Committee approves plan to switch sheep and moose draws to weighted bonus-point system

The Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee voted to send Senate File 2 to the full Senate after debate over whether to convert Wyoming's sheep and moose drawing system from a preference-point model to a weighted bonus-point ("squared points") random draw and to delay implementation for several years to allow long-time point holders to use existing points.

The bill, drafted from recommendations of a statewide Wildlife Task Force, would shift the allocation of many licenses into a system where applicants accumulate bonus entries and those entries are weighted (squared) to increase the chance for long-term applicants. The task force recommended a delayed implementation window recommended at five years to give hunters with large point balances an opportunity to draw under the current rules before the change takes effect.

The committee heard detailed modeling from members of the task force and Wyoming Game and Fish Department staff showing that demand for limited tags far outstrips supply. Joe Schafer, a member of the task force and president of Laramie County Community College, summarized the technical work: "The first thing is, overall the odds stink. No matter what system you put in place with the few numbers and the high demand, they are not good." He said the task force considered phasing out points, pure random draws and hybrid approaches before recommending a weighted bonus-point model that offers the highest lifetime probability of drawing a tag while preserving an annual chance for all applicants.

Deputy Director Doug Brimire of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department described the long history of preference points and the scarcity problem: "We've had 30 years of preference points," he said, noting that certain hunts issue only a few dozen tags, so even with the current 25% reserved for random draws some units rarely produce a strictly random opportunity for nonresident applicants. Brimire and other agency staff warned that the department would need time and programming resources to implement the new system and that some statutory language in the bill needed clarification to avoid unintended effects on antlerless or cow/calf tags.

Task force co-chair Rusty Bell, who also serves as a Game and Fish commissioner, framed the policy rationale as an equity issue: "It was a fairness issue," he said, describing the group's intent to preserve opportunities for both long-time applicants and newer or younger hunters. Joe Schafer described the proposed weighting method: under a squared point system, an applicant with 13 years of points would receive 169 entries (13 squared) versus 13 entries under a linear bonus-point system, creating much greater separation for long-time applicants while maintaining randomness.

Agency testimony noted several practical details discussed in the hearing: recent permit counts (for example, moose permits issued dropped from 397 in 2010 to 280 in 2024 in examples offered by staff), fiscal uncertainty because nonresident participation and buyer behavior could change, and IT and call-center workload to implement and explain the system to the public. The department supported delaying implementation to 2029 (a five-year window counted from the task force recommendation) as a transition period for high-point holders and to align statutory language with current rules that already treat antlered moose and ram bighorn sheep as once-in-a-lifetime tags.

Public testimony included opposition from the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. Bill Lavani, speaking for the association, said their position had not changed since 2023: "We are somewhat married to the system," he told the committee, urging the panel not to shorten the proposed implementation window and warning that nonresident hunters contribute heavily to Game and Fish revenue.

Committee members debated the trade-offs between retaining long-time point-holder investments and improving perceived opportunities for younger or new hunters. Senators noted the task force modeling that showed a pure random system raised short-term odds for early applicants but reduced long-term lifetime probability, while a weighted bonus-point system increased lifetime probability but reduced first-year odds for new applicants.

An amendment offered by Senator Hicks struck newly inserted language on page 6 (lines 6' 7) and reinserted prior text to clarify the bill's treatment of antlered and non-antlered tags; the amendment passed on voice vote. The committee then approved the bill to advance to the Senate by recorded tally: yes 3, no 1, excused 1. The committee chair said the panel will continue to monitor statutory language and technical fixes as the bill moves forward.

Committee members directed staff and department personnel to coordinate with Legislative Service Office and department IT staff to refine statutory wording and implementation plans if the bill advances. The committee adjourned and announced it will reconvene at noon to consider Senate File 3.