Mountain lions spotted near Baggot Rocks
The story of a jogger who was forced to kill a mountain lion with bare hands while jogging near Fort Collins has raised awareness about the presence of the big cats in areas where people recreate.
Since the story broke two weeks ago, mountain lions have been sighted between Saratoga and Encampment near Baggot Rocks.
Bigfoot 99 reporter Emma Diercks talked with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department about what to look for and what to do if you come face to face with one of the big cats.
Rawlins officials setting goals at tonight’s work session
The Rawlins City Council will use a work session tonight to set goals for the fiscal year running through June 2020. On the to-do list is everything from infrastructure upgrades to ways of improving quality of life for city residents. Cali O’Hare previews the process.
Lawmakers push to regulate antler hunting east of Continental Divide
By Jim O’Reilly
At the legislature, a bill that extends the authority of state wildlife agents to regulate antler hunting on public lands east of the Continental Divide narrowly passed first reading in the senate Friday.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department already regulates the times and dates of shed seasons west of the Continental Divide and on agency lands set aside for winter range.
House Bill 28 extends the agency’s authority statewide. The legislation cleared the House on an overwhelming 41-18 vote last month. The legislation faces a tougher test in the senate, where it barely survived with a 14-to-11 margin.
Senator Glenn Moniz of Albany County urged support of the bill, saying regulating when people can hunt for sheds will minimize disturbances of big game animals during the crucial months of winter and early spring.
The antlers are sold on local markets for Western décor such as chandeliers and lamps. Asian markets use the antlers in medicinal concoctions. Paired sheds of antlers can fetch as much as $40,000. The profit motive drives some hunters to unethical behavior.
Senator Larry Hicks of Baggs said existing establishing the shed season on the west side of the Continental Divide has proven beneficial here in Carbon County.
Biologists say mule deer finish shedding their antlers in April. Elk shed their antlers from March to June. These can be some of the most critical months in the life cycle of big game animals. Their fat stores are at their lowest and late season storms can challenge their strength and resources.
Senator Hicks said antler hunters, often traveling on motorized vehicles to cover more territory, drive the animals off public lands.
Problems for landowners range from fence cutting and other property damage to the potential of brucellosis being transferred to livestock, supporters said.
Opponents were just as passionate. Senate President Drew Perkins of Casper cautioned that the Continental Divide was used because most of the public lands in the state are west of it. Perkins also questioned how the regulation would be administered.
Other senators argued that the bill represents government overreach. Senator Ogden Driscoll of Crook County said he understood the purpose and need to protect wintering herds, but said HB 28 could result in abuses.
Under current law, major portions of the state which are home to big game herd areas are unregulated. Excluded under the east/west rule are the Big Horn Basin, both sides of the Big Horn Mountains, the Laramie and Medicine Bow Ranges, as well as much of the BLM land mass from the Red Desert through Fremont County.
The senate is scheduled to take up the bill on second reading today after being in recess for Presidents Day on Monday.
Red Cross seeking volunteers to install free smoke alarms
The American Red Cross of Wyoming has selected Carbon County as one of two communities that will receive free smoke alarms during the 2019 Sound the Alarm Campaign. To make the event run smoothly however, volunteers are needed to help install the devices in homes around Rawlins. Cali O’Hare has the details.
Click here to sign up for a free smoke alarm or to volunteer.
Sports: Third ranked Lady Outlaws look to win 3A Southeast outright
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- Cowboy basketball set to host UNLV.
- Wyoming wrestling sets history.
