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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-0058
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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:
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3SF00021 (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-0058
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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-0058
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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-0058
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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 (b) of
7 this section for a moose or bighorn sheep license, shall be
8 eligible to apply for or receive a hunting license for that
9 particular species in any future year. The commission may
10 issue hunting licenses to any person in future years when
11 necessary for wildlife management purposes to harvest
12 grizzly bear, mountain goat, ewe or lamb bighorn sheep or
13 cow or calf moose. The commission may issue hunting
14 licenses to any person to harvest cow or calf wild bison
15 pursuant to W.S. 23-2-107(f).
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17 (g) In addition to the authority granted under
18he commission may through
19 rule and regulation develop and implement a preference
20 point program for nonresident antelope, nonresident deer
21 and nonresident elk licenses which are limited in quota and
22 would otherwise be issued through a random drawing. A
23 program established pursuant to this subsection may be 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 implemented for all or selected hunt areas and may be
2 applied to all or portions of licenses for
3. The commission may charge
4 nonresident license applicants a nonrefundable fee to
5 accumulate preference points under the program as provided
6 in W.S. 23-2-101(m).
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8 (h) Rules and regulations shall be promulgated by the
9 game and fish commission to carry out subsections (a)
10 through (f) of this section and may be promulgated
11 as provided in subsection (g) of this section.
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10 (a) At the request of the governor, the commission
11 shall annually issue up to twenty-five (25) complimentary
12 hunting and twenty-five (25) complimentary fishing
13 licenses. Not more than five (5) bighorn sheep, five (5)
14 moose and five (5) wild bison licenses shall be issued
15 under this subsection. The five (5) year restriction
16 imposed on the receipt of a moose,
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19 imposed on taking of wild bison under commission rule and
20 regulation shall not be applicable in any manner to a
21 license issued pursuant to this subsection. Except as
22 provided under subsection (g) of this section, no
23 complimentary licenses may be issued at the request of the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 appointed commissioners. Immediately upon issuance of any
2 of these licenses, the commission shall submit to the
3 secretary of state for maintenance as a public record, the
4 name and address of each licensee and the type of license
5 issued.
6
7 (k) The holder of any valid big game animal license,
8 trophy game animal license, any wild bison license or a
9 female or calf wild bison license may surrender said
10 license to the department for reissuance to a veteran with
11 disabilities or a person with a permanent disability who
12 uses a wheelchair as established by commission rule and
13 regulation selected and sponsored by a nonprofit charitable
14 organization providing hunting opportunities to a veteran
15 with disabilities or a person with a permanent disability
16 who uses a wheelchair. Any license reissued in accordance
17 with the provisions of this subsection shall be for the
18 same species, area and license type as the license donated.
19 The license shall be reissued by the department to a
20 qualifying person at no fee. Any license donated and
21 reissued under the provisions of this subsection shall not
22 be sold, traded, auctioned or offered for any monetary
23 value and shall not be issued to, or used by, any person 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 other than a qualifying person under the provision of this
2 section and in compliance with commission rule and
3 regulation. Licenses reissued to persons pursuant to this
4 subsection shall not be subject to residency, drawing or
5 fee requirements under W.S. 23-2-101 or 23-2-107. The five
6 (5) year restriction imposed on the receipt of a cow or
7 calf moose or a ewe or lamb bighorn sheep license
8 the lifetime restriction imposed on the
9 receipt of a grizzly bear, mountain goat, ram or any
10 bighorn sheep, any wild bison or any moose or antlered
11 moose license by W.S. 23-1-703(c) or the restrictions
12 imposed on a wild bison under W.S. 23-2-107(f) shall not be
13 applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to
14 this subsection.
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20 (g) In promulgating rules and regulations for the
21 taking of bighorn sheep and moose, the commission shall not
22 discriminate between residents and nonresidents regarding
23 the maturity and horn size of the animals which may be 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 taken. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as
2 prohibiting the commission from issuing a different number
3 of licenses for residents and nonresidents, from requiring
4 a preference point fee from nonresidents
5 only pursuant to subsection (m) of this section or from
6 issuing reduced price ewe and lamb bighorn sheep licenses
7 as provided in subsection (d) of this section.
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9 (k) Any resident qualified to purchase a moose or ram
10 bighorn sheep hunting license under subsection (j) of this
11 section may pay a fee of seven dollars ($7.00) in lieu of
12 applying for a moose or ram bighorn sheep hunting license.
13 Payment of the fee for a particular species under this
14 subsection shall authorize the person to
15 points
16 under W.S. for
17 that year in the same manner as if he had unsuccessfully
18 applied for a hunting license for that species. Payment of
19 the fee shall be made in compliance with application dates.
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21 (m) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, as
22 part of
23 any preference 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 point program for nonresident antelope,
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3 nonresident elk, the commission may establish a
4 nonrefundable fee to be either withheld from the license
5 fee remitted or submitted separately when application for a
6 license, bonus point or preference point is made through
7 electronic licensing, and may also establish a fee to be
8 paid in lieu of applying for licenses that are limited in
9 quota. Retention of the established fee or payment of the
10 fee in lieu of applying shall authorize the person to
11 a
12 preference point for future drawings for licenses that are
13 limited in quota for the applicable species in accordance
14 with rules of the commission. The rules may provide for the
15 loss of all accumulated
16 points for persons failing to apply or to pay the in lieu
17 fee in two (2) consecutive calendar years. The fee for any
18 program under this subsection for
19 antelope, deer or elk shall be established by rule and
20 shall not exceed seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per species.
21 Payment of the fee shall be made in compliance with
22 application dates. Nothing in this subsection authorizes
23 the commission to establish or retain a fee for resident 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 moose or resident ram bighorn sheep
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3 subsection (k) of this section or to establish rules for
4 ram bighorn sheep or moose point
5 drawings in conflict with the provisions of W.S.
6. For nonresident ram bighorn sheep
7 and nonresident moose licenses, the commission may
8 establish by rule a nonrefundable point
9 fee to be withheld from either the license fee remitted or
10 submitted separately when application for a license or
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12 and may establish a fee in lieu of making application in an
13 amount greater than that established under subsection (k)
14 of this section, but neither fee shall exceed one hundred
15 fifty dollars ($150.00). Fees established under this
16 subsection may be set at lower amounts for youth license
17 applicants.
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22 Except as otherwise authorized by law or rule of the
23 commission, no person shall submit more than one (1) 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1 application for a license for the same big or trophy game
2 species or for wild turkey, if the issuance of the license
3 has been limited by the commission. A violation of this
4 subsection shall be punishable as a high misdemeanor
5 punishable as provided in W.S. 23-6-202(a)(ii), by the loss
6 of all points then assigned to the person pursuant to W.S.
7, and disqualification
8 in the year of submission for any license for the species
9 for which the multiple applications were submitted.
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11W.S. 23-1-703(b) is repealed.
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13. This act shall apply to all antlered moose
14 and ram bighorn sheep licenses issued through the
15 preference point draw for hunting seasons commencing on or
16 after January 1, 2032.
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19 promulgate all rules necessary to implement the provisions
20 of this act for transitioning preference points to bonus
21 points and establishing a weighted bonus point random
22 drawing for antlered moose and ram bighorn sheep hunting
23 seasons not later than January 1, 2032. 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0058
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1
2.
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4 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
5 section, this act is effective January 1, 2032
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7 (b) Sections 3, 4 and 5 of this act are effective
8 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
9 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
10 the Wyoming Constitution.
11
12 (END)