Game wardens in the Green River Region of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department remind people that the collection of shed antlers and horns is prohibited on public lands west of the Continental Divide from Jan. 1 through April 30.
The shed antler regulation was authorized by the Wyoming Legislature and adopted by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission in 2009 to minimize the increasing disturbance to big game on winter and spring ranges by antler hunters. State lands are also off limits to shed antler or horn gathering, but the regulation excludes the Great Divide Basin. Collect means to search for, locate, stockpile, or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals or attempt to search for, locate, stockpile, or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals during the closed season. A violation of this regulation carries the same potential penalties as many other hunting violations.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has many winter range closures in southwest Wyoming and Game and Fish game wardens assist with the protection of these closed winter ranges.
“We truly commend the shed antler enthusiasts who obey the regulation and wait until May 1 before venturing onto winter ranges to look for antlers,” Graham said. “We will continue to devote the time and effort it takes to protect wintering wildlife. We hope all wildlife observers will continue to minimize activity around big game animals during the winter and early spring periods.”
Anyone with information on a wildlife violation can call their local game warden, the Green River Game and Fish Office at 307-875-3223, or the STOP Poaching Hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847). Violations may also be reported online at the Game and Fish website http://wgfd.wyo.gov