CHEYENNE — If you’re one of the many hunters making plans to head to a Wyoming Game and Fish Department hunter management area this fall, it's time to apply for permission slips. Applications for HMAs open at 8 a.m., July 21. A successful hunting season begins long before heading afield. Securing permission for access is one of the most important planning steps. 

HMAs are typically ranches where Game and Fish manages hunting access. These properties may include portions of various private lands, as well as intermixed leased Bureau of Land Management and state lands within the HMA boundary. HMAs are part of the Access Yes program that facilitates the partnership between private landowners and Game and Fish to provide hunters and anglers free public hunting and fishing access on private land and inaccessible public land. Access Yes also includes walk-in fishing and hunting areas, each of which has its own rules regarding species and access dates. 

“The Access Yes program thrives because of our incredible partnerships with Wyoming landowners,” said Dan Smith, Game and Fish chief game warden and wildlife division chief. “Our most sincere thanks go out to these generous individuals who make hunting opportunities possible on their land.”

To obtain access to an HMA, each hunter must apply online and obtain a printed permission slip.  Each HMA has its own set of Ranch Rules, and it is extremely important that hunters review and abide by these rules.

Hunters should be advised that Type 8 elk licenses are not valid on the National Elk Refuge. Type 8 licenses are unlimited in number and offered to hunters to address specific elk population issues in a portion of the state.

Failure to comply with HMA ranch rules is a violation of Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Regulations and may result in fines, the termination of access privileges and/or other legal penalties. Hunters should abide by the ranch rules and show respect to landowners providing access. 

-WGFD-