Special dates and points of interest:

MARCH 20, DEADLINE TO RENEW EXISTING BEAR BAIT SITES.

PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS 2018 HUNTING SEASON PROPOSALS: ALL

MEETINGS START AT 6 PM

MARCH 22, BAGGS, COMMUNITY CENTER, 255 W. OSBORNE

MARCH 26, COKEVILLE, TOWN HALL, 110 PINE ST.

MARCH 27, KEMMERER, SOUTH LINCOLN TRAINING AND EVENTS CENTER,

215 STATE HIGHWAY 233

MARCH 28, EVANSTON, UINTA COUNTY LIBRARY, 701 MAIN ST.

MARCH 28, ROCK SPRINGS, WHITE MOUNTAIN LIBRARY, 2935 SWEET-

WATER DRIVE

MARCH 29, MOUNTAIN VIEW, SCHOOL BOARD ROOM, 129 W 2ND ST.

APRIL 3, FINAL PUBLIC INFORMATION GATHERING MEETING, GREEN RIVER,

GAME AND FISH REGIONAL OFFICE, 351 ASTLE AVE

REGISTRATION FOR UNCLAIMED (NEW) BEAR BAIT SITES BEGINS APRIL 2.

DON’T HAVE YOUR HUNTER EDUCATION CERTIFICATE? CHECK OUT COURSE

LISTINGS AT OUR WEBSITE HTTP://WGFD.WYO.GOV.

STOP POACHING HOTLINE IS 1-877-WGFD-TIP. YOU CAN ALSO REPORT A

WILDIFE VIOLATION AT THE WGFD WEBSITE HTTP://WGFD.WYO.GOV. OR,

TEXT KEYWORD WGFD AND MESSAGE TO TIP411

MOUNTAIN LION HUNTERS PLEASE REMEMBER TO CALL THE MORTALITY

LIMIT HOTLINE BEFORE GOING HUNTING. THE NUMBER IS: 1-800-264-

1280.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Newsletter Where the deer and antelope play March 2018

Page 1

Habitat is where it’s at!

The ice is finally starting to recede from Firehole Boat Ramp on Flaming Gorge Reservoir, while the rest of the Gorge has open water. (above) Our news-letter will look a little different from now on; shorter in length and we will post recent activities on our social media outlets. We really appreciate the support and continued interest from our readers. The month of March will be important to hunters, as it is the month we discuss and take input on up-coming hunting season proposals and bear hunters may register their same bait sites from the previous year. Please check out the meeting schedule on this page, to the right, so you can attend a meeting near your location.

Page 2

~Mule deer flight sightability surveys completed~ Unlucky day on the Gorge~

Personnel in the Green River, Pinedale and Jackson Regions of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department conducted extensive aerial surveys for two weeks in February to get a more accurate count on the number of mule deer in the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Herd. The surveys were completed by two helicopters flying over the foothills and deer winter ranges on the east side of the Wyoming Range, winter range com-plexes north and southwest of Kemmerer, and west side of the Salt River Range in Star Valley. Mountain View Wildlife Biologist Jeff Short (middle photo, or-ange flight suit) said they flew from February 5 - 14, with 133 hours flown, two helicopters used and saw 25,317 deer. “Total raw count with all regions was 25,317, sightability model adjustment estimate was 29,074,” Short said.

Sightability Survey map

Green River Game Warden Gary Boyd recently received his 25 year service award from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Congratulations, Gary!

~2018 Bear Baiting Process~

Page 3

“In mid to late February the conversation turned from bobcats to bears as the spring bear hunt approaches,” said GR Office Manager Regina Dickson. “March 1-20 is the time for renewal of Bear Bait sites for those who reg-istered and baited sites last year. Renewals may be done through the department website by the bear hunters once they have purchased a 2018 Black Bear license. Hunters may also renew by fax, phone, or in person at regional offices. We have already had quite a few inquiries about what sites will be available for new registration, this in-formation will not be available until the renewal period ends on March 20th. After the renewal period is over in-terested persons may call and ask about specific sites to see if they will be available. New registrations open Monday April 2nd at 8am, new bait sites must be regis-tered in person at any regional Game and Fish office by licensed bear hunters or their representative.”

The 2018 Wyoming Black Bear Hunting Regulations are available online at the WGFD website or at any regional office of the WGFD and license vendors. Rock Springs Game Warden Andy Roosa checks in a legally harvested black bear from the spring 2017 season.

Page 4

~ Project WILD and Project Learning Tree Workshop for park rangers and park interpreters~

State and federal park rangers and city parks and recreation specialists attended a Project WILD and Project Learning Tree workshop in Green River with facilitators Lucy Wold from the GR WGFD Office and Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Manager Katie Theule. Participants spent two days doing WILD and Learning Tree activities and, on the second day, practiced their interpretive skills on their peers, using activities from WILD and Learning Tree. GR Wildlife Management Coor-dinator Mark Zornes gave a presentation on wild bison ecology, history, management and relationship to native peoples in Wyoming. Thanks to Bear River State Park Superinten-dent Wade Henderson for arranging the train-ing.

Page 5

~Hunter Education in Green River~

Volunteer instructors Brian and Sandy Taylor, Game Warden Rob Shipe, office manager Regina Dickson, and GR Region I&E Specialist Lucy Wold taught a traditional 15-hour hunter education class for 20 students. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer instructor contact Lucy Wold at 307-875-3223.

Top to bottom left: Brian Taylor, lay-ered up students, Rob Shipe demon-strating a fence crossing, Right top to bottom: Lucy Wold teaching survival, Regina Dickson firearms and vehicles, Brian teaching firearms carries and Sandy Taylor on the fence crossing.

Office Managers Sheila Deinhardt (left) and Regina Dickson (right) are putting on the Irish as they get ready to start another day at the front counter in the GR Region Office. March is a busy month for watercraft registration and bear bait renewals. If you look really close at Sheila’s right foot, you can see there is something different about that boot. Can you guess what it is? Think you are observant and know what it is, let us know at lucy.diggins@wyo.gov.

http://wgfd.wyo.gov Office Phone: 307-875-3223

Office Fax: 307-875-3242 Toll Free In-State 1-800-843-8096

~Critter Spotlight~ American pygmy shrew

By Mark Zornes a.k.a. Leopold

Page 6

Conserving Wildlife-Serving People We are on the web! http://wgfd.wyo.gov stay connected

One of a handful of shrew species in Wyoming, the American pygmy shrew is arguably the smallest mammal in North America, and probably the second smallest mammal in the entire world. Adults weigh less than 0.1 ounces and do not reach 2 inches in length.

These tiny "predatory" cousins of moles feed exclusively on animal matter; namely insects and spi-ders, and require. Often confused with mice or voles, shrews are no more closely related to these rodents than are humans.

The pygmy shrews in Wyoming are an isolated subspecies located far from adjacent populations to the north, and may only live within our state in the Sierra Madres and Snowy Range. This species occupies wet subalpine meadow and adjacent conifer habitats at relatively high elevation.

As with other shrews, pygmy shrews have an incredibly high metabolic rate, the highest in the ani-mal kingdom, and must eat a minimum of 80% of their body weight daily. Shrews can starve in less than 1/2 a day. Shrews heart rates exceed 700 beats per minute, exceeding even that of humming-birds.

Some species of shrew from Wyoming are mildly venomous, and others use a crude form of echolo-cation to navigate their environment. It is unknown if either applies to this species.

Shrews rarely live more than 12-14 months, and are adults at 3-4 months. They breed year-round and can have 10-12 litters of young a year. They are prey to a number of species, particularly owls.