EVANSTON — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department encourages hunters planning their fall seasons to take advantage of opportunities provided through the Access Yes program. Through partnerships with private landowners, Access Yes secures public access to private lands that would otherwise be unavailable for hunting and other outdoor recreation. The program is funded through voluntary donations and a portion of the proceeds from Wyoming conservation stamp sales.
One of the program's largest and most successful access projects is the Bear River Divide Hunter Management Area (HMA), located within the Bear River Divide Public Access Area northeast of Evanston. Since 2006, the HMA has provided free public hunting access to more than 230,000 acres, including private land and previously inaccessible Bureau of Land Management and state lands.
Hunters planning to use the Bear River Divide HMA must first obtain a free permission slip and corresponding vehicle pass. The area generally issues more than 1,600 permission slips annually. Permission slips are free, unlimited and available through the Game and Fish website. Hunters must also download and review the Ranch Rules and map for the HMA, which outline specific rules and restrictions.
Some key rules for the Bear River Divide HMA include:
- Permission slips are available for the following species: antelope, deer, elk, moose, mountain lion, rabbits, sage-grouse, and waterfowl.
- Possession or use of off-road recreational vehicles, multipurpose vehicles, motorcycles, electric bicycles or commonly called “ORVs, ATVs, UTVs, MPVs, side by sides, four wheelers, dirt bikes, etc”, as defined by Wyoming Statute 31-1-101, is prohibited.
- No person shall camp more than fourteen (14) days or leave a camp unattended for more than forty-eight (48) hours. Please see Chapter 23, Sec 5 (iii) for more details.
- No open fires allowed.
- Vehicles allowed on established roads only. Observe all Road Closed signs.
- Closed roads may be driven on for game retrieval only between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Oil, gas, and windmill sites are restricted. No admittance.
Do not travel on roads when they are excessively wet or muddy. When in doubt, keep out.
Discover more access opportunities by visiting the Public Access section of the Game and Fish website at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/public-access.
