2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-00581SF0002
SENATE FILE NO. SF0002
Hunting licenses-weighted bonus points system.
Sponsored by: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural
Resources Interim Committee
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to game and fish; establishing a weighted
2 bonus points program for ram bighorn sheep and antlered
3 moose hunting license random draws; removing the preference
4 point drawing for ram bighorn sheep and antlered moose;
5 providing for the calculation of weighted bonus points;
6 making conforming amendments; repealing a provision;
7 specifying applicability; requiring rulemaking; and
8 providing for effective dates.
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12W.S. 23-1-107(a), (b)(intro), (ii),
13 (h)(intro), (iii) and (j), 23-1-302(p), 23-1-703(c), (g),
14 (h) and by creating a new subsection (j), 23-1-705(a) and 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00582SF0002
1 (k), 23-2-101(g), (k) and (m) and 23-2-109 are amended to
2 read:
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7 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, to
8 qualify for any resident game and fish license,
9 preference point, permit or tag issued under this
10 act, a person shall be domiciled in Wyoming for not less
11 than one (1) full year immediately preceding the date the
12 person applies for the license, preference
13 point, permit or tag and shall not have claimed residency
14 in any other state, territory or country for any purpose
15 during that one (1) year period.
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17 (b) Each person applying for a license,
18 preference point, permit or tag under this act shall
19 establish his own residency status independently or as
20 provided in this subsection or subsection (g) of this
21 section. A minor dependent shall qualify as a resident if:
22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00583SF00021 (ii) His noncustodial parent qualifies as a
2 resident under this act and the minor is or will be
3 residing in this state with the noncustodial parent during
4 any portion of the calendar year in which the license,
5 permit or stamp is to be used or in the case of a
6 preference point the calendar year in which the
7 preference point is to be
8 accumulated.
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10 (h) An applicant shall provide proof of residency and
11 swear to an oath of residency when making application for,
12 or attempting to purchase, a resident license,
13 preference point, permit or tag under this act. License
14 selling agents and the department shall consider as
15 documentary evidence of residency any of the following:
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17 (iii) A proof of residency statement on a form
18 provided by the department that has been completed and
19 signed by the applicant. Any active duty member of the
20 armed forces, his spouse or minor dependent of the active
21 duty member making application for or purchasing a resident
22 license, preference point, permit or tag shall 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00584SF0002
1 be required to complete and submit the proof of residency
2 statement; or
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4 (j) The commission may promulgate rules and
5 regulations in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative
6 Procedure Act to ensure that only bona fide Wyoming
7 residents as defined in this act are issued resident game
8 and fish licenses, preference points, permits
9 and tags.
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13 (p) The commission may, by rule and regulation,
14 establish a process by which big game licenses, trophy game
15 licenses and wild bison licenses may be issued by a
16 competitive raffle and prescribe the manner of payment for
17 which raffle chances are sold and the amount of payment for
18 each raffle chance. No more than two (2) licenses for each
19 big game species and trophy game species and no more than
20 two (2) wild bison licenses shall be issued under this
21 subsection. Each license issued for bighorn sheep, moose,
22 mountain goat, grizzly bear or wild bison through a
23 competitive raffle shall, when applicable, be counted 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00585SF0002
1 against any nonresident quota. The five (5) year
2 restriction imposed on the receipt of a moose or bighorn
3 sheep license the lifetime
4 restriction imposed on the receipt of a grizzly bear,
5 mountain goat, bighorn sheep, wild bison or moose license
6 by W.S. 23-1-703(c), and any restriction imposed on the
7 receipt of a wild bison license by W.S. 23-2-107 shall not
8 be applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to
9 this subsection. The commission shall issue licenses upon
10 receipt of the proper license fee by the successful
11 competitive raffle winner. Nothing in this subsection shall
12 authorize the issuance of a license to any person whose
13 privilege to procure, purchase or possess a license has
14 been suspended pursuant to this act or by operation of law.
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20 (c) No person may apply for and receive more than one
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22 Except as
23 provided in this subsection and subsection (f) of this 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00586SF0002
1 section or by rule of the commission, no person who is
2 issued a hunting license on and after July 1, 2022 for a
3 grizzly bear, or for a mountain goat, any moose or antlered
4 moose, any ram bighorn sheep, any bighorn sheep and any
5 wild bison, and no person who, on July 1, 2022, is subject
6 to the five (5) year restriction under subsection
7 moose or
8 bighorn sheep license, shall be eligible to apply for or
9 receive a hunting license for that particular species in
10 any future year. The commission may issue hunting licenses
11 to any person in future years when necessary for wildlife
12 management purposes to harvest grizzly bear, mountain goat,
13 ewe or lamb bighorn sheep or cow or calf moose. The
14 commission may issue hunting licenses to any person to
15 harvest cow or calf wild bison pursuant to W.S.
16 23-2-107(f).
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18 (g) In addition to the authority granted under
19he commission may through
20 rule and regulation develop and implement a preference
21 point program for nonresident antelope, nonresident deer
22 and nonresident elk licenses which are limited in quota and
23 would otherwise be issued through a random drawing. A 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00587SF0002
1 program established pursuant to this subsection may be
2 implemented for all or selected hunt areas and may be
3 applied to all or portions of licenses for
4. The commission may charge
5 nonresident license applicants a nonrefundable fee to
6 accumulate preference points under the program as provided
7 in W.S. 23-2-101(m).
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9 (h) Rules and regulations shall be promulgated by the
10 game and fish commission to carry out subsections (a)
11 through (f) of this section and may be promulgated
12 as provided in subsection (g) of this section.
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19 (a) At the request of the governor, the commission
20 shall annually issue up to twenty-five (25) complimentary
21 hunting and twenty-five (25) complimentary fishing
22 licenses. Not more than five (5) bighorn sheep, five (5)
23 moose and five (5) wild bison licenses shall be issued 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005810SF0002
1 under this subsection. The five (5) year restriction
2 imposed on the receipt of a moose,
3 bighorn sheep
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5 imposed on taking of wild bison under commission rule and
6 regulation shall not be applicable in any manner to a
7 license issued pursuant to this subsection. Except as
8 provided under subsection (g) of this section, no
9 complimentary licenses may be issued at the request of the
10 appointed commissioners. Immediately upon issuance of any
11 of these licenses, the commission shall submit to the
12 secretary of state for maintenance as a public record, the
13 name and address of each licensee and the type of license
14 issued.
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16 (k) The holder of any valid big game animal license,
17 trophy game animal license, any wild bison license or a
18 female or calf wild bison license may surrender said
19 license to the department for reissuance to a veteran with
20 disabilities or a person with a permanent disability who
21 uses a wheelchair as established by commission rule and
22 regulation selected and sponsored by a nonprofit charitable
23 organization providing hunting opportunities to a veteran 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005811SF0002
1 with disabilities or a person with a permanent disability
2 who uses a wheelchair. Any license reissued in accordance
3 with the provisions of this subsection shall be for the
4 same species, area and license type as the license donated.
5 The license shall be reissued by the department to a
6 qualifying person at no fee. Any license donated and
7 reissued under the provisions of this subsection shall not
8 be sold, traded, auctioned or offered for any monetary
9 value and shall not be issued to, or used by, any person
10 other than a qualifying person under the provision of this
11 section and in compliance with commission rule and
12 regulation. Licenses reissued to persons pursuant to this
13 subsection shall not be subject to residency, drawing or
14 fee requirements under W.S. 23-2-101 or 23-2-107. The five
15 (5) year restriction imposed on the receipt of a cow or
16 calf moose or a ewe or lamb bighorn sheep license
17 the lifetime restriction imposed on the
18 receipt of a grizzly bear, mountain goat, ram or any
19 bighorn sheep, any wild bison or any moose or antlered
20 moose license by W.S. 23-1-703(c) or the restrictions
21 imposed on a wild bison under W.S. 23-2-107(f) shall not be
22 applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to
23 this subsection. 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005812SF0002
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6 (g) In promulgating rules and regulations for the
7 taking of bighorn sheep and moose, the commission shall not
8 discriminate between residents and nonresidents regarding
9 the maturity and horn size of the animals which may be
10 taken. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as
11 prohibiting the commission from issuing a different number
12 of licenses for residents and nonresidents, from requiring
13 a preference point fee from nonresidents
14 only pursuant to subsection (m) of this section or from
15 issuing reduced price ewe and lamb bighorn sheep licenses
16 as provided in subsection (d) of this section.
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18 (k) Any resident qualified to purchase a moose or ram
19 bighorn sheep hunting license under subsection (j) of this
20 section may pay a fee of seven dollars ($7.00) in lieu of
21 applying for a moose or ram bighorn sheep hunting license.
22 Payment of the fee for a particular species under this
23 subsection shall authorize the person to 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005813SF0002
1 points
2 under W.S. for
3 that year in the same manner as if he had unsuccessfully
4 applied for a hunting license for that species. Payment of
5 the fee shall be made in compliance with application dates.
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7 (m) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, as
8 part of
9 any preference
10 point program for nonresident antelope,
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12 nonresident elk, the commission may establish a
13 nonrefundable fee to be either withheld from the license
14 fee remitted or submitted separately when application for a
15 license, bonus point or preference point is made through
16 electronic licensing, and may also establish a fee to be
17 paid in lieu of applying for licenses that are limited in
18 quota. Retention of the established fee or payment of the
19 fee in lieu of applying shall authorize the person to
20 a
21 preference point for future drawings for licenses that are
22 limited in quota for the applicable species in accordance
23 with rules of the commission. The rules may provide for the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005814SF0002
1 loss of all accumulated
2 points for persons failing to apply or to pay the in lieu
3 fee in two (2) consecutive calendar years. The fee for any
4 program under this subsection for
5 antelope, deer or elk shall be established by rule and
6 shall not exceed seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per species.
7 Payment of the fee shall be made in compliance with
8 application dates. Nothing in this subsection authorizes
9 the commission to establish or retain a fee for resident
10 moose or resident ram bighorn sheep
11 points in addition to the fee established by
12 subsection (k) of this section or to establish rules for
13 ram bighorn sheep or moose point
14 drawings in conflict with the provisions of W.S.
15. For nonresident ram bighorn sheep
16 and nonresident moose licenses, the commission may
17 establish by rule a nonrefundable point
18 fee to be withheld from either the license fee remitted or
19 submitted separately when application for a license or
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21 and may establish a fee in lieu of making application in an
22 amount greater than that established under subsection (k)
23 of this section, but neither fee shall exceed one hundred 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005815SF0002
1 fifty dollars ($150.00). Fees established under this
2 subsection may be set at lower amounts for youth license
3 applicants.
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8 Except as otherwise authorized by law or rule of the
9 commission, no person shall submit more than one (1)
10 application for a license for the same big or trophy game
11 species or for wild turkey, if the issuance of the license
12 has been limited by the commission. A violation of this
13 subsection shall be punishable as a high misdemeanor
14 punishable as provided in W.S. 23-6-202(a)(ii), by the loss
15 of all points then assigned to the person pursuant to W.S.
16, and disqualification
17 in the year of submission for any license for the species
18 for which the multiple applications were submitted.
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20W.S. 23-1-703(b) is repealed.
21 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-005816SF00021. This act shall apply to all antlered moose
2 and ram bighorn sheep hunting seasons commencing on or
3 after January 1, 2029.
4
5The game and fish commission shall
6 promulgate all rules necessary to implement the provisions
7 of this act for transitioning preference points to bonus
8 points and establishing a weighted bonus point random
9 drawing for antlered moose and ram bighorn sheep hunting
10 seasons not later than January 1, 2029.
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12.
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14 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
15 section, this act is effective January 1, 2029
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17 (b) Sections 3, 4 and 5 of this act are effective
18 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
19 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
20 the Wyoming Constitution.
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22 (END)