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22LSO-0150
ORIGINAL House
ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0043
ENROLLED ACT NO. 10,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2022 Budget Session
AN ACT relating to game and fish; modifying license allocations for resident and non-resident hunters for grizzly bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wild bison and moose; imposing lifetime restrictions on bighorn sheep, wild bison and moose; creating exceptions; making conforming amendments; repealing obsolete language; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
W.S. 23
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302(p), 23
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703(a) through (c) and (e), 23
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705(a) and (k), 23
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101(g) and (k) and 23
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107(f)(intro) are amended to read:
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302.
Powers and duties.
(p)
The commission may, by rule and regulation, establish a process by which big game licenses, trophy game licenses and wild bison licenses may be issued by a competitive raffle and prescribe the manner of payment for which raffle chances are sold and the amount of payment for each raffle chance.
No more than two (2) licenses for each big game species and trophy game species and no more than two (2) wild bison licenses shall be issued under this subsection. Each license issued for bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat
,
or
grizzly bear
or wild bison
through a competitive raffle shall, when applicable, be counted against any nonresident quota. The five (5) year restriction imposed on the receipt of a moose or
big horn
bighorn
sheep license by W.S. 23
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703(b) or the lifetime restriction imposed on the receipt of a grizzly bear
,
or
mountain goat
, bighorn sheep, wild bison or moose
license by W.S. 23
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703(c), and any restriction imposed on the receipt of a wild bison license by W.S. 23
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107 shall not be applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to
this subsection.
The commission shall issue licenses upon receipt of the proper license fee by the successful competitive raffle winner. Nothing in this subsection shall authorize the issuance of a license to any person whose privilege to procure, purchase or possess a license has been suspended pursuant to this act or by operation of law.
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703.
Limitation of number of certain licenses; reservation of certain licenses; reservation of certain unused licenses.
(a)
The commission may limit the number of resident or nonresident big or trophy game animal licenses
or wild bison licenses
to be sold in any calendar year and may designate dates after which one (1) or more classes of licenses will not be sold except as authorized by the commission.
(b)
Except as specifically provided under this subsection, subsection (f) of this section or W.S. 23
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705(a),
Subject to subsection (c) of this section,
no person may apply for and receive more than one (1)
cow or calf
moose or one (1)
ram
ewe or lamb
bighorn sheep license in any consecutive five (5) year period.
Effective for the 1995 hunting season and each hunting season thereafter, licenses issued under this subsection shall be based upon the number of points assigned to each applicant for a particular species. Effective January 1, 2000,
L
icenses issued under this subsection shall be issued partially through a preference point drawing and partially through a random drawing of all remaining unsuccessful applicants for that year.
The department shall assign points to each license applicant for a specific species by multiplying the number of years the applicant has unsuccessfully applied for a license times one (1). The calculation used to assign
points to an applicant for a particular species under this subsection shall include any year the applicant does not apply for a big or trophy game animal hunting license for that species, provided in the case of a resident the applicant pays the fee specified in W.S. 23
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101(k)
,
and in the case of a nonresident
,
the applicant pays the appropriate fee established by the commission under W.S. 23
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101(m). License applicants within each hunt area for a species shall be grouped according to the number of assigned points for that species. Not less than seventy
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five percent (75%) of available licenses within any hunt area shall be randomly selected through a preference point drawing from among the group of applicants with the largest number of assigned points and shall continue until all applicants within that group have been exhausted or until all available licenses have been issued, whichever first occurs. If any applicant grouping has been exhausted and licenses remain available within that hunt area, selection shall continue from among the group of applicants with the next largest number of assigned points. After the selections through the preference point drawing have been completed within a hunt area, the remaining licenses available from that drawing and the licenses available for the random drawing for that hunt area will be issued through a random selection from among all applicants in the hunt area who were not selected for issuance of a license for the species through the preference point drawing in that hunt area. For purposes of assigning points under this subsection, any unsuccessful license applicant failing to apply for a license, or pay the applicable fee in lieu of applying, during the second calendar year shall be considered to be a first year applicant for any subsequent calendar year in which the applicant submits license application for that particular species.
(c)
For the 1995 hunting season and each hunting season thereafter,
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xcept as provided in
this subsection and
subsection (f) of this section or by rule of the commission, no person who is issued a hunting license
on and after July 1, 2022
for a grizzly bear
,
or for a mountain goat
, any moose or antlered moose, any ram bighorn sheep, any bighorn sheep and any wild bison, and no person who, on July 1, 2022, is subject to the five (5) year restriction under subsection (b) of this section for a moose or bighorn sheep license,
shall be eligible to apply for or receive a hunting license for that particular species in any future year.
The commission may issue hunting licenses to any person in future years when necessary for wildlife management purposes to harvest grizzly bear, mountain goat, ewe or lamb bighorn sheep or cow or calf moose. The commission may issue hunting licenses to any person to harvest cow or calf wild bison pursuant to W.S. 23
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107(f).
(e)
The commission shall reserve
eighty percent (80%) of the moose and seventy
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five percent (75%) of the ram and ewe and lamb bighorn sheep, mountain goat and grizzly bear licenses to be issued in any one (1) year for resident hunters
ninety percent (90%) of the bighorn sheep, wild bison, moose, mountain goat and grizzly bear licenses to be issued in any one (1) year for resident hunters and the remaining ten percent (10%) of the bighorn sheep, wild bison, moose, mountain goat and grizzly bear licenses shall be reserved for nonresident hunters
. The commission shall determine the allocation of resident and nonresident mountain lion harvest.
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705.
Complimentary licenses; pioneer licenses; antelope hunt licenses; gunpowder and buckskin hunt licenses; gratuitous licenses; donated licenses.
(a)
At the request of the governor, the commission shall annually issue up to twenty
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five (25) complimentary hunting and twenty
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five (25) complimentary fishing licenses.
Not more than five (5)
big horn
bighorn
sheep, five (5) moose and five (5) wild bison licenses shall be issued under this subsection. The five (5) year restriction imposed on the receipt of a moose
,
or big horn
bighorn
sheep
or wild bison
license by W.S. 23
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703(b)
and (c),
and any restriction imposed on taking of wild bison under commission rule and regulation shall not be applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to this subsection.
Except as provided under subsection (g) of this section, no complimentary licenses may be issued at the request of the appointed commissioners. Immediately upon issuance of any of these licenses, the commission shall submit to the secretary of state for maintenance as a public record, the name and address of each licensee and the type of license issued.
(k)
The holder of any valid big game animal license, trophy game animal license,
an
any wild bison license or a female or calf wild bison license may surrender said license to the department for reissuance to a veteran with disabilities or a person with a permanent disability who uses a wheelchair as established by commission rule and regulation selected and sponsored by a nonprofit charitable organization providing hunting opportunities
for disabled veterans or persons with permanent disabilities who use wheelchairs
to a veteran with disabilities or a person with a permanent disability who uses a wheelchair
.
Any license reissued in accordance with the provisions of this subsection shall be for the same species, area and license type as the license donated.
The license shall be reissued by the department to a qualifying person at no fee.
Any
license donated and reissued under the provisions of this subsection shall not be sold, traded, auctioned or offered for any monetary value and shall not be issued to, or used by, any person other than a qualifying person under the provision of this section and in compliance with commission rule and regulation.
Licenses reissued to persons pursuant to this subsection shall not be subject to residency, drawing or fee requirements under W.S. 23
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101 or 23
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107. The five (5) year restriction imposed on the receipt of a
cow or calf
moose or
big horn
a ewe or lamb
bighorn
sheep license by W.S. 23
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703(b), the lifetime restriction imposed on the receipt of a grizzly bear
,
or
mountain goat
, ram or any bighorn sheep, any wild bison or any moose or antlered moose
license by W.S. 23
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703(c) or the restrictions imposed on
the harvest of
a wild bison under W.S. 23
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107(f) shall not be applicable in any manner to a license issued pursuant to this subsection.
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101.
Fees; restrictions; nonresident application fee; nonresident licenses; verification of residency required.
(g)
In promulgating rules and regulations for the taking of bighorn sheep and moose, the commission shall not discriminate between residents and nonresidents regarding the maturity
,
and
horn size
or sex
of the animals which may be taken.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as prohibiting the commission from issuing a different number of licenses for residents and nonresidents, from requiring a preference point fee from nonresidents only pursuant to subsection (m) of this section or from issuing reduced price ewe and lamb bighorn sheep licenses as provided in subsection (d) of this section.
(k)
Any resident qualified to purchase a moose or ram
big horn
bighorn
sheep hunting license under subsection (j) of this section may pay a fee of seven dollars ($7.00) in lieu of applying for a moose or ram
big horn
bighorn
sheep hunting license.
Payment of the fee for a particular species under this subsection shall authorize the person to accumulate points under W.S. 23
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703(b) for that year in the same manner as if he had unsuccessfully applied for a hunting license for that species. Payment of the fee shall be made in compliance with application dates.
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107.
Wild bison licenses.
(f)
Any
No
person
who is issued:
may apply for or receive more than one (1) cow or calf wild bison license in any consecutive five (5) year period, except as authorized pursuant to W.S. 23-1-703(c).
Section 2.
W.S. 23
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107(f)(i) and (ii) is repealed.
Section 3.
The game and fish commission shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement the provisions of this act by January 1, 2023.
Section 4
.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2022
.
(b) Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk
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