June 2023 - 2

FROM THE
DIRECTOR
Wyoming's wildlife will rebound
By Brian Nesvik
t has been a long and arduous winter
for Wyoming's big game in the state's
southern, central and western portions.
While many of us have heard stories about
tough winters of the past, this winter has
been more severe than most of us have seen.
Wyoming experienced large amounts of snow
and colder temperatures that seemed to last
longer than usual. And, while wildlife managers
are accustomed to witnessing winter
mortality, this year proved unprecedented.
Notable examples of brutal winter conditions
include the Upper Green River Valley,
where mule deer and pronghorn faced
62 days of subzero
temperatures and
higher-than-average
snowpack levels
at lower elevations
where big game
winter. The Sublette
pronghorn herd,
one of the largest in
the world, was hit
particularly hard
when the intense
winter conditions
combined forces with a devastating pneumonia
outbreak. In Baggs, the low-elevation
snow was deep enough to cover virtually all
available winter forage and lasted for months.
In the Red Desert, multiple snowstorms made
for snow depths that were over the tops of
the fences.
In response to significant public concerns,
Gov. Mark Gordon and I visited the hardest-hit
regions of the state. We listened to
sportspeople and wildlife enthusiasts and
talked about how we can help wildlife forced
to endure tough winters. Out of a feeling of
the need to do something, citizens around the
state offered many ideas, including plowing
snow on winter ranges, feeding pronghorn
and mule deer and closing hunting seasons.
2 | June 2023
I
While feeding seems like a reasonable
solution to many, it's never proven to be an
effective way to save deer and pronghorn
from starvation. Mule deer have specialized
digestive systems that aren't suited to process
hay. And while there is some processed
feed that deer can digest, the feeding would
need to take place in early winter to have any
effect. We must also consider the vast winter
ranges used by mule deer and pronghorn. The
immense size of these ranges would make it
nearly impossible to feed effectively for a population-level
impact. Last but not least, congregating
mule deer and pronghorn through
feeding exposes them to disease transmission,
which is exacerbated by winter conditions.
Commission have used funds from the Mule
Deer and the Wildlife Crossing Initiative to
focus on work where it will do the most good.
For those who have contributed to these efforts
with hands-on work, purchasing of hunting
licenses or through direct donations, your
contributions make a difference.
The upcoming hunting season is on everyone's
minds, and rightfully so. In response to
the harsh winter conditions, wildlife managers
made significant adjustments to hunting season
proposals in many areas of the state and
decreased licenses. On a statewide level, limited-quota
mule deer licenses were reduced 43
percent and pronghorn licenses were decreased
25 percent. Elk continue to fare well in the state
and the Commission
approved an increase
of 2,000 licenses.
As we move to
summer, the moisture
we received
during the winter
will provide an
impressive, green
landscape and solid
water flows in our
streams and rivers.
The animals that
The best solution to help Wyoming's wildlife
through brutal winters is protecting and
enhancing habitat and increasing connectivity
between seasonal ranges and wintering areas.
Highway crossings, the protection of migration
corridors and fence modifications are some of
the best things we can do to help wildlife move
across the landscape and access high-quality,
natural foods.
Quality habitat is the cornerstone of wildlife
management. The Wyoming Game and
Fish Department invests heartily to protect
habitat and sustain big game populations.
Last year Game and Fish, in collaboration
with partners, allocated more than $14 million
for habitat projects across the state. The
department and the Wyoming Game and Fish
survived the harsh winter will be met with
an abundance of forage, and females will be
provided with the necessary nutrients to raise
strong fawns in the coming year.
I often remind myself that for countless
centuries our native wildlife has persevered
through tough winters. Our resilient big
game herds have evolved to rebound following
high mortality winters, and this year will be
no different.
Scan this QR code to listen and
learn about how this winter
impacted wildlife on the
" Morning Gather " podcast with
Gov. Mark Gordon and Game
and Fish Director Brian Nesvik.
https://governor.wyo.gov/podcast
June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023
