Hunting & Fishing Expo kicks off today

Three days of events begin today in Casper when the 11th annual Wyoming Hunting & Fishing Heritage Expo begins. Hosted by the Game and Fish Department, the Expo is a free educational event for all ages that's held at the Casper Events Center and nearby shooting complexes.

Activities include shooting, fishing, canoeing and archery, plus more than 150 other activities, exhibits and demonstrations designed to help people participate in Wyoming's hunting, fishing and outdoors.

The first two days of the Expo are structured for school groups and students of all ages are invited to attend. During all three days, students age 10-18 can pursue the Youth Shooting Pentathlon by participating in shotgunning, .22 rifle, muzzleloader, pellet gun and archery. On Saturday, the first 1,000 students completing the aquatic outdoor skill stations will receive a free fishing pole donated by North Platte Walleyes.

Some other displays and activities include: Eastman's Hunting Journal World Class Deer Exhibit; Safari Club International's Sensory Safari; National Wild Turkey Federation's Grand Slam Turkey Display; LaRamie River Black Powder Brigade Mountain Man Camp; Michael Bad Hand Terry and Native Americans of the West. There will also be demonstrations by the Laramie Peak Retriever Club and Wyoming state trap shooting champion Mary King.

More than 131,000 people have attended the Expo over the last 10 years. Expo hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Wyo angler catches 500th Cutt-Slam

When Cheyenne resident Matt Hoobler caught a Bonneville cutthroat trout from Salt Creek on Aug. 11, he had no idea he was about to set a Wyoming angling milestone. The fish completed the final leg of Hoobler's Cutt-Slam and, after submitting his paperwork to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, he became the 500th angler to complete the Slam since the program started in 1996.

Anglers who complete the Cutt-Slam are recognized for catching Wyoming's four subspecies of cutthroat in their native ranges in Wyoming. The four subspecies are the Yellowstone, Snake River, Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat trout. Each successful angler receives a certificate listing the name of the angler, color artwork of the four subspecies and notation on the date and location of each catch.

To date, the 500 or so anglers completing the Slam have come from 39 states and two foreign countries. To qualify, an angler needs to provide a photograph of each fish and information on the date of the catch and the place where it was caught. Releasing the fish is encouraged and may be required depending on the regulations for different waters.

In recognition of the milestone, Game and Fish will award Hoobler a Cutt-Slam patch and shirt and a $100 gift certificate from the Game and Fish Alternative Enterprises store. The first person to complete the Cutt-Slam was then 10-year-old MacKenzie Mixer of Casper who completed the Slam with her father in 1996.

Nuisance crayfish removed from Platte tributary

Initial efforts to eradicate illegally stocked rusty crayfish from a tributary of the North Platte River appear to be successful, reported the Wyoming Department of Game and Fish in a news release.

"We put out traps and caught a lot of crayfish, but fortunately none of them were rusty crayfish," said Al Conder, Casper region fishery supervisor for Game and Fish. "We can't prove they're not there but this suggests that if they are still in the creek it is in very low numbers. If there were breeding pairs we probably would have caught some."

Rusty crayfish are considered a nuisance, exotic species that can displace native creatures and damage aquatic habitat. The crayfish were illegally stocked as a forage base for fish in three ponds along Wagonhound Creek by Colorado Fisheries, Inc., a company that creates fish habitats and sells trophy-quality fish to high-end ranches and fishing lodges. Game and Fish biologists discovered the crayfish in Wagonhound Creek near Douglas and earlier this year treated the creek to remove them.

Shannon Skelton, owner of Colorado Fisheries, Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transportation of illegally possessed wildlife. Skelton and Colorado Fisheries, Inc. were ordered to pay $40,000 in fines and $60,000 in restitution to the Game and Fish Department. The restitution will pay for expenses incurred to eradicate the illegal crayfish.

Game and Fish treated a stretch of the stream, which resulted in the removal of native crayfish species as well as the rusty crayfish. But biologists said they are happy to report that native crayfish are already recolonizing into the treated area of the stream. Still, biologists will continue to monitor the stream in upcoming years. To date the Game and Fish Department has spent more than $34,000 to remove the invasive crayfish. Additional expenses will be incurred for monitoring the site and any subsequent eradication efforts.

Good hunting expected at Casper walk-in areas

The fall hunting season should be a good one for hunters taking advantage of lands managed under the AccessYes program, the Casper office of Game and Fish said in a news release. AccessYes provides free hunting and fishing access on private lands enrolled in the program as Hunter Management Areas and Walk-In Areas.

Seven Hunter Management Areas are open for all species in the Casper Region for the 2008 hunting season. They include Deer Creek, Hat Six, Duncan Ranch, Box Elder, Hermit Rock, Rattlesnake Mountain and Muddy Mountain. There is also a new HMA this year, the Bell Otte Ranch south of Casper in elk hunt area 7, which will be open for a late-season cow elk hunt and permission will only be available after Oct. 27.

"The forecast looks very good for all lands enrolled in the AccessYes program throughout the Casper Region," said Matt Buhler, statewide access coordinator for Game and Fish. "The cool, wet spring combined with the lack of hot weather this summer has created excellent forage conditions and big game populations are doing well across the region."

A Hunter Management Area may refer solely to private lands or a combination of private, state trust land and federal land within ranch boundaries. Hunters are required to obtain written permission from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to hunt a specific Hunter Management Area. Hunters can apply for permission slips online at gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/access/index.asp.

New parking areas at Duncan Ranch HMA

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, in cooperation with the State Land Board and the Wyoming Department of Transportation, has completed the development of three parking lots on the Duncan Ranch Hunter Management Area south of Glenrock to improve access for sportsmen.

WYDOT donated 500 tons of gravel for the project to build parking areas at ranch headquarters, above Mormon and on Hiser Road.

"They saved us a lot of money and helped make this project possible," Matt Buhler, statewide access coordinator for Game and Fish said in a written statement. The gravel would have cost Game and Fish about $3,500.

The agency asks hunters to park on the new lots. "Please be sure to use the designated parking areas as it will help consolidate hunters' vehicles off the main roads," Buhler said.

The State Board of Land Commissioners purchased the Duncan Ranch in 2006 and enrolled it in the Department's Hunter Management Area program. Permission slips are required to hunt on Duncan Ranch and may be applied for through the Game and Fish Web site at gf.state.wy.us.

Don't snag that fish

Kokanee are spawning in the Green River and the Game and Fish Department warns anglers not to be tempted to snag them.

Snagging is an attempt to take a fish in such a manner that the fish does not take the hook voluntarily in its mouth. In the old days it was legal to snag fish and, consequently, many vulnerable spawning fish were taken. Snagging fish in Wyoming is illegal, the agency said in a news release.

Each year Wyoming game wardens issue warnings and citations for snagging kokanee on the Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Kokanee are fall spawners and begin running the Green River in late August. There are now two distinct strains of kokanee in the Green River: an early run strain that spawns in September and a late run strain that spawns in October. The spawning fish can't eat and, after spawning, all kokanee die. Their decaying carcasses supply nutrients for other plant and animal life, as well as their offspring when they hatch.

Anglers on both the Green River and Flaming Gorge should be aware of the following closures: All kokanee caught from Sept. 10 through Nov. 30 on Flaming Gorge Reservoir must be released and returned to the water immediately. Fishing on the Green River from Fontenelle Dam downstream one mile to the USGS Gauge Station (Cable Crossing) is closed Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.