The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will open black bear bait site renewals beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 1. The renewal process may be completed online, in person or by phone, mail or fax, with the subsequent application for registering new bait sites taking place online. 

The shift to an online application process is an improvement recently authorized by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission at their January meeting based on the department’s recommendation and public feedback .  

“Last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Game and Fish Commision, through an emergency rule, moved the black bear bait site registration system from in-person to online. We received an overwhelmingly positive response to that shift, so the Commission made that a permanent system to better serve hunters,” said Jason Hunter, Game and Fish Lander Region wildlife supervisor.

The following is a guide for black bear hunters to the 2021 online renewal and initial registration process.

BEFORE RENEWING OR APPLYING TO REGISTER ONLINE

Create a username and password: All hunters will need to create a username and password before submitting a hunting application or licensing purchase on the Game and Fish website. This is a new change as of Feb. 4, 2021 and will increase security for customers and streamline purchases.

Creating a username and password is a simple process much like on other websites. To help, Game and Fish has step-by-step videos and written instructions. Each customer will need to create their own user account. The SPID is not your username; each customer must create a custom username and password. Customers who have done business with Game and Fish in the past will automatically see their account information attached to the new login.

Purchase a 2021 license: Before renewing or registering a bait site, black bear hunters must purchase a 2021 black bear license. Licenses can be purchased anytime online. Black bear hunting licenses purchased online will be mailed within 10 days. Licenses can also be purchased at a license selling agent; however, hunters must still create a username and password for online bait site renewal or to apply during the initial registration period.

SITE RENEWAL DETAILS
OPEN: Renewals begin 8 a.m. MDT on Monday, March 1 Game and Fish website. 
DEADLINE: Renewals are open until 12 midnight March 20.

To renew an existing site online:

1. Visit the Game and Fish Hunting webpage at: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting and log-in to your Game and Fish account after 8 a.m. March 1.

2. Individuals who want to renew the same black bear bait site from the previous calendar year can renew as long as the site was baited and Game and Fish received GPS coordinates of the bait site prior to Dec. 31, 2020.  

Sites for which coordinates were not received or were not baited in 2020 will not be eligible for renewal. Renewals may also occur by phone, fax, mail or in-person.

NEW SITE REGISTRATION DETAILS
OPEN: Game and Fish will begin accepting black bear bait site registration applications at 8 a.m. MDT March 21 on the Game and Fish website. 
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications close at 12 midnight March 28.

To register a new site during the initial registration period:

1. Visit the Game and Fish Hunting webpage at: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting and log-in to your Game and Fish account after 8 a.m. March 21.

2. Applicants will have access to the online bear bait site map to review available bait sites and access the bait site location legal description (township, range, section) to record on their application. 

3. Applicants can apply for up to six bait sites; however, no individual may register more than the maximum number of bait sites allowed by regulation. Applicants can only submit one application. 

Black bear bait site application results will be available on the Game and Fish website by 8 a.m. April 1. Applicants can check their results by logging into the Game and Fish website using their username and password.  

Bait sites will be registered based on the application results and associated priority ranking. All available sites will be registered and bait site holders notified by email no later than 5 p.m. April 4. 

If an applicant’s bait site locations are unavailable, Game and Fish will attempt to notify the applicant over the phone, text or email prior to April 5.

Beginning at 8 a.m. MDT April 5, applications for any remaining available black bear bait sites will be taken in person or by phone at Game and Fish Regional offices.  

RULES FOR BAIT SITES
No bear bait may be placed on state, federal or Game and Fish lands without first registering the bait site with Game and Fish. See Sections 4, 5 and 7 of the Black Bear Hunting Seasons regulation for black bear baiting requirements. Each bear hunter is allowed two bait sites; however, hunters may only have one bait per section, as illustrated on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management maps. Bear baits cannot be placed more than seven days prior to opening day and must be removed seven days after the last day of the spring or fall black bear hunting season.

FOR HELP
For hunters who have additional questions, please contact your local regional office. 

Casper Regional Office - (307) 473-3400
Cody Regional Office - (307) 527-7125 
Green River Regional Office - (307) 875-3223
Jackson Regional Office - (307) 733-2321 
Lander Regional Office - (307) 332-2688
Laramie Regional Office - (307) 745-4046
Pinedale Regional Office - (307) 367-4353 
Sheridan Regional Office - (307) 672-7418