Livestock Fencing Guidebook Revisions Recently Released

MAY 1, 2025 |

Photo – Game and Fish fencing project near Pinedale – Courtesy Wyoming Game and Fish Department

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released new livestock fencing guidelines for ranchers and others.

On Monday, April 28^th, Wyoming Game and Fish announced the third edition of the Wyoming Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife.

Game and Fish Big Game Migration Coordinator Jill Randall explained the 68-page guide serves as a resource for anyone installing fences in Wyoming, including landowners and the Bureau of Land Management. Randall said the document is easy-to-understand and provides useful information about various types of fencing.

The Wyoming Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife has been updated three times since it was first published in 2012. Big Game Migration Coordinator Randall said the guide now contains the most up-to-date research on livestock enclosures. For example, Randall said the 2025 guide shows how a four-wire fence is as effective at containing livestock as the older six-wire enclosures.

The updated guidebook also contains new designs for wildlife crossing structures. Randall explained how breaking up the fence line can save money for ranchers and other landowners.

Randall said the revised fence guidebook contains new recommendations for maximum fence height. Game and Fish now suggests lowering the top wire by two to four inches, a change that cattle ranchers have welcomed.

Another change contained in the updated fence guidebook pertains to the lowest wire on a fence. Randall said raising the bottom wire two inches allows wildlife to pass under the fence more easily.

Randall said Game and Fish supports the guidelines because they benefit Wyoming wildlife, including pronghorn and mule deer. By making fences easier to bypass, wildlife access feeding grounds and migration routes.

The revised fence guidelines also benefit ranchers. Randall said the Wyoming Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife offers ranchers the latest information on fence replacement.

Randall said Wyoming Game and Fish has allocated state and federal money to help landowners replace their out-of-date fencing. The research behind the revised guidebook ensures that the money is used to construct the best enclosures possible.

Physical copies of the Wyoming Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife are available for free at Game and Fish Regional offices throughout the state. However, supplies are limited.

Electronic copies of the fencing guide are available on the Game and Fish website, a link to which will be included with this story when it is posted to the Bigfoot99 website later today.

Digital copy of the 2025 Wyoming Landowner’s Guide to Fences and Wildlife: Wyoming Fences & Wildlife Handbook-031725.pdf