Private land is often looked at as the enemy if you are a self-guided hunter, but Wyoming has figured out a way to work with private landowners to provide access to their lands for the benefit of all hunters. In this article, I will go over the Access Yes program and the ins and outs to help you better understand and take advantage of what they have to offer.
The Access Yes program is divided into three different sections, two of which are for public access hunting on private land – Hunter Management Areas (HMA) and Walk-In Hunting Areas (WIHA). Currently, there is no cost to apply for or obtain a permission slip for HMA or WIHA land. The Access Yes program is funded through multiple sources, including donations, applications, and restitution, but the bulk of the funding comes from the sale of conservation stamps. Every hunter who intends to hunt in Wyoming is required to purchase a conservation stamp.
Hunter Management Areas must be applied for in order to obtain a permission slip to access HMA land. The application period for the first drawing in 2018 was July 9-August 6, and any remaining limited permission slips had an extended application deadline of August 20th. Some HMAs have a limited number of permission slips available in a random draw or are first-come, first-served and can even have certain dates in which you can hunt if you are successful in securing a permission slip. Others have an unlimited amount of permission slips, but hunters will need to apply to be able to obtain the permission slip. These unlimited HMAs do not have an application deadline in which you will need to obtain the permit. There are certain application limitations that can vary from unit to unit, so applicants need to read the rules and regulations when applying for a specific HMA. A hunter may only have permission slips for up to two HMAs per year, of which certain limitations can be found with having permission slips for multiple HMAs within the same hunt unit and species.
Most HMAs have strict travel restrictions that often limit access to foot and/or horse travel only, so be sure to read the ranch rules prior to applying. One thing to keep in mind when researching HMA land within your desired unit is to make sure it is open to hunting the desired species and sex you intend to have a permit for. A lot of HMAs will be open to cow/calf elk or doe/fawn deer but closed to antlered game, although most are open to antelope hunting of either sex. Since HMA land can be renewed every year after the big game draw deadlines in June, there is some risk in searching out specific HMAs prior to the draw and those HMAs not renewing their contract with WGFD. Most HMAs are enrolled in the program for multiple years and stay the same from year to year, but applicants must be aware of the risk when applying for hunt units. Typically, available HMAs for that year will be available the first of July to review. Currently, over one million acres are enrolled in the HMA program. HMAs are typically larger in acreage than WIHA areas but can range from hundreds of acres to thousands of acres.
Walk-In Hunting Areas are much simpler to access than HMAs as WIHAs do not require an application or a permission slip. Hunters simply need a valid hunting license in order to hunt on WIHA land. These areas are exactly how they are described as hunters are restricted to walk-in hunting only and there are typically designated parking areas for WIHA areas. Landowners can determine which species can be hunted during specific dates, and it can change from year to year. Typically, these areas are smaller than HMAs, but there are some that will consist of thousands of acres. Even though there are more parcels of land enrolled in WIHAs than HMAs, there is less total acreage at over 660,000 acres. WIHAs also have different rules and regulations that can vary from area to area.
There are a few other ways to access private land for hunting in Wyoming in the form of Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMA) and the Hunter/Landowner Assistance Program. WHMAs consist of private and public land that is largely crucial habitat for a wide variety of species, which includes big game. The purpose of these areas is mainly to put some restrictions in place to preserve the habitat for the wildlife that inhabit them. Almost all of them are open to hunting with some travel restrictions, depending on the WHMA. There are no requirements for the public to be able to gain access and hunt, but some have seasonal closures. A lot of the WHMAs consist of lake surfaces and streams, so not all of the 450,000 acres are big game habitat. Read through the description of each to find out which ones hold the type of game you want to hunt. The Hunter/Landowner Assistance Program is simply a list of landowners who give WYGFD permission to publish their contact information for hunters to contact them for permission to hunt. Some of these landowners require a trespass fee to access their land.
Most of the HMA and WIHA acres are geared towards antelope and antlerless elk hunting, but there is a good portion of them that also allow deer hunting of either sex. The biggest benefit to these Access Yes acres is in being able to access private land within units that are primarily private land. These units/ areas typically have the best draw odds, and you can often be drawn with 0-1 point or even your second choice for antelope. With Wyoming splitting more of their antelope unit hunts between private land only and unit wide, the only licenses that are now leftover are private land only. Hunters can hunt the private land portions of HMAs and WIHAs with private land only licenses, which can be picked up as a second choice or as leftovers.
At Huntin’ Fool, we are constantly striving to find ways to put more tags/ licenses in the pockets of our members and give them the information they need to be able to capitalize on them. Since there are so many variables with these HMA and WIHA acres, feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about the Access Yes Program. For more information on all of the programs listed in this article, go to https://wgfd.wyo.gov/public-access. Wyoming also offers an annual report of total acreage and other helpful information about the program. Go to https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Public-Access/PDF/Access_Summary to read a PDF version of the 2017 annual report.
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