Wyoming wildlife habitats closed to reduce stress, protect forage

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — To protect wildlife on their winter range, the majority of Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife habitat management areas close or have restrictions for winter annually. Many WHMAs are closing — or have already closed — to human presence for the season.

Protecting crucial habitat for wildlife is one of the main reasons the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission invests in land throughout Wyoming, Game and Fish said in a news release. WHMAs provide a refuge for big game that must conserve energy and rely on fat stores to survive the coldest months of the year. 

“Seasonal closures are essential for minimizing stress-causing disturbances to wintering deer, elk, bighorn sheep and other wildlife,” said Ray Bredehoft, Game and Fish habitat and access branch chief. “Closures also reduce the human and recreational impacts to the forage, which supports the wildlife on their winter ranges.” 

The closures are for any human presence unless otherwise noted. 

 WHMA CLOSURE DATES