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Senate rejects 50% floor for landowner hunting licenses, passes SF25

Wyoming Senate · February 23, 2026

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Summary

The Wyoming Senate defeated an amendment that would have required at least 50% of limited‑quota hunt-area licenses be reserved for landowners, then approved Senate File 25 to let the Game and Fish Commission manage landowner license limits. Debate centered on regional equity and the commission’s discretion.

Senate File 25, a bill to set landowner license limits in limited‑quota hunt areas, passed the Wyoming Senate on Feb. 24 after members rejected a proposed amendment to set a uniform 50% minimum floor for landowner licenses.

Senator David Pearson moved amendment number 1, saying the change would “give 50% of those tags back to the public” in areas where landowners currently receive all limited‑quota licenses. Opponents including Senator Hicks argued that a statewide 50% floor would be unworkable because landowner distribution and public‑land access vary widely between eastern and western Wyoming.

During debate, Hicks used the Antelope quota as an example, saying some units are nearly 100% private land while others are mostly public; he warned a fixed floor would produce inequitable outcomes. Senator Bonner supported the amendment as an “evenhanded” compromise. After floor debate the chamber took a roll‑call vote on the amendment; it failed 11 ayes to 19 no with one excused.

Following the amendment’s defeat, the Senate voted to pass SF25 on third reading. The chief clerk recorded the final tally as 23 ayes, 7 no, 1 excused. The bill as passed leaves discretion to the Game and Fish Commission to set limits and quotas by unit and preserves the commission’s public‑hearing process.

Supporters framed the measure as balancing landowner rights and public hunting access; critics said statutory floors are a blunt instrument and that the agency‑driven quota process is better suited to local variation. The Senate’s action sends SF25 to the next stage of the legislative process.

The Senate vote on amendment #1 was recorded in the roll call; the final SF25 tally was 23 ayes, 7 no, 1 excused.