$150 violations. And every hunter was allowed to keep antlers/cape/meat if he was honest with the warden.
FOIA results summary from WY GFD regarding actual enforcement of the NR Wilderness Rule.
In the 10 years ending July, 2022:
1. 12 NR hunters were cited for violating WS 23-2-401(a) (a few warning tickets also issued)
2. No hunter was required to return to WY for a court appearance and total cost of violation was the bond amount, $150.
3. All of these misdemeanor tickets were marked "no court appearance required" - just like a speeding ticket.
4. No hunter lost WY hunting privileges or was reported to another state for loss of privileges under the interstate compact agreement.
5. No hunter had any property seized (gun, atv, truck, etc).
6. Of those 12 violators, 4 hunters were in possession of an animal that was harvested in a wilderness area. Three of those 4 hunters were allowed to keep antlers, cape and meat from the illegal harvest. One of those 4 harvesters had antlers confiscated as his group hadn't tagged the animal and tried to pass it off as a resident kill. Despite the dishonesty, the warden only took the antlers - and then donated the meat back to the hunter.
7. None of the 12 violations appeared to be written by a hiking warden or a warden on horseback. Each report starts with a warden driving up on a camp/hunter near a wilderness area.
8. None of the 12 violations related to an NR retrieving meat only (where the resident guide departed after the animal was down).
Agency heads tend to avoid pigeonholing themselves by committing to how they will/won't enforce a statute within their agency's purview. Past results are no guarantee of future performance. But 10 years of historical enforcement data is perhaps a pretty good indicator of how the next NR will be treated.
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request (public records request) was free. Email the director if you would like to read the warden reports about all twelve violations (including names of violators).
FOIA results summary from WY GFD regarding actual enforcement of the NR Wilderness Rule.
In the 10 years ending July, 2022:
1. 12 NR hunters were cited for violating WS 23-2-401(a) (a few warning tickets also issued)
2. No hunter was required to return to WY for a court appearance and total cost of violation was the bond amount, $150.
3. All of these misdemeanor tickets were marked "no court appearance required" - just like a speeding ticket.
4. No hunter lost WY hunting privileges or was reported to another state for loss of privileges under the interstate compact agreement.
5. No hunter had any property seized (gun, atv, truck, etc).
6. Of those 12 violators, 4 hunters were in possession of an animal that was harvested in a wilderness area. Three of those 4 hunters were allowed to keep antlers, cape and meat from the illegal harvest. One of those 4 harvesters had antlers confiscated as his group hadn't tagged the animal and tried to pass it off as a resident kill. Despite the dishonesty, the warden only took the antlers - and then donated the meat back to the hunter.
7. None of the 12 violations appeared to be written by a hiking warden or a warden on horseback. Each report starts with a warden driving up on a camp/hunter near a wilderness area.
8. None of the 12 violations related to an NR retrieving meat only (where the resident guide departed after the animal was down).
Agency heads tend to avoid pigeonholing themselves by committing to how they will/won't enforce a statute within their agency's purview. Past results are no guarantee of future performance. But 10 years of historical enforcement data is perhaps a pretty good indicator of how the next NR will be treated.
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request (public records request) was free. Email the director if you would like to read the warden reports about all twelve violations (including names of violators).