JACKSON, Wyo. — The coming of May marks the end of winter closures on many public lands in Wyoming. It’s a date marked on the calendar by those excited to get into the hills for a new season of hiking, biking, camping, fishing and more.
May 1 is also the opening of the backcountry to horn hunting, or gathering the antlers of elk, deer and moose that have been shed this past winter.
This year, the shed hunt will begin a little differently: From May 1 through May 7, only residents of Wyoming are allowed to collect shed antlers. Collection opens to everyone else on May 8. Residents and nonresidents can begin collecting shed antlers or horns at 6 a.m., starting on their designated day, in Collection Area 1 on public land. A conservation stamp is required for all nonresidents 15 years of age and older.
Note that antler collection is prohibited in Grand Teton National Park.
Hold your horses
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department remind antler hunters that the gathering of horns or shed antlers is prohibited from Jan. 1 through 6 a.m. May 1 on public lands west of the Continental Divide in Wyoming.
The Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (National Elk Refuge) have specific regulations surrounding shed collecting and access to areas of shed collection.
This regulation has been in effect since 2009 and includes all state-owned lands as well as federal lands.
In addition, many big game winter ranges in both Teton and Sublette counties have further restrictions to either human presence or motor vehicles during the winter months.
From Dec. 1 through April 30 each year, a seasonal closure limits public travel on the Refuge Road. During that period, traffic and pedestrian use are only allowed from the Refuge entrance off East Broadway Avenue to the Twin Creek subdivision or approximately 3.5 miles. The closure provides animals protection at a time when their energy reserves are low and abundant new vegetation growth, or green-up, is not yet widely available for foraging.
The wintering wildlife closure on the Refuge Road will be lifted at 6 a.m. on May 1 to coincide with the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s scheduled annual opening. Shed hunters can access some of the best antler-strewn areas of the Bridger-Teton National Forest by traveling the road through the Elk Refuge.
“Historically the winter wildlife closures ended at midnight,” said Evan Guzik, public affairs specialist for Bridger-Teton National Forest. “The May 1 antler opening in years past used to be a madhouse event starting at midnight, with everyone running around the hillside with headlights on.”
Now, with a start time of 6 a.m., there’s a bit more organization to the opening day of the shed antler hunt.
To read more about winter wildlife closures on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, click here.
Opening Day
Opening day has become quite the spectacle in Jackson Hole in recent years. Authorities expect a large turnout for those heading into the backcountry.
Starting May 1 at 6 a.m., the Refuge Road on the National Elk Refuge opens to public travel beyond the county-maintained line. No overnight parking will be allowed on the Refuge Road on April 30.
This entrance at the end of East Broadway Avenue in Jackson is the only legal access to the Refuge without a special use permit or Refuge hunting or fishing permit. Public access from the north end of the Refuge is not allowed, including travel across the Gros Ventre River.
Parking in the Town of Jackson near the entrance to the Elk Refuge on April 30 will be extremely limited. Antler collectors are encouraged to stage at any of the public parking lots in town including the Home Ranch Lot, the Deloney Lot, the Phil Baux Lot and the Miller Park Lot.
In an effort to minimize disruption to residential areas of East Jackson, several temporary No Parking Zones will be established in East Jackson on Broadway, Nelson, Rancher, Absaroka, Wapiti, Redmond and Simpson. Parking will not be permitted in these zones beginning at 6 p.m. on April 30. This restriction, applying to both visitors and residents, will remain in place until 12 a.m. on May 1.
For additional information on the 2024 Shed Hunt, visit the Town of Jackson website here.
