Wyoming has two populations of sandhill cranes. Cranes in the central and western part of the state are mostly from the Rocky Mountain population, which breed across the Intermountain West, including Wyoming. 

Cranes found in the eastern part of the state are largely from the Mid-continent population, which migrates through Wyoming in the spring and fall. This population is much larger, over 800,000 birds, whereas the Rocky Mountain population tends to be in the range of 20,000 birds. 

The smaller Rocky Mountain population is closely surveyed and hunting license allocations are shared between states. As a result, Wyoming has a limited-quota season in the central and western hunt areas for Rocky Mountain sandhill cranes and a general season in the east for the more abundant Mid-continent sandhill cranes.