Wyoming Resident Hunter Moose Tags Down 76% in 20 Years

In 1998, Wyoming allocated 1,032 resident moose tags. 

In 2018, Wyoming allocated 248 resident moose tags.

This  is a 76% decrease in just 20 years.  According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department harvest reports, the entire moose tag allotment has been reduced by 898 tags counting both resident and nonresident tags in the same 20-year period.

In 2018, 784 less Wyoming residents were given the opportunity for what is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime hunt.  As resident tags continued to decrease each year, it is corespondent with an alarming crash in the moose population (we are currently researching this… more to come). 

A second factor which influences resident tag allocation is the number of tags allotted to nonresident hunters.

During this 20 year period, the only factor that saw an increase was the percentage of moose tags going to nonresidents.  In 1998, 15% of moose tags went to nonresidents, but in 2018, that rose to 21%. 

Wyoming’s current Moose tag allocation of 20% to nonresidents makes Wyoming by far the most liberal in the West. Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, etc. all allocate 10% or less of available Moose tags to nonresidents.

Mountain Pursuit supports the reduction of nonresident big-game tags to 10%, and in hunt areas with 10 or less total tags, 100% will go to residents. 

In 2018, this reduction of nonresident Moose tag allocation would have contributed 45 additional Moose tags to Wyoming resident hunters.

For more information, email rob@mtnpursuit.org