunters planning their 2017 hunts. Game and Fish thanks hunters who returned their harvest surveys.

Game and Fish personnel are available to assist anyone with questions about these reports or questions about hunting in the fall. Deadlines for resident elk, deer, and antelope and non-resident deer and antelope are May 31. Contact a regional office or call the Sportsperson Hotline at (307)777-4600.

Comments