Game and Fish List Top 10 Stories from 2017
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 2, 2018
Wolf management topped the list for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s top ten stories of the year.
The Department’s news release this weekend listed its major news topics for 2017, with issues ranging from grizzly bears to the eclipse. Its top story, however, was wolf management returning to the state of Wyoming last spring. A hunting season for the animals was held for the first time in three years, and the quota of 44 gray wolves in the four hunt areas in the Cody region was filled on December 10.
The de-listing of grizzly bears from the endangered species list also signaled a change in management for this species, with the federal government turning over authority to Wyoming, Idaho and Montana last year.
In other stories from 2017, wildlife in western Wyoming were up against deep snow, cold temperatures and howling winds from January and into the spring, resulting in the death of many mule deer and pronghorn due to the harsh conditions.
But on a positive note, the first wild-born black-footed ferrets were found during fall surveys, the offspring of the 35 ferrets released last July on the the Lazy BV and Pitchfork ranches.
The Game and Fish Department also listed the total solar eclipse as one of its top stories last year, as Wyoming provided one of the best vantage points in the world to view the event.