This letter to the editor was originally published in Cowboy State Daily on Feb. 27, 2023. Dear Editor: Last hunting season, a story ran in the Cowboy State Daily of a bull elk wasting away on private land because the landowner would not let the hunter who shot this elk onto his land to harvest. Not trusting the hunter, the private landowner refused entry – as was his right – and the hunter was told to “save his tag” for another bull. Like many who read the story, I was both heartbroken and ...

Wyoming has long worked to balance private property rights with the right to hunt. Under current Wyoming law, it is illegal to enter private property to hunt, fish, trap, or collect antlers: W.S. 23-3-305(b) states, in part, “No person shall enter upon the private property of any person to hunt, fish, collect antlers or horns, or trap without the permission of the owner or person in charge of the property.” This is known as the hunter trespass statute, and it provides Game Wardens with the ...