Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Wyoming Hunter Defense Fund—and the generous support of those who have donated—a major victory was achieved last month in preserving nonresident hunting license allocations in Wyoming.
Senate File 0069 (SF0069) proposed a drastic cut to nonresident license allocations for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and grizzly bear, slashing them to just 10%. If passed, this would have cut nonresident moose tags by half and reduced bighorn sheep and mountain goat opportunities by nearly 60%.
Fortunately, during the 2015 General Legislative Session, the Wyoming Hunter Defense Fund worked tirelessly to oppose this bill. In collaboration with the Wyoming Office of Tourism, along with concerned businesses and individuals across the state, the bill was decisively defeated.
Despite the economic importance of hunting tourism—which generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Wyoming and provides the bulk of funding for wildlife conservation—bills like SF0069 are becoming increasingly common. If you're a Wyoming business owner, resident hunter, nonresident hunter, or simply someone who values the benefits hunting brings to our state, we urge you to support the Wyoming Hunter Defense Fund.
The fight is far from over. A recent House Bill (HB112) sought to impose a 90/10 split on all big game license allocations—cutting nonresident tags in half. Had it passed, the impact would have been devastating:
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$100 million in lost tourism revenue
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$7 million less in Game and Fish license funding
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250,000 acres of land access lost
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Hundreds of thousands of dollars in Conservation Stamp revenue gone
The Wyoming Hunter Defense Fund continues to lead the charge, educating hunters, businesses, and residents about the critical role nonresident hunting plays in our economy and our outdoor heritage.
To learn more or contribute to the cause, visit wyominghunterdefensefund.com.