Drought likely to reduce Wyoming game herds

Associated Press

Published August 30, 2006 at midnight

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CHEYENNE - Hunters are likely to find less game and smaller trophies this year as a result of the ongoing drought conditions across most of the state, state wildlife officials said.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department's 2006 hunting forecast predicts fewer antelope, bighorn sheep and moose, as well as areas with fewer mule deer. White-tailed deer and elk numbers should be closer to normal.

Game will most likely be found near water sources, said Game and Fish spokesman Jeff Obrecht.

"With the very dry conditions, animals are likely to be rearranged a little bit," Obrecht said.

For specific game:

• Pronghorn: Bill Rudd, assistant chief of the department's Wildlife Division, said the drought has reduced the nutritional content of forage, causing more fawns to die and reducing horn growth.

"Fewer fawns will not really impact this fall's hunting," Rudd said. "But hunters should expect to overall see smaller horns."

Tom Ryder, a wildlife management coordinator in Lander, said fawn survival was "pretty good" in his region, and that high buck ratios could lead to many trophy pronghorn in central Wyoming.

• Bighorn sheep: Kevin Hurley, wildlife management coordinator in the Cody region, said bighorns could move into different habitat this summer in search of water.

"It may take hunters longer to find the animals, and days per harvest may be up this year," Hurley said.

• Elk: Elk are less affected by drought, and elk numbers remain good throughout most of the state, said Bob Lanka, wildlife management coordinator in Laramie.

But Scott Smith, wildlife management coordinator for the Pinedale- Jackson region, said that dry conditions in the forest will make it harder to sneak up on game.

• Moose: Smith said if the hot, dry conditions that have been prevalent most of the summer continue, moose will be particularly scarce.

"Moose will likely be timbered up in September," he said.

• Mule deer: Lower elevation deer, like pronghorn, suffered higher fawn mortality rates and less antler development because of the lack of available forage. But mountain deer are thought to have fared better, Rudd said.

• White-tailed deer: Joe Sandrini, wildlife biologist, said plenty of good bucks should be available in the Black Hills of Wyoming.

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