2023 23LSO-0138
STATE OF WYOMING
SENATE FILE NO. SF0088
Hunting licenses-weighted bonus points system.
Sponsored by: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Interim Committee
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to game and fish; establishing a weighted
2 bonus points program for ram bighorn sheep and moose
3 hunting license random draws; removing the preference point
4 drawing for ram bighorn sheep and moose; providing for the
5 calculation of weighted bonus points; making conforming
6 amendments; specifying applicability; requiring rulemaking;
7 and providing for effective dates.
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
10
11 Section 1. W.S. 23-1-107(a), (b)(intro), (ii),
12 (h)(intro), (iii) and (j), 23-1-703(b) and (g) and
13 23-2-101(g), (k) and (m) are amended to read:
14
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1 23-1-107. Residency for obtaining game and fish
2 licenses.
3
4 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, to
5 qualify for any resident game and fish license, bonus
6 point, preference point, permit or tag issued under this
7 act, a person shall be domiciled in Wyoming for not less
8 than one (1) full year immediately preceding the date the
9 person applies for the license, bonus point, preference
10 point, permit or tag and shall not have claimed residency
11 in any other state, territory or country for any purpose
12 during that one (1) year period.
13
14 (b) Each person applying for a license, bonus point,
15 preference point, permit or tag under this act shall
16 establish his own residency status independently or as
17 provided in this subsection or subsection (g) of this
18 section. A minor dependent shall qualify as a resident if:
19
20 (ii) His noncustodial parent qualifies as a
21 resident under this act and the minor is or will be
22 residing in this state with the noncustodial parent during
23 any portion of the calendar year in which the license,
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1 permit or stamp is to be used or in the case of a bonus
2 point or preference point the calendar year in which the
3 bonus point or preference point is to be accumulated.
4
5 (h) An applicant shall provide proof of residency and
6 swear to an oath of residency when making application for,
7 or attempting to purchase, a resident license, bonus point,
8 preference point, permit or tag under this act. License
9 selling agents and the department shall consider as
10 documentary evidence of residency any of the following:
11
12 (iii) A proof of residency statement on a form
13 provided by the department that has been completed and
14 signed by the applicant. Any active duty member of the
15 armed forces, his spouse or minor dependent of the active
16 duty member making application for or purchasing a resident
17 license, bonus point, preference point, permit or tag shall
18 be required to complete and submit the proof of residency
19 statement; or
20
21 (j) The commission may promulgate rules and
22 regulations in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative
23 Procedure Act to ensure that only bona fide Wyoming
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1 residents as defined in this act are issued resident game
2 and fish licenses, bonus points, weighted bonus points,
3 preference points, permits and tags.
4
5 23-1-703. Limitation of number of certain licenses;
6 reservation of certain licenses; reservation of certain
7 unused licenses.
8
9 (b) Subject to subsection (c) of this section, no
10 person may apply for and receive more than one (1) cow or
11 calf moose or one (1) ewe or lamb bighorn sheep license in
12 any consecutive five (5) year period. Licenses issued under
13 this subsection shall be issued partially for moose and ram
14 bighorn sheep through a preference weighted bonus point
15 random drawing. and partially through a random drawing of
16 all remaining unsuccessful applicants for that year. The
17 department shall assign bonus points to each license
18 applicant for a specific species moose or ram bighorn sheep
19 by multiplying the number of years the applicant has
20 unsuccessfully applied for a license times one (1). A
21 license applicant's assigned bonus points are then squared
22 for the license applicant's total entry in the sum of the
23 assigned bonus points for the weighted bonus point random
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1 drawing. The calculation used to assign bonus points to an
2 applicant for a particular species moose or ram bighorn
3 sheep under this subsection shall include any year the
4 applicant does not apply for a big or trophy game animal
5 hunting license for that species, provided in the case of a
6 resident the applicant pays the fee specified in W.S.
7 23-2-101(k), and in the case of a nonresident, the
8 applicant pays the appropriate fee established by the
9 commission under W.S. 23-2-101(m). License applicants
10 within each hunt area for a species shall be grouped
11 according to the number of assigned points for that
12 species. Not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of All
13 available licenses within any hunt area shall be randomly
14 selected through a preference weighted bonus point drawing
15 from among the group of applicants with the largest number
16 of assigned points and shall continue until all applicants
17 within that group have been exhausted or until all
18 available licenses have been issued., whichever first
19 occurs. If any applicant grouping has been exhausted and
20 licenses remain available within that hunt area, selection
21 shall continue from among the group of applicants with the
22 next largest number of assigned points. After the
23 selections through the preference point drawing have been
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1 completed within a hunt area, the remaining licenses
2 available from that drawing and the licenses available for
3 the random drawing for that hunt area will be issued
4 through a random selection from among all applicants in the
5 hunt area who were not selected for issuance of a license
6 for the species through the preference point drawing in
7 that hunt area. For purposes of assigning bonus points
8 under this subsection, any unsuccessful license applicant
9 failing to apply for a license, or pay the applicable fee
10 in lieu of applying, during the second calendar year shall
11 be considered to be a first year applicant for any
12 subsequent calendar year in which the applicant submits a
13 license application for that particular species a moose or
14 ram bighorn sheep.
15
16 (g) In addition to the authority granted under
17 subsection (b) of this section, the commission may through
18 rule and regulation develop and implement a preference
19 point program for nonresident antelope, nonresident deer
20 and nonresident elk licenses which are limited in quota and
21 would otherwise be issued through a random drawing. A
22 program established pursuant to this subsection may be
23 implemented for all or selected hunt areas and may be
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1 applied to all or portions of licenses for any particular
2 species antelope, deer and elk. The commission may charge
3 nonresident license applicants a nonrefundable fee to
4 accumulate preference points under the program as provided
5 in W.S. 23-2-101(m).
6
7 23-2-101. Fees; restrictions; nonresident application
8 fee; nonresident licenses; verification of residency
9 required; donation of refunded application fees.
10
11 (g) In promulgating rules and regulations for the
12 taking of bighorn sheep and moose, the commission shall not
13 discriminate between residents and nonresidents regarding
14 the maturity and horn size of the animals which may be
15 taken. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as
16 prohibiting the commission from issuing a different number
17 of licenses for residents and nonresidents, from requiring
18 a bonus point or preference point fee from nonresidents
19 only pursuant to subsection (m) of this section or from
20 issuing reduced price ewe and lamb bighorn sheep licenses
21 as provided in subsection (d) of this section.
22
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1 (k) Any resident qualified to purchase a moose or ram
2 bighorn sheep hunting license under subsection (j) of this
3 section may pay a fee of seven dollars ($7.00) in lieu of
4 applying for a moose or ram bighorn sheep hunting license.
5 Payment of the fee for a particular species under this
6 subsection shall authorize the person to accumulate bonus
7 points under W.S. 23-1-703(b) for that year in the same
8 manner as if he had unsuccessfully applied for a hunting
9 license for that species. Payment of the fee shall be made
10 in compliance with application dates.
11
12 (m) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, as
13 part of any bonus point program for nonresident ram bighorn
14 sheep or nonresident moose and any preference point program
15 for nonresident antelope, nonresident ram bighorn sheep,
16 nonresident moose, nonresident deer or nonresident elk, the
17 commission may establish a nonrefundable fee to be either
18 withheld from the license fee remitted or submitted
19 separately when application for a license, bonus point or
20 preference point is made through electronic licensing, and
21 may also establish a fee to be paid in lieu of applying for
22 licenses that are limited in quota. Retention of the
23 established fee or payment of the fee in lieu of applying
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1 shall authorize the person to accumulate a bonus point or a
2 preference point for future drawings for licenses that are
3 limited in quota for the applicable species in accordance
4 with rules of the commission. The rules may provide for
5 the loss of all accumulated bonus points or preference
6 points for persons failing to apply or to pay the in lieu
7 fee in two (2) consecutive calendar years. The fee for any
8 program under this subsection for antelope, deer or elk
9 shall be established by rule and shall not exceed
10 seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per species. Payment of the
11 fee shall be made in compliance with application dates.
12 Nothing in this subsection authorizes the commission to
13 establish or retain a fee for resident moose or resident
14 ram bighorn sheep license preference bonus points in
15 addition to the fee established by subsection (k) of this
16 section or to establish rules for ram bighorn sheep or
17 moose preference weighted bonus point random drawings in
18 conflict with the provisions of W.S. 23-1-703(b). For
19 nonresident ram bighorn sheep and nonresident moose
20 licenses, the commission may establish by rule a
21 nonrefundable preference bonus point fee to be withheld
22 from either the license fee remitted or submitted
23 separately when application for a license or preference
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1 bonus point is made through electronic licensing and may
2 establish a fee in lieu of making application in an amount
3 greater than that established under subsection (k) of this
4 section, but neither fee shall exceed one hundred fifty
5 dollars ($150.00). Fees established under this subsection
6 may be set at lower amounts for youth license applicants.
7
8 Section 2. This act shall apply to all moose and ram
9 bighorn sheep hunting seasons commencing on or after
10 January 1, 2027.
11
12 Section 3. The game and fish commission shall
13 promulgate all rules necessary to implement the provisions
14 of this act for transitioning preference points to bonus
15 points and establishing a weighted bonus point random
16 drawing for moose and ram bighorn sheep hunting seasons not
17 later than January 1, 2027.
18
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1 Section 4.
2
3 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
4 section, this act is effective January 1, 2027.
5
6 (b) Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this act are effective
7 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
8 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
9 the Wyoming Constitution.
10
11 (END)
11 SF0088


Statutes affected:
Introduced: 23-1-107, 23-1-703, 23-2-101