A bill that would have allowed the sale of landowner hunting tags was rejected before it could be introduced to the Wyoming Senate by a vote of six to 25, effectively killing it for the 2026 Legislative session.
Senate File 51 would have allowed qualifying landowners to sell their hunting tags on the open market. It was rejected for introduction on Monday, after months of debate over the topic.
Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, who supports landowner tag sales, told Cowboy State Daily that the matter isn’t going away.
“I’m sure it will come up again (during the next session). There will be another run at it, absolutely,” he said.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation spokeswoman Jess Johnson told Cowboy State Daily that SF 51’s rejection was a victory for hunters.
“We are glad to see this bill die. We as hunters are still at the table and still willing to find solutions we can all agree on,” she said.
French and Johnson have been on opposite sides of the debate over landowner tag sales. That led to a tense exchange between the two during a legislative committee hearing in June.
What’s At Stake
Proponents of landowner tag sales argued that the revenue could provide just compensation for farmers and ranchers who provide habitat and forage for game herds.
And landowner tag sales are allowed in other states, supporters say.
Opponents say the tags in and of themselves are a reward for landowners. And putting the tags up for sale on the open market would amount to monetizing big game animals — which goes against the North American model of wildlife management.
The Wyoming Game and Fish landowner tag program allows qualifying property owners to apply for two hunting tags for each of certain huntable species. Those species include elk, deer, antelope and wild turkeys.
The tags may be given to landowners’ immediate family members but may not be transferred to non-family members or put up for sale.
To qualify for tags, one needs to own at least 160 contiguous acres in a draw-only hunt area for each species being applied for, according to Game and Fish regulations.
If general hunting tags — which may be purchased over the counter — are valid in that area, the property owner can’t apply for landowner tags.
The land must also provide food, cover and water for the species being applied for. And it must provide at least 2,000 days of use each year for the species the landowner is applying for.
What that means, for instance, is if 10 deer occupy the land for at least 200 days a year, that counts as 2,000 days of use.
Or, likewise, if 500 elk are on that land for four days a year, again, that would also count as 2,000 days.
‘I Want To Keep Them In Business’
French said that as he sees it, forbidding the sale of landowner tags represents an unfair double standard.
Members of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and the governor also receive special hunting tags, which are frequently put up for auction, to benefit wildlife conservation.
Those tags might fetch prices of $30,000 or more at auction.
French said if commissioners’ and governor’s tags can be sold, the same should apply to landowner tags.
“Either we all get to (sell tags) or none of us do. It’s not right for one group to get to, and another group to not get to,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
