Director Angi Bruce with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department called into the Weekday Wake-Up on Tuesday, February 3 for her monthly report. Director Bruce discussed the recent retirement of local biologist Gary Fralick, a poaching incident in southwest Wyoming and the discontinuation of the Sage-Grouse Working Groups.

(0:00) And once again joining me live over the phone today, (0:03) Director Angie Bruce with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. (0:05) Director Bruce, good morning. How are you doing today? (0:08) Good morning, Duke.

I am doing well. (0:10) Hey, thanks so much for your time as always and giving us a report from the Game and Fish. (0:15) And, you know, I think we got to start out with the retirement of one of our local biologists, (0:20) Gary Fralick.

He was a biologist in the Star Valley area with the Game and Fish for a lot of years (0:25) and called it a career recently. (0:28) Oh, yeah, he was. And, you know, Duke, when you mentioned his name, (0:31) I just had a smile on my face because that’s what I think about with Gary, (0:36) just a true gem of a person.

And he, you know, gave his whole career to the Game and Fish, (0:43) mostly, you know, 40 years with us. So great dedication, had a huge impact, (0:48) really was, you know, the expert in the mule deer in the Wyoming range and did so much for us. (0:55) Hated to see him go, but really wanted, you know, glad that he can retire and enjoy (1:01) his personal time now.

(1:03) Absolutely. When you talk about his role, (1:05) what does a biologist do for the Game and Fish and kind of what’s their day-to-day? (1:10) Excellent question. Well, at the end of the day, they’re in charge of (1:13) maintaining healthy wildlife populations in their area.

They really play a huge role in that. (1:19) They play a big role in looking at habitat needs, understanding the requirements of different (1:26) species. And then very important, what they do once a year right now is roll up a lot of that (1:33) information at a region-wide level too, to help set the hunting seasons.

So make sure the public (1:39) has adequate opportunity, listening to the public, what the public wants, takes that and mixes it (1:44) with the science and puts recommendations forward. So when you talk about that position (1:49) specifically the one that Gary had held for those years, I assume there’s a process in (1:55) place now for his replacement? Absolutely. We’re well underway to replace him.

(2:00) All of our biologists in the field are critical positions that represent the department. So we (2:05) hope to get someone to fill his shoes if we can do such a thing. But over time, they will be able (2:12) to in there soon.

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Angie Bruce on the weekday wake up with us this (2:18) morning. And Director Bruce, another poaching incident happening in southwest Wyoming, this (2:22) time in the Evanston region. Can you give us an update on this? Yeah, so this does not bring a (2:29) smile to my face, unlike our last conversation.

This is disappointing to see. I feel as Wyoming (2:34) Knights, we can do better than this. And there seems to be a lot of different poaching occurring (2:40) over, you know, there always is throughout the state that we are on top of, but over there in (2:45) western parts.

And so we’re asking people if they have any evidence of deer remains, you know, (2:52) gut pile, deer carcass that’s especially missing at least one of the hindquarters. If they have (2:59) seen anything in the out when they’re out and about, especially near Evanston, Cokeville, Kemmerer, (3:06) Mountain View, those areas, maybe alongside of the road to let us know. They can let us know in (3:12) various different ways.

Stop into the Green River office, they can call the local game warden, (3:19) they can call our tip line. Our tip line is 877-WGFD-TIP. They could also text us and they can (3:29) also submit a report online as well.

So lots of options, but we just want any information people (3:34) have out there. Now in this particular incident, it does seem to be a one-time isolated incident. (3:40) There’s been some other cases where it seems like multiple animals were taken, but if I’m (3:44) understanding correctly, this recent one seems to be a single animal.

Is that correct? That is correct. (3:51) At least that’s what we know of now. We don’t have it tied to any others, but that doesn’t mean it (3:55) isn’t.

But from the evidence and stuff we’ve collected, it appears to be a one-time poaching (4:02) of a mule deer. Director Angie Bruce with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on the weekday (4:07) wake up this morning. Director Bruce wanted to talk sage-grouse.

The Game and Fish is retiring (4:11) the Wyoming sage-grouse local working group. So let’s start with from the beginning of this. For (4:17) those who aren’t familiar, what is the local working groups and what has this program been (4:21) in the past? Yeah, so there were seven local working groups across the state started over (4:28) 20 years ago to really look at the needs locally for habitat, for research.

There were general funds (4:36) dedicated to this throughout time. Those general funds, I think it was 2017, were pulled back. So (4:41) the commission stepped up and offered some funds.

But it was looking at what is the needs locally (4:47) for sage-grouse and sage-grouse habitat. And so these groups really represented the folks in the (4:55) area. If it was a heavy mining area or wind and solar, oil and gas, local county folks, experts, (5:03) biologists, our federal partners, state partners come together locally once a year to allocate (5:09) some funds to the priorities.

Throughout the years, this has been extremely effective. (5:15) We have lots of experts out there who really had buy-in to sage-grouse, but it’s really run its (5:20) course. And so we’re retiring this method and looking at new methods.

Today, we really, really (5:26) are looking how we can very efficiently and effectively do more for habitat. And we truly (5:32) think that we can do that more on landscape-level scale, so large projects. Our staff are now (5:37) involved in looking at 20,000 acres at a time to do invasive species control and so forth.

(5:44) So how we incorporate habitat projects is taking a little bit different and a shift (5:50) that just is not aligned with the old model that we had here. But what we do value is that input (5:56) and that local input. And we still are looking for ways to get that.

One way that we can get it (6:01) is through the sage-grouse implementation team, through the governor’s committee that he has. (6:07) That tends to be more related to policy than habitat and research, but that is an avenue (6:12) that people can help weigh in and help us. But then we’re looking at what the next thing is.

(6:18) We got to all change with times, and this is a great example of that. We’re looking at how we (6:24) can pull these local folks together in doing either an annual workshop, field day, something. (6:30) And we’re asking for their input to see how we can still gather that support and interest (6:36) and expertise from them, just in a different way.

(6:39) Well, Director, if our listeners are hoping to do some big game hunting (6:42) this year, maybe just a quick reminder on some upcoming deadlines for applications. (6:48) Yeah, so non-residence is around the corner. And Duke, I don’t have that off the top of my head.

(6:53) Too many things swirling in my head today, but look at those dates. They’re coming up. (6:57) Residents have a little bit more time.

I know I tend to procrastinate on that, and I have (7:03) always April on my mind for when I need to get things rolling. But definitely, (7:08) it’s that time of year to start to think about, but actually to plan to. So putting in for a (7:14) certain hunt area or certain limited area that you hope to draw in, make sure you have some (7:22) thought process on where you’re going to go, public lands or private lands, and do your homework (7:27) prior to applying.

Well, Director, as always, appreciate your time. Thank you. (7:31) Anything else you wanted to mention today? (7:35) No, I just, let’s hope for some winter weather.

We need some moisture out there. (7:40) It’s really dry on the eastern part of the state and throughout the state. So maybe if we can all (7:46) put our minds together and get some white stuff coming down, we’ll be better off.

(7:51) We could certainly use some. Absolutely. Director Angie Bruce, Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

(7:54) It’s all part of the weekday wake up this morning on SVI Radio.