The Joint Travel Recreation and Wildlife (TRW) Committee met in Casper for one day on Tuesday, August 19th to review draft legislation. Originally this meeting was slated for two days but was trimmed back at the direction of Management Council.
The first hunting related item on the agenda was continued discussion of corner crossing legislation to align Wyoming statutes with the federal court ruling. With two members excused, they voted 7-6, to advance a bill that declares corner crossing is not an act of criminal trespass or violation of game and fish laws. The committee will take up the draft at their next meeting with an eye of the briefs that have been filed at the U.S. Supreme Court to take the Wyoming case up.
Following lunch, TRW heard from Wyoming Game and Fish Chief Smith and looked at two draft bills to offer hunting opportunities to former residents of Wyoming. Both concepts were taken from Montana. Both draft bills failed to gain traction and were not moved.
TRW Committee also discussed a draft bill to cap the number of landowner tags. They may take it up at their next meeting after voting to draft a bill. The bill would have the Game and Fish Commission set the cap through rule making rather than setting in statute.
On Friday, August 29th, the Joint Agriculture Committee will continue their discussion of revisions to landowner licenses at their Casper meeting.
Looking ahead, TRW will meet for one final time on November 6th in Cheyenne.
Thank you,
Bill Novotny, WYOGA Lobbyist
The 2025 Wyoming Outdoors is coming along. There is still space available for display ads. If you have not reserved your ad, please let the office know at gro.agoyw@agoyw by September 15th.
Important Deadlines:
September 15, 2025: Bios are due and display ads reserved.
November 1, 2025: Display ads are due to Mark Schuler and payments in full to the office.
November 17-21, 2025: Wyoming Outdoors goes to print
December 15, 2025: Wyoming Outdoors will be mailed to the non-residents
Thank you for your continued support for this project.
The results from the 2025 Big Game Awards are finalized and are on the WYOGA website. Congratulatory letters have been mailed to your hunters. The letters also have the information for the 2026 Annual Convention inviting them to attend the banquet to receive their award. If you would like to order a plaque for your guide, please let Laurie know. Congratulations to all the winners!
Additional award winners are:
2025 Honorary Lifetime Member: Gary Amerine, WYOGA Past President
2025 Guide of the Year: Cougar Sanchez, Wagonhound Outfitters
2025 Hunter of the Year: Mr. Bob Williams, Rough Country Outfitters
2025 Employee of the Year: Etta Nelson, Boulder Basin Outfitters
Congratulations to all the winners.
Please mark your calendars! The 2025 WYOGA Annual Winter Retreat will be held Thursday, December 4, 2025, at the Holiday Inn in Riverton. This will be a one-day meeting. Formal invitations with full details will be mailed out on November 1st.
Plans are already underway for the 2026 WYOGA Annual Convention, taking place March 26–28 at the Ramkota in Casper. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled, three-day event! Convention packets with full details will be mailed in January.
The United States Senate confirmed Wyoming native Brian Nesvik to be the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Our nation is fortunate to have a strong Wyoming leader taking over this important position.
On March 26, 2025, I had the honor of introducing Brian Nesvik at his confirmation hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Brian grew up in Cheyenne, graduating from Cheyenne East High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management from the University of Wyoming.
The people of Wyoming know Brian as a fierce advocate for our state. Brian is the definition of qualified and represents the very best of Wyoming. He worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for over 29 years, recently retiring in 2024. Brian served as the Director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department from 2019 to 2024.
Prior to his work in the state, Brian served his country in the Wyoming Army National Guard for over thirty-five years, retiring as a brigadier general in 2021. Brian served as a commander on two deployments to Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baghdad, Southern Iraq, and Kuwait. In 2005, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the U.S. Army for his service.
As part of the Trump Administration, Brian will play a critical role in conserving our natural resources. He will take the reins at a time when politics – not science – has too often driven agency decisions. I look forward to working with Brian to restore science to conservation policies.
Best Regards,
John Barrasso, M.D., United States Senator
Joshua W.D. Coursey joins the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service following 13 years as Founder and President/CEO of the Muley Fanatic Foundation (MFF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of mule deer and their habitat. Under his leadership, MFF evolved from a grassroots initiative into a nationally recognized conservation force, with active chapters in seven states, members in all 50 states, and more than 700 Life Members.
Throughout his tenure, Coursey oversaw a wide range of impactful initiatives. These included directing funding toward cutting-edge mule deer research, launching the first MFF Fellow program in partnership with the University of Wyoming, and drafting legislation that led to the creation of the Wyoming Wildlife Conservation license plate. MFF’s efforts under his guidance also generated more than $12 million for conservation easements, wildlife crossings, and large-scale habitat restoration projects. The organization’s “Putting the ‘U’ in Hunt” program provided meaningful hunting experiences for over 100 youth facing terminal or life-threatening illnesses.
Coursey’s leadership earned him a respected voice in broader wildlife and hunting policy efforts. He co-chaired the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease Working Group in 2020, has served on the Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition since 2017, and was a member of Governor Gordon’s Wyoming Wildlife Taskforce from 2021 to 2023. His service also includes roles on the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Advisory Council, the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan Taskforce, and the 2024 Wyoming State Shooting Complex Taskforce. In 2023, he launched the Wild Things & Wild Places podcast, producing 97 weekly episodes before stepping into his new role with the Service.
A proud Wyoming native, Coursey graduated from Rock Springs High School in 1992 before serving in the U.S. Army as a Photojournalist. He later completed the Colorado Peace Officers Academy and earned an Associate of Science from Western Wyoming Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University. He is also a graduate of Leadership Wyoming.
Veteran, Outdoor Writer, and Conservation Advocate Joins Safari Club International as Guides and Outfitters Liaison. Washington, D.C. Safari Club International (SCI) is proud to announce Everett Headley as its new Guides and Outfitters Liaison, bringing with him experience in the field, service in uniform, and a lifelong dedication to ethical hunting and conservation storytelling. Headley resides in the Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana, a special place among special places, Headley brings a deep-rooted connection to the land and a passion for the pursuit of wild game. As a freelance outdoor writer and consultant, he has chronicled hunts across Africa, the United Kingdom, Hawaii, and North America. His work has appeared in a variety of publications, always grounded in his belief that the hunt is as much about the journey as it is the harvest.
“I’ve often said that hunting is foretold, but never foreordained,” Headley says. “The story is dreamt about, and once it’s lived, it becomes something of its own. My greatest passion is telling that story.” Headley enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2002, serving as a Religious Programs Specialist embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps. He deployed twice to Iraq, providing both physical security for the chaplain and moral support to the unit in theater. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity from Liberty University. In the outdoor industry, Headley’s background spans product development, brand management, ambassador work, and grassroots policy advocacy. He currently serves on the Private Lands/Public Wildlife Advisory Committee for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, working to strengthen relationships between landowners and sportsmen. He also serves as Chairman of the Region 2 Citizens Advisory Committee, where he has guided discussions on hunter behavior, ethics, and public access.
As SCI’s Guides and Outfitters Liaison, Headley will work directly with industry professionals to amplify their voice, advocate for their needs, and ensure that SCI remains a strong partner for those who put hunters on game across North America and beyond.
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