• WYOGA donated significant funds to the Wyoming Game and Fish to purchase cutting edge tracking collars for a moose study program so that the game and fish biologists can study and research moose in Northwestern Wyoming. The effects of Moose parasites and diseases have been identified and studied as a result.
• WYOGA donated significant funds to the Wildlife Society Wyoming Chapter for their moose conference.
• WYOGA donated funds to the WYDOT Trapper’s Pointe Project. This project involved installation of cameras at the Trapper’s Point underpass/overpass project in Pinedale. This project is a series of underpass, overpasses and fences to help our deer and antelope on their migration to winter ranges.
• WYOGA donated significant funds to Big Game Forever for lobbying efforts in Washington DC to delist wolves in Wyoming which benefits the public and outfitter guests alike.
• WYOGA has donated funds to the National Big Horn Sheep and Interpretive Center to support projects that benefit bighorn sheep and the public.
• WYOGA donated to the Wiggins Fork Elk Study in 2014. This study was to monitor the migration of the Wiggins Fork elk herd.
• WYOGA members donate personal time and resources clearing trails on public forests, searching for lost hunters, helping youth hunters, participating in wildlife enhancement projects, restoring wildlife habitat and teaching mountain lion and grizzly bear awareness classes to the public.
• The Wildlife Summit in Pinedale to help protect our wildlife from highways and roadways.
• Within the past 15 years, WYOGA has donated over $50,000 dollars towards various wildlife projects and to other organizations to help protect the hunting rights of the non-resident hunters who contribute to over 80% of the hunting in the state of Wyoming and also conservation projects.
• WYOGA members donate hunts to benefit many conservation and non-profit organizations: Wounded Warriors, Dallas Safari Club, Safari Club International (state and national level), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Dream Catcher’s and Outdoor Dream Foundation, just to name a few.
• WYOGA donated $1,350 dollars to the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame awards program.

The Wyoming Range Legacy Act is one of WYOGA’s and Wyoming’s signature achievements. Past president and former WYOGA member Gary Amerine was extremely passionate about the preservation of the Wyoming Range. Gary along with WYOGA members worked with Wyoming’s Republican senators, the late Sen. Craig Thomas and Sen. John Barrasso to get this accomplished. Congress passed the Wyoming Range Legacy Act (“Legacy Act”) in 2009.

The bill had broad support from many Wyoming groups and individuals, including: The Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, Former Governor Freudenthal, Wyoming State AFL-CIO, Wyoming Tourism Bureau, Wyoming Game Wardens Association, and local landowners, ranchers, outfitters, sportsmen, business owners and conservation groups.

The Legacy Act was about a simple idea: Some places are too special to drill. The Act allows Wyoming to continue producing more than its share of energy resources, while protecting a special place that defines our state. It’s been the foundation we have built on to preserve the irreplaceable hunting and fishing lands, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities in the Wyoming Range.

The Legacy Act and Drilling: The Legacy Act did not affect currently producing gas fields in the southern portion of the Wyoming Range. It also did not prohibit development of leases that existed prior to passage of the Act. Companies holding existing leases are still allowed to apply for drilling permits. But the Act also did encourage companies with existing leases to donate or sell those leases for “permanent retirement”, to preserve the valuable wildlife and recreational resources of the Wyoming Range for future generations. That’s exactly what happened when a company recently sold their leases to safeguard the Hoback Basin, one of the most special places within the Wyoming Range.

For additional information on the Citizens for the Wyoming Range and Legacy Act, please visit: https://wyomingrange.org.

The Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association worked extremely hard with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Governor Matt Mead to get the wolf and grizzly bear delisted. WYOGA held several informative meetings that the Governor attended to educate our members and public on the devastation the wolf has caused on Wyoming’s big game animals and livestock. Todd Stevie, WYOGA Past President was personally invited by Governor Mead to attend a meeting to voice his opinion on the delisting proposal that the Feds were proposing on the grizzly bear.

For the past several years, WYOGA has been fortunate enough to receive a Wyoming Game & Fish Commissioner license from past commissioners Clark Allan, Carrie Little, Charles Price, David Rael and current commissioner Ralph Brokaw. The license is auctioned to the highest bidder and the funds received have given WYOGA the opportunity to pay it forward to help the game and fish with various wildlife projects. (Mule Deer research projects, collaring projects, elk migration study project and other projects as referenced above). The additional funding also helps with financial assistance for WYOGA’s full time lobbyist to assist us with various wildlife bills that are proposed during the legislative session.

WYOGA has a full-time lobbyist to assist us in Cheyenne during the budget and general legislative session. Membership dues and revenue from commissioner licenses assist with our lobbyist expenses.  Marian Orr was WYOGA’s lobbyist from 2009 to 2015. Bill Novotny was hired in 2016 to assist WYOGA with its lobbying issues and is our current lobbyist.

WYOGA has been working closely with the Wyoming Game and Fish to protect our state elk feed grounds. If our elk feed grounds are closed, state wildlife biologists estimate we will lose 80% of our elk in northwestern Wyoming which would necessitate elk season closures for the public and outfitter clients. WYOGA has worked diligently in support of keeping the elk grounds open. History has proven the importance and necessity for these feed grounds to remain in the location they are currently in as well as the importance to continue the feeding program. Having multiple and strategically located feed grounds enables the Game and Fish to properly manage healthy elk herds thus enabling them to utilize native forage when available and minimizes the risk of the spread of disease.

The various feedgrounds are: Dog Creek (Jackson RD), Fall Creek (Pinedale RD), Fish Creek (Jackson RD), Muddy Creek (Pinedale RD), Upper Green River (Pinedale RD), Alkali Creek (Jackson RD), Forest Park (Greys River RD), Dell Creek (Big Piney RD)

WYOGA is involved in managing brucellosis and chronic wasting disease (CWD). Terry Pollard, a WYOGA board member, was appointed to the Governor’s Brucellosis Task Force by former Governor Freudenthal. This task force was implemented to develop policy aimed at reducing the incidence and effects brucellosis has on the Rocky Mountain elk and bison in the northwestern part of the state. A ten-year study conducted by the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department suggests that the effects of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on elk populations may not be as devastating as once believed.