The shed collection closure is meant to protect wintering big game. Photo: Jacob W. Frank // NPS

JACKSON, Wyo. — Wyoming Game and Fish wants to remind the public about the annual shed antler and horn gathering closure which covers much of southern and western Wyoming. The closure is in effect annually in order to protect big game animals on their winter ranges.

A Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulation prohibits anyone from collecting shed antlers or horns on public lands west of the Continental Divide, excluding the Great Divide Basin and some land west of Laramie, from Jan. 1 through 6 a.m. May 1 of each year.

A map of the closure area is available online and the boundaries are detailed within the regulation.

To report shed antler or horn collection violations call the STOP Poaching Hotline at 1-877-943-3847 (1-877-WGFD-TIP) or text keyword WGFD and message to TIP411 (847-411). Violations may also be reported online at the Game and Fish website.

She's a lover of alliteration, easy-to-follow recipes and board games when everyone knows the rules. Her favorite aspect about living in the Tetons is the collective admiration that Wyomingites share for the land and the life that it sustains.