Ask Game and Fish

Q: “Do I need a license to trap or shoot a badger?”

A: American badgers are classified as furbearing animals in the State of Wyoming, so a valid furbearing animal hunting or trapping license is required to take badgers. Animals classified as furbearers in Wyoming are: badgers, beavers, bobcats, marten, mink, muskrat and weasels. Each furbearing animal species has specific season dates, limitations and other regulatory requirements for legal take. Read about taking furbearers in the Furbearing Animal Hunting or Trapping Seasons brochure or talk with your local Game and Fish Office. 

Lots of people think badgers are predatory animals but they are not. A license is not required to take predatory animals and there are no season dates. Predatory animals in Wyoming are: coyotes, jackrabbits, porcupines, raccoons, red fox, stray cats, striped skunk and gray wolf located outside the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area and Seasonal Wolf Trophy Game Management Area as described in Wyoming statute.

Although a license is not required to take predatory animals, other laws still apply. For more information regarding harvest of predatory animals, please contact your local Game and Fish office.

Submitted by Allen Deru, Mountain View Game Warden

Q: “I’m applying for an elk license. How can I research the Access Yes areas in my hunt area?”

A: Each year the Wyoming Game and Fish Department receives calls from hunters wondering where they should go for a DIY elk hunt in Wyoming. Throughout the state, there are public land opportunities as well as Access Yes areas - private land that landowners have enrolled for public hunting. This is the advice I give hunters who are searching for a good place to hunt:

Narrow down the portion of the state you want to hunt. Start with where you plan to hunt in Wyoming. Visit the Game and Fish Public Access webpage to see the hunter management areas (HMAs) or walk-in areas (WIAs) that are open for elk hunting. If planning on hunting private land that is not enrolled in our Access Yes program, always gain permission to hunt prior to applying for your license.

Think about the type of hunt you want to do. These questions may include: archery or rifle; early or late season; vehicle access or access by foot or horseback; and camp or stay at a hotel? Based on these answers, find the HMAs or WIAs that could accommodate your hunting preferences. Access Yes areas typically have fewer hunters than public lands. But, public lands can offer solitude if you are willing to hike into the backcountry. 

Check with local Game and Fish personnel. Contact the regional access coordinator in your area with specific questions on Access Yes areas that would work best for you. The local wildlife biologist and game warden can give insights to public and private land access as well. Each hunter requires different considerations when planning their hunt, so it is best to research the area and know your requirements so we can assist you with planning your hunt.

In 2019, Wyoming offered access to 331 walk-in hunting areas and 59 hunter management areas throughout the state. In 2019, department funding and private donations provided more than 2.8 million acres of hunting access on otherwise inaccessible private, state and landlocked public lands, so please consider donating to Access Yes when you apply for licenses.

Submitted by Kelly Todd, Laramie Regional Access Coordinator