New regulations on shed antler and horn collection went into effect Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The updated regulation expands the seasonal closure to include additional critical big game wintering habitat in southeast Wyoming, such as the Laramie Plains, Snowy Range, Sierra Madres, and Platte Valley.
The regulation restricts antler hunting activities beginning January 1 through May 1 at 12 noon on public lands. Previously, antler hunters could begin persuing shed antlers on at midnight on May 1, but this has been changed to 12 noon on May 1. Read the entire regulation.
Since 2009, Wyoming prohibited the collection of shed antlers and horns on public land, such as U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands and Wyoming Game and Fish Commission owned or administered lands west of the Continental Divide, excluding the Great Divide Basin, from January1 through April 30 of each year. The Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners also prohibits the collection of shed antlers or horns on state lands in the same geographic area and time frame as outlined in Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulation.
Collect means to search for, locate, stockpile, or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals on public land or attempt to search for, locate, stockpile, or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals on public land during the closed season. A violation of this regulation carries the same potential penalties as other Game and Fish violations.
“In the winter, big game animals such as mule deer and elk use most of their energy just to survive,” said Chief Game Warden Rick King. “By limiting disturbances from humans, they have less stressors that can use up their valuable fat stores.”
In 2019, new legislation granted the Game and Fish Commission the authority to regulate shed antler gathering in more of the state. “Extending the closed areas in southeast Wyoming will benefit mule deer on critical winter ranges in the Sheep Mountain and Platte Valley herds,” King said. “The Game and Fish Department has established mule deer initiatives for the Platte Valley and Sheep Mountain mule deer herds to address concern for these mule deer populations. A lot of people recreate on winter range in these areas, and this new regulation can make a difference in reducing disturbance during a crucial time for mule deer and other big game animals.”
Any antlers or horns found in Wyoming that are still attached to the skull need to be tagged with an Interstate Game Tag by a Wyoming Game and Fish law enforcement officer. Individuals need to contact a game warden prior to removing the head from the field. There is an $8 fee for the tag.
Game and Fish has closure information specific to the Laramie, Green River, Pinedale and Jackson regions online or by contacting those offices. To report shed antler or horn collection violations, call the STOP Poaching Hotline at 1-877-943-3847 (1-877-WGFD-TIP) or text keyword WGFD and message to TIP411 (847-411). Violations may also be reported on the Game and Fish website.
