Wyoming Residency

[DirtyTough]

I was browsing Wyoming's game and fish website and came across the residency requirements.

Who is a Resident?
Resident means: "a United States citizen or legal alien who meets the requirements specified in ? 23-1-107 and rules of the Game and Fish Commission."

A person shall lose residency in Wyoming if the person moves to another state, territory or country and makes it his or her domicile, or if the person temporarily resides in any other state, territory, or country for an aggregate of one hundred eighty (180) days or more in a calendar year, unless he or she qualifies as one of the following:

? A minor dependent
? Is temporarily employed in the service of the United States
? Is a patient at a hospital or institution
? Is attending school
? Is an active duty member of the armed forces
? Is serving full time in an established volunteer service

(Refer to ? 23-1-107 and WGFC Regulation Chapter 44 for detailed requirements

I know multiple guys that don't meet residency requirements according to what I posted above that I copy/pasted from the fish and game site. Yet they still claim to be Wyoming residents and get resident tags every year. Does Wyoming just not care or are all these guys slipping through the cracks?

 

[BBB]

Yes,Wyoming cares. If you're 100% certain, Why don't you turn them in?

 

[WapitiBob]

(ggg) ?Resident? means a United States citizen or legal alien who is domiciled in Wyoming for at least one (1) full year immediately preceding making application for any resident game and fish license, preference point, permit or tag, shall not have claimed residency in any other state, territory, or country for any other purpose during that one (1) year period, and meets the requirements specified in W.S. ? 23-1-102 and ? 23-1-107.

 

[DoubleDropMuley]

Yes what BBB said!!! I'm sure they are probably getting res tags wherever they reside also, against the law so help out the game and fish and do your part!!!

 

[nripepi]

What if they aren't getting resident tags in other states? Then what should be done if they are spending greater than 185 days outside of Wyoming per year?

 

[BBB]

Nripepi,

Read the definitions on the link and it?ll answer your questions.
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Am-I-a-Wyoming-Resident

Pretty black and white. I'd love to see some of these states spend some time chasing down fraudulent hunters who cheat the residency systems.

 

[TOPGUN]

The last sentence below describing when a domicile is established is very similar in Utah and why Larry Altimus was convicted of felony charges that ended up with over $30,000 in fines & restitution along with a 10 year loss of hunting privileges in 47 states. He lived in AZ and rented a home in Kanab, UT. After the required 6 months he used his PPs to apply for a resident Zion sheep tag and drew the permit in May, which is almost impossible to draw as a NR. Within a month of drawing the tag he gave up the house in Kanab and went back to AZ. Then he came back in the Fall and killed a big sheep and was turned in by Adam Bronson who knew Altimus was a legal AZ resident the entire time and had violated the similar Utah requirement that he had only established a Utah residence for a special or temporary purpose. I actually called the Wyoming poaching tip line last month and gave them the name of a person that I thought may be violating the residency requirement to get Wyoming tags. The lady said she would give the information to the LE Division that would run the name through the licensing system and let me know what they found out. So far I haven't received an email or phone call back from them to let me know what they came up with.


Domicile means: "That place where a person has his true, fixed and permanent home to which, whenever a person is temporarily absent, the person has the intention of returning."

Having a mailing address, owning property or a business, or being employed in Wyoming shall not alone prove Wyoming residency or domicile.

Domicile is established when the person demonstrates that he or she:

? Physically resides in Wyoming
? Has abandoned domicile in other states
? Has made his or her permanent residence in Wyoming
? Is not residing in Wyoming for a special or temporary purpose

 

[DirtyTough]

Tripple B. As a non res I don't really see a benefit by turning these guys in. A couple of observations.

They draw out of the res pool and don't compete with me as a non res. They hunt wilderness areas that I can't so I know they won't be crowding me in areas non res can hunt. And last but not least I tell my little boy all the time not to be a tattletale. Seems hypocritical to me if I start being a tattletale.

Here is the deal. They believe they are Wyoming residents. They only spend 25-30 percent of their time in Wyoming because they work in another state. Some own houses and some rent. They have Wyoming plates on their trucks. So if you only spend an aggregate of 120 days in Wyoming according to the rules you would be a non res correct?

I talked to a warden today just cause I was curious. And he said its a gray area and up to the warden from the area they live in. I thought it spells it out fairly plain that you have to reside in WY for at least 180 days to maintain residency but not according to the warden.

Question is should a guy be a snitch or let it ride since its kind of a minor thing?

 

[BBB]

Dirtytough,

The biggest benefit is knowing you helped get rid of fraudulence, stealing wildlife that doesn't legally belong to them.. You may also benefit from the poach hotline reward system...

My guess is you've also taught your kid to do the right thing, and not keep you mouth shut when someone is taking away from everyone else illegally...and to not only think about yourself.

120 days does not make you a Wyoming resident. You are correct.

Stay tough...

 

[TOPGUN]

>Tripple B. As a non res
>I don't really see a
>benefit by turning these guys
>in. A couple of observations.
>
>
>They draw out of the res
>pool and don't compete with
>me as a non res.
>They hunt wilderness areas that
>I can't so I know
>they won't be crowding me
>in areas non res can
>hunt. And last but not
>least I tell my little
>boy all the time not
>to be a tattletale. Seems
>hypocritical to me if I
>start being a tattletale.
>
>Here is the deal. They believe
>they are Wyoming residents. They
>only spend 25-30 percent of
>their time in Wyoming because
>they work in another state.
>Some own houses and some
>rent. They have Wyoming plates
>on their trucks. So if
>you only spend an aggregate
>of 120 days in Wyoming
>according to the rules you
>would be a non res
>correct?
>
>I talked to a warden today
>just cause I was curious.
>And he said its a
>gray area and up to
>the warden from the area
>they live in. I thought
>it spells it out fairly
>plain that you have to
>reside in WY for at
>least 180 days to maintain
>residency but not according to
>the warden.
>
>Question is should a guy be
>a snitch or let it
>ride since its kind of
>a minor thing?

That IMHO is really a very poor attitude to take. A violation is a violation and anyone that doesn't meet the the system requirements and gets a resident license is a liar and a cheat! If the GW you talked to said anything you intimate that he did, then he, IMHO also needs a good talking to since he's a law enforcement officer and seems to be saying that he picks and choose what he enforces and that is not the proper way for him to go about his job.

 

[GeorgeE]

That's why they have the ?tip? line...


'Ike'

Bowhunter...

 

[Sierra]

So what happens if you spend 105 days in WY and 26 days in 10 different states. Where would that person be a resident? Sounds like nowhere for hunting purposes.

 

[nontypical]

Domicile. If Wyoming is where your actual home is. It's where your wife and kids live.

The words "main domicile" are the important words.

 

[wytex]

>So what happens if you spend
>105 days in WY and
>26 days in 10 different
>states. Where would that
>person be a resident?
>Sounds like nowhere for hunting
>purposes.


Depends on how the state regs are written. In Wyoming you can't claim residency in another state and get a resident tag in Wyoming. Military are the exceptions.

 

[Homer]

>So what happens if you spend
>105 days in WY and
>26 days in 10 different
>states. Where would that
>person be a resident?
>Sounds like nowhere for hunting
>purposes.

I was thinking this exact thing.....

 

[ClearCreek]

>So what happens if you spend
>105 days in WY and
>26 days in 10 different
>states. Where would that
>person be a resident?
>Sounds like nowhere for hunting
>purposes.


For hunting (and fishing) purposes you would not be a resident of Wyoming and you would not be able to legally purchase resident hunting and fishing licenses.

ClearCreek

 

[rambopup4]

WapitiBob - yep you're correct. The 1 year residency requirement has been that way as far back as 1992, maybe further. Unless one is ##### Cheney. At the time he ran for Vice President he moved back to Wy. from Texas 9 months before the election because the U.S. Constitution states in order to run the V.P and Pres. can not be from the same state. Trouble was he would not have qualified as a Wy. resident for a fishing or hunting license. But then years later he went to Texas and shot one of his friends while bird hunting and never had the appropriate Texas Parks and Wildlife upland bird hunting license. You guessed it - no fine or citation! His friend he shot was an attorney so at least some good came out of it.

 

[jm77]

>WapitiBob - yep you're correct.
>The 1 year residency requirement
>has been that way as
>far back as 1992, maybe
>further. Unless one is
>##### Cheney. At the
>time he ran for Vice
>President he moved back to
>Wy. from Texas 9 months
>before the election because the
>U.S. Constitution states in order
>to run the V.P and
>Pres. can not be from
>the same state. Trouble
>was he would not have
>qualified as a Wy. resident
>for a fishing or hunting
>license. But then years
>later he went to Texas
>and shot one of his
>friends while bird hunting and
>never had the appropriate Texas
>Parks and Wildlife upland bird
>hunting license. You guessed
>it - no fine or
>citation! His friend he
>shot was an attorney so
>at least some good came
>out of it.


Wow, you would have thought Cheney might have drove drunk off a bridge or something, into the water, causing someone's death and got away with it. SMH

Guess it would have been ok, though, if the person who drowned was an attorney...

 

[TOPGUN]

>>So what happens if you spend
>>105 days in WY and
>>26 days in 10 different
>>states. Where would that
>>person be a resident?
>>Sounds like nowhere for hunting
>>purposes.
>
>
>For hunting (and fishing) purposes you
>would not be a resident
>of Wyoming and you would
>not be able to legally
>purchase resident hunting and fishing
>licenses.
>
>ClearCreek

I'm going to make a wild guess and say that if the person has their permanent domicile in Wyoming, pays taxes with that as their registered one and only primary address, has Wyoming plates, etc, that they would be able to buy a resident license as long as they weren't trying to buy a resident license anywhere else. If they were to be challenged, my guess is also that a court would rule in their favor if it came to that. That may not be the case, but IMHO that's the way it should be.

 

[beech18]

Not in Wyoming, this topic reminds me of an article wrote in the Billings Gazette about a Montana couple with similar circumstances few years back.


If you want to touch a really raw nerve, tell Montana truckers that because they're on the road working so much, they can't buy resident hunting or fishing licenses.

That created a firestorm in the trucking industry and among others who call Big Sky Country home but have to take to the air or highways to make a living beyond the state?s borders.

That was the case with Bob and Joyce Davis, of Shepherd, a couple of weeks ago. The good news is that things have been resolved and, yes indeed, the Davises are officially state residents able to buy Montana resident licenses and not draw moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goat licenses like the rest of us.

The issue had to do with Montana?s residency requirements to purchase hunting and fishing licenses.

Among the residency requirements was one that stated a person had to live in the state for at least 120 days each year to qualify as a resident. In the case of the Davises, they were on the road so much that they only figured they were here living in the state for 75 days each year.

As a result, they received a courtesy citation for buying resident hunting licenses and the fate of their future hunts was in the most severe legal jeopardy. It's an understatement to say that the rest of the trucking world came uncorked over this with terms like ?government goons? and ?FWP license Nazis? being thrown around with abandon.

But late last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials voided the written warning and concluded that the Davises did hold status as residents.

Jim Kropp, FWP?s chief of law enforcement, said the department recognizes that, in these challenging times, some Montanans have to leave the state for long periods of time to work. ?We took a look at these folks and their situation and believe they meet the spirit of the law if not the exact word,? he said.

In some ways, the trucking couple got caught in the crossfire on an issue that targets others in regard to residency.

?The residency laws were written to safeguard the 17,000 nonresident licenses given out each year and ensure that those who live here receive the full benefits of their residency when it comes to outdoor recreation,? Kropp said. Montana?s residency laws have been appealed up to the United States Supreme Court and withstood the test.

?We?re after people who do not live in Montana but falsely claim residency to obtain resident licenses,? he added. ?We'll work through issues of truck drivers and others whose status doesn't precisely fit one at a time and on a case-by-case basis.?

In the wake of the Davis affair, FWP said it will also develop policy guidelines for its warden corps to provide them with some direction and prevent problems like the one that developed here.

As Kropp put it, ?The guidelines are intended to give game wardens direction so that residency rules are enforced fairly and consistently throughout the state, particularly in unique cases such as this.?

It pretty much goes without saying that by FWP taking this approach, the state won't be forced to go to the Montana Legislature and ask them to rewrite the residency laws.

No one in state government would say it ? or at least ever want to go on record as saying it ? but it's far better to work with what's in place rather than allow legislators to tinker with it and issue new mandates.

You simply don't know what the legislators might come up with. Many a bill has gone into a legislative session asking for, let's say, the perfect salami and come out of the Legislature as so much baloney.

In the meantime, it's worth noting that residency requirements are extremely necessary.

A Montana license does carry great value in the hunting community far beyond the state?s borders and the ability to simply go to a license agent and buy an elk or antelope tag would be a dream for those elsewhere.

Kropp noted, ?Since 2004, FWP has issued more than 600 citations and 125 written warnings for unlawfully claiming Montana residency to obtain licenses. This has resulted in more than $200,000 in fines and restitution and 177 instances in which hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for a total of more than 325 years.

It's good to be a Montana resident hunter. And it's great for the Davises to be recognized as two of them along with the rest of us.

 

[TOPGUN]

Thanks for that post beech18! I think if something like that came up in Wyoming they would also address it and do what Montana did in that couple's case.

 

[Deerlove]

Why did some ONLY get a written warning in Mt? You are are your not a resident.

 

[TOPGUN]

>Why did some ONLY get a
>written warning in Mt?
>You are are your not
>a resident.

Just like an officer can use discretion on a traffic stop for speeding, I would assume that the warnings were to people that made a mistake and did not intentionally violate the law. As an example, maybe some had moved to MT and just didn't know the exact requirement to buy a resident tag and had not tried to buy tags in the previous state they lived in. That total was over about an 18 year time period, so that isn't too many that they just gave a warning to IMHO.

 

[deerfanatic]

Rambopup4...your Cheney example is different situation. Residency for hunting is not the same as residency for voting/political purposes.

I think the gray area coming into play is when work requires extensive travel. Others mentioned it, for those people, they don't qualify as a resident anywhere. In my opinion, if your only home and only mailing address is in a particular state, but your job forces you to be in other states extensively, you should be able to call the location of your home....home. Now I also agree that having multiple homes/property/addresses in different states then the state you spend over half the year in should be home. The poor guy that has three or more places in different states, well they can hunt non-resident everywhere.