Wyo4News staff, [email protected] [PRESS RELEASE]
December 05, 2023 — Many of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Habitat Management Areas are closing to human presence, or already have, for the season to provide protections for wildlife on their winter ranges. The majority of WHMAs close or have restrictions for the winter annually.
Protecting crucial habitat for wildlife is one of the main reasons the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission invests in land throughout Wyoming. WHMAs provide a refuge for big game that must conserve energy and rely on fat stores to survive the year’s coldest months.
“Seasonal closures are essential for minimizing stress-causing disturbances to wintering deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife,” said Ray Bredehoft, Game and Fish habitat and access branch chief. “Closures also reduce the human and recreational impacts to the forage, which supports the wildlife on their winter ranges.”
The closures are for any human presence unless otherwise noted. For more information on WHMA closure dates, visit Wyoming Game and Fish Department – Game and Fish wildlife habitat management areas beginning to close for winter.
