The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will open black bear bait site renewals at 8 a.m. Friday, March 1. The site renewal process may be completed online or in person by visiting or calling a regional Game and Fish office. The application process for new black bear sites begins at 8 a.m. March 21.

Before renewing or registering a bait site, hunters must purchase a 2024 black bear license. Licenses can be purchased online and will be mailed within 10 days. Licenses also can be purchased at regional offices or license-selling agents. A Game and Fish website login is required for online bait site renewal and to apply for new bait sites.

SITE RENEWAL PROCESS 

OPEN: Renewals begin at 8 a.m. MDT on Friday, March 1 on the Game and Fish website. 

DEADLINE: The deadline to renew a site is midnight March 20.

RENEW EXISTING SITE

1. Visit the Game and Fish website and log-in to your Game and Fish account after 8 a.m. March 1. 
2. Individuals can renew the same black bear bait site from the previous calendar year as long as the site was baited and Game and Fish received GPS coordinates of the bait site prior to Dec. 31, 2023.

Sites for which coordinates were not received or were not baited in 2023 will not be eligible for renewal. Renewals may be completed online or in person by visiting or calling a regional Game and Fish office.

NEW SITE APPLICATION PROCESS 

OPEN: Game and Fish will begin accepting black bear bait site registration applications at 8 a.m. March 21 on the Game and Fish website. 

DEADLINE: The deadline to apply for a black bear bait site registration is midnight March 28.

To register a new site during the initial registration period

1. Visit the Game and Fish website 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. 

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 their Game and Fish account. 

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. 

Beginning at 8 a.m. on April 5, applications for any remaining available black bear bait sites will be taken in person by visiting or calling a regional Game and Fish office. In-person applications cannot be submitted at Game and Fish Headquarters in Cheyenne. 

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.
• In accordance with State Land Board rules, authorization from the Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments is required prior to placing a black bear bait on any state lands. For more information about baiting black bears visit the State Lands website. 

Hunters who have additional questions should contact their local regional office.