Question

My brother owns property in Wyoming but was told he can't get a resident hunting license because he doesn't live here. How come?

Answer

The ownership of property is not one of the qualifications for Wyoming residency status for getting a hunting or fishing license. Wyoming law requires a person to be domiciled, or living, in Wyoming for not less than one year without claiming residency elsewhere during that period of time. Simply having property or a mailing address in Wyoming does not constitute domicile. The G&F has a brochure to answer residency questions. It's available at G&F offices or by calling within Wyoming at 1-800-842-1934; or 307-777-4600 from outside Wyoming.


Idaho — Turkey Hunts

Spring wild turkey hunts in most turkey hunting units will begin April 15.

General hunts for bearded turkeys are held in units 8, 8A, 10, 10A, 11, 11A, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32 (except the portion of that unit in Payette County), 32A, 33, and 39 beginning April 15 and running through May 25. General hunts run May 1 through May 25 in units 1, 2 (except Farragut State Park and Farragut Wildlife Management Area), 3, 4, 4A, 5 and 6.

April 15 is also the opening for controlled hunts in some units. Other controlled hunts begin April 22 and May 1. Hunters must have applied for controlled turkey hunts by February 15.

Hunters may take two bearded turkeys in the spring but only one on any single day. Turkey tags cost the same as they did after April 30 last year, $18 each. (One turkey of either sex is allowed in fall hunting, so a turkey hunter has a potential for three birds in one year.) Current information can be found in the 2001 wild turkey proclamation booklet, available at license vendors, Fish and Game offices and on the Internet at www2.state.id.us/fishgame. The booklet explains seasons and rules in detail as well as offering maps showing the distribution of turkey populations in Idaho.

Wild turkey populations have done well in recent years in Idaho with an aggressive transplanting program. Hunting participation has grown to match, from a few hundred hunters in the 1980s to around 17,000 in Idaho last year. About 5,000 turkeys were taken in last year's spring and fall hunts combined.

A mild winter assured little or no winterkill in turkey populations while brood conditions were excellent across most areas of Idaho last year. Good numbers of birds are expected wherever wild turkeys are found in Idaho.


Idaho — Apply for Moose, Goat, Sheep Hunts

The application period for moose, mountain goat and bighorn sheep hunts begins April 1.

Applications for these controlled hunts will be accepted through April 30. Hunters may apply at Fish and Game offices or license vendors and can apply using a credit card by telephone or over the Internet. Telephone applications may be made at 1-800-554-8685; Internet users can apply through Fish and Game's web site. There is an additional charge of three percent of the transaction plus $3.50 for these two methods, to pay the contractor for the service.

For moose, goat and sheep hunt applications only, the entire permit fee must be paid with the application. All but the $6.50 application fee will be refunded to those who do not draw. The resident application, including permit fee, costs $164.50; nonresidents pay $1,514.50. For the first time, nonresidents may apply for moose permits this year.

Mailed applications must be postmarked no later than April 30. Hunters who apply for moose, goat and sheep may not apply for any other controlled hunt in the same year except for unlimited controlled hunts, controlled bear hunts or depredation hunts. Those who draw a moose, goat or sheep permit and do not have a kill may not apply to hunt the same species for two years. No one may apply for a moose who has killed one in Idaho or for a goat who has killed one since 1977. Anyone who has killed a California bighorn or a Rocky Mountain bighorn may not apply again for the same type of sheep but may apply for the other subspecies.


Montana —Spring Black Bear License Deadline

It may seem too early in the year to talk about big game hunting, but the deadline for purchasing a spring bear hunting license is only two weeks away.

Black bear hunters who plan on taking part in the spring season need to purchase a bear license by April 14. Black bear hunting licenses purchased after April 14 cannot be used until the fall black bear hunting season. Hunters may hold only one black bear license per license year.

The spring bear season opens April 15 and closes in May or June depending on the area. Check the bear hunting regulations for details.

Black bear hunters are strongly encouraged to visit FWP's new bear identification training site at the FWP web site: fwp.state.mt.us/bearid. The site is designed to ensure that black bear hunters are able to successfully distinguish black bears from grizzly bears. Grizzly bears, a federally protected threatened species, are found almost everywhere black bears are found, but grizzly bears are not legal game. Any hunter who mistakenly kills a grizzly bear may face stiff fines and imprisonment.

Hunters who choose to hunt in northwestern Montana's Bear Management Units 103, 106, and 107 this spring must validate their black bear license when they purchase it. Hunters who choose this validation may not hunt in any other bear management unit during the spring.

For more information on Montana's spring black bear hunting season, call your nearest FWP office.


Montana — Spring Turkey Season

Montana's spring turkey gobbler season opens Saturday, April 7, and closes Sunday, May 6. While the application deadline for special spring turkey permits has come and gone, there are ample opportunities to hunt gobblers in the "general turkey hunting areas" that extend across the eastern half of Montana.

The limit is one wild, male turkey per spring season except that spring turkey hunters may harvest two male turkeys in FWP Region 7, or one male in any other sanctioned hunting area and another in Region 7.

For details on licenses required and regulations, check the Spring Turkey Regulations available at FWP Regional Offices and the Helena headquarters building.


Utah — Big Game Management Plans

Among changes in big game management plans is a proposal to increase the buck-to-doe objective on the Henry Mountains limited-entry unit to 35 bucks per 100 does, and to 25 bucks per 100 does on the Vernon portion of the West Desert Unit.

The Division would also like to add range trend information to each deer unit's written management plan. "People, as they have those in hand, would get a better feel for the habitat conditions and range trend information that has been collected over the past few years," Cranney said.

For more information about the meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office, or the Division's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.