2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-04491HB0186
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0186
Bear coupons-game and fish.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Wharff, Rodriguez-Williams,
Schmid, Webber and Winter and Senator(s)
Dockstader, French, Ide and McKeown
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to game and fish; requiring the game and
2 fish commission to issue bear coupons as specified; making
3 legislative findings; requiring the game and fish
4 commission to provide evidence of grizzly bear population
5 recovery as specified; making conforming amendments;
6 requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
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10. W.S. 23-1-703(c), 23-2-101(j)(intro) and
11 23-3-105(a) and by creating a new subsection (d) are
12 amended to read:
13 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04492HB01861
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5 (c) Except as provided in
6 this subsection and subsection (f) of this
7 section or by rule of the commission, no person who is
8 issued a hunting license on and after July 1, 2022 for a
9 grizzly bear, or for a mountain goat, any moose or antlered
10 moose, any ram bighorn sheep, any bighorn sheep and any
11 wild bison, and no person who, on July 1, 2022, is subject
12 to the five (5) year restriction under subsection (b) of
13 this section for a moose or bighorn sheep license, shall be
14 eligible to apply for or receive a hunting license for that
15 particular species in any future year. The commission may
16 issue hunting licenses to any person in future years when
17 necessary for wildlife management purposes to harvest
18 grizzly bear, mountain goat, ewe or lamb bighorn sheep or
19 cow or calf moose. The commission may issue hunting
20 licenses to any person to harvest cow or calf wild bison
21 pursuant to W.S. 23-2-107(f).
22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04493HB01861
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5 (j) Subject to W.S. 23-2-101(f),
6 and the applicable fee under
7 W.S. 23-1-701, the following hunting licenses and tags may
8 be purchased for the fee indicated and subject to the
9 limitations provided:
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14 (a) Antelope, deer and elk licenses shall have two
15 (2) coupons attached, each bearing the same serial number
16 as the body of the permit, one (1) designated "antelope,
17 deer or elk coupon" and one (1) designated "landowner's
18 coupon".
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8.
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10 (a) The legislature finds that grizzly bears have
11 recovered in Wyoming and should be removed from the
12 endangered species and threatened species list and that the
13 state should be responsible for management of grizzly bears
14 in Wyoming.
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16 (b) Not later than July 1, 2025 and prior to issuing
17 any bear coupon in accordance with W.S. 23-3-105(d) as
18 created by section 1 of this act, the game and fish
19 commission shall present all evidence to the United States
20 fish and wildlife service supporting the fact that grizzly
21 bears have recovered in Wyoming and should be removed from
22 the endangered species and threatened species list and that 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04496HB0186
1 the state should be responsible for management of grizzly
2 bears in Wyoming.
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4 (c) Nothing in this act shall be deemed to allow any
5 taking of grizzly bears within the greater Yellowstone
6 ecosystem recovery zone as established by the United States
7 fish and wildlife service.
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9The Wyoming game and fish commission shall
10 adopt any rules necessary to implement this act not later
11 than January 1, 2026.
12 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04497HB01861.
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3 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
4 section, this act is effective immediately upon completion
5 of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided
6 by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
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8 (b) Section 1 of this act is effective on the earlier
9 of the following dates:
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11 (i) Ten (10) days after the date that the
12 Wyoming game and fish commission certifies to the secretary
13 of state that grizzly bears have been removed from the
14 endangered species and threatened species list;
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16 (ii) January 1, 2026.
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18 (END)