Wyoming hunters could see regulations set on a three-year cycle beginning in 2027 under a proposal presented during the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s November meeting in Cody. Commissioners also approved a statewide conservation plan and heard updates on beaver relocation, native trout protection and other wildlife projects.
For the Big Horn Basin, the meeting highlighted work ranging from relocating nuisance beavers in the Cody Region to protecting Yellowstone cutthroat trout through a recently completed fish barrier project.
The proposed hunting regulation process would establish seasons across multiple years instead of setting them annually. The department recommends a three-year cycle covering big game, small and upland game, migratory game birds and turkeys.
Justin Binfet, deputy chief of the department’s Wildlife Division, said the change would provide more consistency in regulations while allowing staff to devote time and resources to other conservation needs. He emphasized that public involvement would remain part of the process.
“The pledge to the Commission and the public is that in no way, shape or form is this going to diminish our engagement with the sportspeople and all of our stakeholder groups in Wyoming,” Binfet said.
The proposal has not been approved. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the process at their April 2027 meeting.
Commissioners did approve the final draft of Wyoming’s 2027 State Wildlife Action Plan, which guides conservation of Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their habitats. The plan also enables access to federal funding through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program.
According to the department, the program has supported 185 conservation projects totaling $13 million in Wyoming since its inception in 2002. The revised plan will guide conservation work for the next decade.
Closer to home, Cody Region terrestrial habitat biologist Adam Stephens reported that 145 nuisance beavers have been captured and relocated in the region since 2018. Relocating beavers can benefit habitat along streams and other waterways.
Private donations funded a beaver holding facility at the Cody Regional Office in 2023. Since then, 55 beavers have been temporarily housed there before relocation.
Commissioners also heard about the Dick Creek Barrier and Diversion project, completed in October 2025. The project is designed to provide a reliable water source for Sunshine Wildlife Habitat Management Area while preventing brook trout from moving upstream into Wyoming’s second-largest population of genetically pure Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Interim Director Eric Wiltanger discussed wildlife crossings and the department’s involvement in federal review of the proposed Seminoe Pumped Storage Project.
“We are actively participating in the federal review process with the Bureau of Land Management, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the proposed Seminoe Pumped Storage project to ensure Wyoming’s wildlife and fisheries aren’t sidelined,” Wiltanger said.
Wiltanger also announced that a new Coffee and Conversations initiative will begin in early 2027. Department leaders and regional staff plan to visit communities across Wyoming to hear residents’ questions, ideas and concerns about wildlife management.
Several employees received service awards, including Cody Region fish biologist Jason Burckhardt for 25 years and Cody Region habitat and access biologist Eric Shorma for 20 years.
Other recognition highlighted conservation of the Sublette Pronghorn Herd Migration Corridor, assistance securing licenses for children facing serious illnesses, and Chris McBarnes’ work building The WYldlife Fund.
Additional meeting information is available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s website.
Subscribe and follow on social media to stay up to date with everything from Bighorn Basin Explorer
Leave a Reply