(a)At the request of the governor, the commission shall
annually issue up to twenty-five (25) complimentary hunting and
twenty-five (25) complimentary fishing licenses. Not more than
five (5) bighorn sheep, five (5) moose and five (5) wild bison
licenses shall be issued under this subsection. The five (5)
year restriction imposed on the receipt of a moose, bighorn
sheep or wild bison license by W.S. 23-1-703(b) and (c), and any
restriction imposed on taking of wild bison under commission
rule and regulation shall not be applicable in any manner to a
license issued pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided
under subsection (g) of this section, no complimentary licenses
may be issued at the request of the appointed commissioners.
Immediately upon issuance of any of these licenses, the
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(a) At the request of the governor, the commission shall
annually issue up to twenty-five (25) complimentary hunting and
twenty-five (25) complimentary fishing licenses. Not more than
five (5) bighorn sheep, five (5) moose and five (5) wild bison
licenses shall be issued under this subsection. The five (5)
year restriction imposed on the receipt of a moose, bighorn
sheep or wild bison license by W.S. 23-1-703(b) and (c), and any
restriction imposed on taking of wild bison under commission
rule and regulation shall not be applicable in any manner to a
license issued pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided
under subsection (g) of this section, no complimentary licenses
may be issued at the request of the appointed commissioners.
Immediately upon issuance of any of these licenses, the
commission shall submit to the secretary of state for
maintenance as a public record, the name and address of each
licensee and the type of license issued.
(b) In addition the commission may, upon payment of proper
fees, issue up to one hundred sixty (160) antelope licenses each
year for the exclusive use of not more than two (2) antelope
hunts, provided that:
(i) Not more than eighty (80) of these licenses are
issued for a single antelope hunt event;
(ii) Resource management requirements shall be
considered in determining the total amount of licenses that are
issued under this subsection each year.
(c) In addition the commission may, upon payment of deer
license fees, issue up to twenty-five (25) licenses each year
for the exclusive use of gunpowder and buckskin hunts.
(d) The department shall issue without charge lifetime
bird, small game and fish licenses that shall remain valid so
long as the licensee remains a Wyoming resident to:
(i) Any resident who is over sixty-five (65) years
and who has resided in Wyoming for at least thirty (30) total
years. No year of residence prior to the resident's tenth
birthday shall be counted toward the thirty (30) year
requirement imposed by this paragraph;
(ii) Any honorably discharged resident veteran who is
one hundred percent (100%) disabled as determined by the United
States department of veteran affairs;
(iii) Any honorably discharged resident who is a
United States military purple heart medal recipient with
document proof thereof.
(e) The department shall issue:
(i) For a fee of two dollars ($2.00) a resident deer,
antelope or wild turkey license and for a fee of five dollars
($5.00) an elk license to any resident who is at least seventy-
five (75) years of age prior to the issuance of the license and
who has continuously resided in Wyoming for at least the fifty
(50) years immediately preceding application for the license;
(ii) For a fee established by rule of the commission
a resident deer, antelope, wild turkey or elk license to any
resident who is at least seventy (70) years of age prior to the
issuance of the license and has continuously resided in Wyoming
for at least fifty (50) years immediately preceding application
for the license. The fee established for a license under this
paragraph shall be not more than sixty-five percent (65%) nor
less than sixty percent (60%) of the resident fee specified in
W.S. 23-2-101 for the particular species;
(iii) Without charge a resident elk or deer license
in any hunt area not subject to prescribed means of competitive
public issuance, a resident game bird and a resident small game
license to any resident who is on active duty in the United
States armed forces deployed to a combat zone who is home on
leave during the applicable hunting season. Application under
this section shall include proof of residency required under
W.S. 23-2-101(a), certification of the applicant's active duty
deployment to a combat zone and other information required by
rule and regulation of the commission. For purposes of this
paragraph, a combat zone is any area which the president of the
United States designates by executive order as an area in which
the armed forces of the United States are engaged in combat;
(iv) Without charge a resident archery license to any
resident who is at least seventy-five (75) years of age prior to
the issuance of the license and has continuously resided in
Wyoming for at least fifty (50) years immediately preceding
application for the license;
(v) A pioneer resident trapping license for
furbearing animals in accordance with the fee specified in W.S.
23-2-301(c)(xiv), to any resident who is at least sixty-five
(65) years of age prior to the issuance of the license and has
resided in Wyoming for at least thirty (30) years.
(f) Applicants for licenses specified in subsections (b)
and (c) shall apply in person to any authorized department
personnel.
(g) In addition to complimentary licenses under subsection
(a) of this section, each appointed commissioner may cause to be
issued at cost not more than a total of eight (8) elk, deer or
antelope designated licenses per year. All licenses issued
under this subsection shall be designated to nonprofit
charitable organizations. As a condition of accepting the
license, the organization shall agree to auction or otherwise
bid the license to the highest bidder or to raffle the license
to members of the public.
(h) In addition the commission may, upon receipt of
payment of fees at a cost equal to the resident antelope license
fee specified under W.S. 23-2-101(j)(xxx), issue up to a total
of fifty (50) antelope licenses each year for the exclusive
distribution by nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing
hunting opportunities to individuals with disabilities for use
by those individuals for hunting opportunities.
(j) In addition the commission may issue upon payment of
proper fees any number, set by rule and regulation, of antelope
licenses, deer licenses, elk licenses and turkey licenses each
year for the exclusive use by persons twenty (20) years of age
or younger with life threatening illnesses who are sponsored by
a nonprofit charitable organization with a mission to provide
opportunities and experiences to persons with life threatening
or serious illnesses. As a condition of issuing the license,
the sponsoring organization shall pay the appropriate license
fee on behalf of the licensee and at no cost to the licensee.
(k) The holder of any valid big game animal license,
trophy game animal license, any wild bison license or a female
or calf wild bison license may surrender said license to the
department for reissuance to a veteran with disabilities or a
person with a permanent disability who uses a wheelchair as
established by commission rule and regulation selected and
sponsored by a nonprofit charitable organization providing
hunting opportunities to a veteran with disabilities or a person
with a permanent disability who uses a wheelchair. Any license
reissued in accordance with the provisions of this subsection
shall be for the same species, area and license type as the
license donated. The license shall be reissued by the
department to a qualifying person at no fee. Any license
donated and reissued under the provisions of this subsection
shall not be sold, traded, auctioned or offered for any monetary
value and shall not be issued to, or used by, any person other
than a qualifying person under the provision of this section and
in compliance with commission rule and regulation. Licenses
reissued to persons pursuant to this subsection shall not be
subject to residency, drawing or fee requirements under W.S. 23-
2-101 or 23-2-107. The five (5) year restriction imposed on the
receipt of a cow or calf moose or a ewe or lamb bighorn sheep
license by W.S. 23-1-703(b), the lifetime restriction imposed on
the receipt of a grizzly bear, mountain goat, ram or any bighorn
sheep, any wild bison or any moose or antlered moose license by
W.S. 23-1-703(c) or the restrictions imposed on a wild bison
under W.S. 23-2-107(f) shall not be applicable in any manner to
a license issued pursuant to this subsection.