The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is beginning to add signage on a selection of the 450,000 acres of Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMAs) that inform users of recreation activities that may be occurring in the area. 

“You may start to notice signs on Commission-owned property that acknowledge people might be hunting, fishing and trapping on the landscape,” said Jason Hunter, Lander Region wildlife supervisor.

The signage efforts are meant to increase awareness of the variety of recreational activities, specifically trapping, allowed on Game and Fish property, as well as how department lands are funded. Initial signage has been installed at the Ocean Lake and Sand Mesa WHMAs in Fremont County, with others around the state to come soon. 

“These signs are a direct result of the recent public engagement process where we engaged a wide range of public land users to talk about trapping,” Hunter said. “Increased outreach and education was one of the primary recommendations that came out of the process and these signs will hopefully be one of the first steps toward that.” 

The new signs include a QR code and a website link directing users to a recreation webpage with information about opportunities on WHMAs. 

“Users will be able to get specific information on hunting, trapping and fishing, and all the Game and Fish WHMAs in the state,” Hunter said. “The webpages will be continually updated with relevant information as time allows and the seasons change.”

These resources are the start of several trapping outreach efforts rolling out over the next year, including a website and educational opportunities.