Eric Wiltanger, Interim Director of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, called into the Weekday Wake-Up on Tuesday, November 3 for his monthly report. Director Wiltanger spoke to what appears to be a successful hunting season across the state, especially for mule deer, and also touched on recent poaching cases on the western side of the state.

(0:00) Appreciate your time today as always and you know directors we head into the month of November (0:04) That means I think most everybody might have a hunting story from this year. How did it go for you this year up in the hills? (0:12) Yeah, you know, it’s a (0:14) Outside of the hot and dry summer. We’ve had my hunting season was pretty good (0:18) I didn’t get as much time out as I’d like but you know, that’s just the life that we live (0:23) Got out in September.

I think I mentioned last month (0:26) I did find a little bull and that was good got four days out in the Sierra Madres and prior to that (0:32) I spent a couple days in the Hoback area and (0:35) The Wyoming range is looking really good. You know, our regional managers have talked a lot about the (0:40) Harvest checkpoints that we’re seeing and we’re seeing good numbers and it sounds like a lot of our deer are bouncing back (0:46) We’ve seen some exceptional antler growth this year. So (0:50) As far as on a big game side things are kind of winding down for for me anyway (0:54) Was able to get out and chase some pheasants with the dog up at Springer in Goshen County at the bird farm up there and (1:01) saw lots of kids out and (1:03) Yeah, things are things are starting to wind down, but I know folks are still chasing some later seasons, but it’s been you know (1:10) Conditions haven’t been great (1:12) Unseasonably warm dry conditions throughout October kind of probably delayed a lot of the animal animal movement across most of the regions (1:19) I know Jackson country is getting a little bit of snow right now (1:22) So that should help things out, but really mule deer are kind of a standout story right now (1:27) really good reports and (1:29) Hearing a lot about a lot of numerous bucks measuring over 30 inches (1:32) So that that gives us some some hope that things are going back in the right direction (1:37) Yeah, absolutely you talk about that (1:38) It was you know, we were we’ve been in a drought for a while and could really use some of the winter snowfall (1:43) But it wasn’t that many winters ago (1:45) That it was just horrendous as far as too much snow and and the impact that it had (1:51) Especially on the mule deer herds, and so it does sound like things are have really bounced back in a big way (1:57) Yeah, these extremes.

You know we can’t find a happy balance (2:00) You know it seems like we either get really pounded with a winner (2:03) Or we got this hot and dry period that we’re in right now (2:06) So we’re hopeful this this winter we get some decent moisture and get a decent snowpack, and we’ll move forward (2:12) But right now things aren’t looking too bad (2:14) Wyoming game and fish interim director Eric Wiltinger on the weekday wake up this morning with us this morning director (2:19) Let’s talk about some poaching incidents starting with one in Fremont County. That’s actually concluded and (2:25) kind of talk us through what happened here with a (2:29) Person that pleaded guilty to eight different wildlife charges stemming from illegal hunting activities dating back to 2021 (2:35) And it sounds like that case is concluded (2:38) Yeah, yeah, thanks for bringing that up case out of Fremont County (2:42) you know I just want to say thanks to our staff our staff worked diligently on this case for two years and (2:48) You know all the tools that we use you know DNA (2:52) Database matching our aerial flights and groundwork and then photo and infrastructure forensics (2:57) Really played a key part in this and you know our lander region folks really (3:01) Were the bulk of this our forensic lab scientists also worked on the back end of that putting all the pieces together and yeah (3:09) lifetime revocation (3:10) For this individual (3:11) 50 state ban under the interstate wildlife violator compact and (3:17) I believe that he’s the first to become the first Wyoming night whose lifetime ban takes immediate effect across all 50 states from day one (3:24) so yeah big case and (3:26) Real happy with our folks and the work that they were able to work with the the county on and yeah (3:32) Well, I I think what this shows is of course in Wyoming. We value hunting.

We love hunting (3:38) We know exactly what it is, but if if you do it illegally and do it the way that this was done (3:43) I mean we’re we’re not okay with that in in in the state of Wyoming and the results of this case show that (3:51) Yeah, absolutely. I think you know you can’t walk past (3:54) You know three people in a line anywhere, and they’re not talking about our outdoor our wildlife and everything that we have here (4:01) so everybody’s pretty respectful and gracious of that and this individual wasn’t and (4:05) The results obviously speak for themselves as far as what the penalties that were given out now of course (4:11) There’s still some other cases under investigation some more poaching incidents some near a Dubois one near Hyattville (4:18) And so some ongoing investigations there currently, right? (4:22) Yeah, we’ve got three really in the hopper right now and of course more (4:26) but the Bighorn Basin three bull elk illegally shot and left to waste and then the Dubois one that you mentioned the (4:35) Moose case that we’re working on and then also in Lander calf elk was shot and left to rot (4:42) if if someone has (4:44) information on (4:45) Those incidents or any other incidents around the state is it’s really easy to submit anonymous tips, right? (4:52) It is Duke. You know we’ve got our stop poaching hotline at (4:55) 1-877-WGFD-TIP and then text a tip also for tip 411 and (5:02) Then of course reach out to your local warden or local biologists and (5:07) There is an anonymy and rewards informants can remain completely anonymous and may qualify for cash rewards up to 5,000 in some cases (5:14) I’m a gaming fish interim director Eric Wilton’s are on the weekday wake up this morning director (5:18) Thank you so much for your time as always appreciate it anything.

We missed you’d like to touch on today (5:21) Nope, that’s it Duke. Everybody have a safe end of the big game season (5:25) Let’s get out there, and hopefully we get some weather and push some waterfowl around absolutely (5:29) It’s all part of the weekday wake up this morning on SVI radio