In an effort to cull some of the state’s swelling elk herds, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department might offer unlimited cow/calf elk tags in some hunt areas this fall.
However, whether hunters can fill those tags in many instances will depend upon getting access to private land.
As For Whitetails, So For Elk?
The Type 8 cow/calf elk tags would function the same way Type 8 whitetail deer tags have for years, Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokeswoman Breanna Ball told Cowboy State Daily.
”Type 8 licenses have been available for white-tailed deer for several years, so this is not a new designation,” she said. “This will be the first year that Game and Fish has proposed their use for cow/calf elk.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will have the final say over whether Type 8 elk tags are issued.
“We are currently in the middle of our season-setting process and these seasons are proposals at this point. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will vote on season recommendations at their next meeting in Riverton, April 16-17,” Ball added.
Buy As Many As You Want
If the Type 8 elk licenses are approved, hunters in certain areas will be able to buy as many as they like and subsequently shoot as many elk as they can.
But don’t get too excited just yet, because some restrictions will apply.
“Hunters interested in Type 8 licenses should be careful to read hunt area-specific limitations in the season proposals,” Ball said.
The draft season proposals are available online.
“In many areas, Type 8 elk licenses are being proposed with some additional restrictions,” Ball said. “For instance, some hunt areas may have a restriction of ‘private land only’ or ‘valid off national forest.’”
If approved by the commission, the Type 8 elk tags would become available after drawings for other tags.
The proposed regulations state that: “After the leftover drawing, any person may apply for and receive an unlimited number of Type 8 reduced-price cow/calf elk licenses.”
Depending upon how easy it is to get access to herds, the Type 8 tag could be a good way to put more elk steaks in the freezer, avid hunter and northeast Wyoming resident Owen Miller told Cowboy State Daily.
Miller likes to go after big bull elk on public land. But he said he might “grab a few (Type 8) tags” if they become available in areas he likes to hunt.
“I’d be interested, if I had the access”, Miller said.
Working With Landowners
The Type 8 tags might help solve the quandary of some elk herds in eastern Wyoming growing far beyond Game and Fish’s objective numbers.
For instance, some ranchers in Albany County say that their property has been all but overrun by elk.
The Type 8 elk tags won’t come with guaranteed access to ranches, Ball said.
“The (Game and Fish) Department encourages hunters to secure access prior to purchasing licenses. Most of the season proposals for Type 8 licenses focus on additional harvest on private lands,” she said.
“We understand hunters’ desire to have more access for hunting and continue to work with interested landowners to enroll areas in ‘Access Yes’ programs and other access opportunities,” Ball added. “It is up to the landowner if they want to participate in these programs or otherwise allow hunters onto their property.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
