23-1-703. Limitation of number of big or trophy game animal licenses; reservation of certain licenses; reservation of certain unused licenses.

(a) The commission may limit the number of resident or nonresident big or trophy game animal licenses to be sold in any calendar year and may designate dates after which one (1) or more classes of licenses will not be sold except as authorized by the commission.

(b) Except as specifically provided under this subsection, subsection (f) of this section or W.S. 23-1-705(a), no person may apply for and receive more than one (1) moose or one (1) ram bighorn sheep license in any consecutive five (5) year period. Effective for the 1995 hunting season and each hunting season thereafter, licenses issued under this subsection shall be based upon the number of points assigned to each applicant for a particular species. Effective January 1, 2000, licenses issued under this subsection shall be issued partially through a preference point drawing and partially through a random drawing of all remaining unsuccessful applicants for that year. The department shall assign points to each license applicant for a specific species by multiplying the number of years the applicant has unsuccessfully applied for a license times one (1). The calculation used to assign points to an applicant for a particular species under this subsection shall include any year the applicant does not apply for a big or trophy game animal hunting license for that species, provided in the case of a resident the applicant pays the fee specified in W.S. 23-2-101(k) and in the case of a nonresident the applicant pays the appropriate fee established by the commission under W.S. 23-2-101(m). License applicants within each hunt area for a species shall be grouped according to the number of assigned points for that species. Not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of available licenses within any hunt area shall be randomly selected through a preference point drawing from among the group of applicants with the largest number of assigned points and shall continue until all applicants within that group have been exhausted or until all available licenses have been issued, whichever first occurs. If any applicant grouping has been exhausted and licenses remain available within that hunt area, selection shall continue from among the group of applicants with the next largest number of assigned points. After the selections through the preference point drawing have been completed within a hunt area, the remaining licenses available from that drawing and the licenses available for the random drawing for that hunt area will be issued through a random selection from among all applicants in the hunt area who were not selected for issuance of a license for the species through the preference point drawing in that hunt area. For purposes of assigning points under this subsection, any unsuccessful license applicant failing to apply for a license, or pay the applicable fee in lieu of applying, during the second calendar year shall be considered to be a first year applicant for any subsequent calendar year in which the applicant submits license application for that particular species.

(c) For the 1995 hunting season and each hunting season thereafter, except as provided in subsection (f) of this section or by rule of the commission, no person who is issued a hunting license for a grizzly bear or for a mountain goat shall be eligible to apply for or receive a hunting license for that particular species in any future year.

(d) Repealed By Laws 1997, ch. 24, § 2.

(e) The commission shall reserve eighty percent (80%) of the moose and seventy-five percent (75%) of the ram and ewe and lamb bighorn sheep, mountain goat and grizzly bear licenses to be issued in any one (1) year for resident hunters. The commission shall determine the allocation of resident and nonresident mountain lion harvest.

(f) Notwithstanding W.S. 23-1-704 and 23-2-101(j), any person who is issued and purchases a limited quota, full price big or trophy game animal license for any species and sex of animal and is unable to use for good cause as provided by regulations that license during the hunting season for which the license is issued, may reserve a license for the particular species and sex of big or trophy game animal designated on the unused license for use during the immediately succeeding hunting season by applying to the commission in accordance with commission rules. The initial big or trophy game animal license shall accompany the application. Upon receipt, the commission shall cancel the initial license and prior to the subsequent season opening date for the designated species and sex of animal, issue to the applicant at an administrative cost not less than ten dollars ($10.00) and not to exceed four percent (4%) of the cost of the initial license, a license for the designated big or trophy game animal valid for that season.

(g) In addition to the authority granted under subsection (b) of this section, the commission may through rule and regulation develop and implement a preference point program for nonresident antelope, nonresident deer and nonresident elk licenses which are limited in quota and would otherwise be issued through a random drawing. A program established pursuant to this subsection may be implemented for all or selected hunt areas and may be applied to all or portions of licenses for any particular species. The commission may charge nonresident license applicants a nonrefundable fee to accumulate preference points under the program as provided in W.S. 23-2-101(m).

(h) Rules and regulations shall be promulgated by the game and fish commission to carry out subsections (a) through (f) of this section and may be promulgated as provided in subsection (g) of this section.